"Takusa?" a Saudi man carefully holding a cup of tea whispered to my husband while we were looking at displays in a booth in Al-Janadriyah Heritage and Cultural Festival. I thought we misheard what he said but then he spoke further upon seeing our confused faces, "Takusa - takot sa asawa." (Takusa is a Tagalog slang, meaning someone who is afraid of his wife.) We burst out in laughter and the rest of the night had been relaxed and fun. I couldn't imagine how the locals learn that much of the Filipino language.
It was a Thursday night when we went to the 31st Al-Janadriyah Heritage and Cultural Festival. There was a heavy traffic going to the venue and fortunately, it did not rain that night. The parking spaces were almost full but we chanced a spot near one of the gates of the festival. We lined up to enter the gate and the security was pretty tight. Entrance was free and there was so much to see inside.
We actually didn't know where to start - the first thing we saw was the sea of people walking in different directions. Women were wearing head accessories and jewelries and men had different kinds of canes. I couldn't remember what we first checked out but I think we almost toured the whole place. Some of the exhibits have English translations while most were written in Arabic. I wished that we went there with someone who understands Arabic. Anyway, there were people in some exhibits who gladly explained their displays, while some even gave away freebies. Some exhibits showed different cultural dances while some had live musical performances.
The locals were generally friendly that night. Someone even asked if we needed help to take a picture of us. A lot of walking was involved to tour the festival and at the end of the night, we were quite exhausted but overwhelmed with all the things we have seen and learned about the Arab culture.
We wish to visit again next year and hope to learn more about their heritage! Here are some photos I took at the festival:
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| Inside one of the provinces' exhibits |
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| Busy men doing their craft |
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| Music and dance show for children and families |
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| A Saudi man singing to his audience |
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| One of the Kings's horses |
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| On top of a bridge |
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| Igloo-looking plant exhibit |
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| My husband checking out a record player |
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