Jeeway Pakistan, Pakistani Mela 2014 in Rotterdam

Amanat Ali at the Pakistan Mela in Rotterdam

On Sunday 8th of June 2014 was the Pakistani mela in Rotterdam, entrance was free, and families basked in the sunshine, to celebrate our culture, food, art and entertainment.

The Festival  provided a opportunity to Pakistani and other communities living in the Netherlands to come together, to have a family day-out, to promote inter-cultural understanding through a fun-full day of culture, food and music, and project the positive image of Pakistan in the Netherlands.

Pakistani chai ka dhaba

The Mela was organised very well, they had set up a nice program and to top it all, even the parking was free! You could smell the bbq wih chicken tikka and seekh kababs.

Let’s celebrate with mehndi!

Henna, or mehndi, is one of the oldest forms of body art known to man, stretching back over 8,000 years. The application of henna has for centuries been linked with times of joyous celebration, leisure, and togetherness.

How to apply mehndi

My personal favorite tool is a cone made of rolled plastic, similar to a cake decorating tube, with a tiny hole at the end. The benefit of such an application tool is that you can achieve incredibly fine lines. Usually, one cone can be used to decorate up to ten less-elaborately designed hands; for very detailed work a cone will cover two hands.