DUBAI, 14 August 2006 — The Flower Surprises Week, organized by the Dubai municipality, began on Thursday evening with a series of activities to entertain people. Natural flowers have been presented in myriad hues across Dubai during this floral themed week.
Tons of fresh flowers were showered on visitors to the Mall of the Emirates on Thursday. Special audiovisual effects and oriental music added to the breathtaking atmosphere that marked the opening ceremony of the eight-theme week of Dubai Summer Surprises.
During this week, 10,000 flowers are to be distributed to the public at various venues; in addition, children will be able to enjoy flower workshops at malls across Dubai. As part of the Flower Surprises Week, instructors are teaching youngsters how to make paper flowers using the Japanese flower arranging art of origami.
While some workshops are teaching how to arrange fresh flowers others are using dried or artificial flowers. The workshops will be running everyday until Aug. 16 between 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at different shopping malls in the city including the Reef Mall, Al-Ghurair City, Deira City Center, Bur Juman, Mercato, Ibn Batuta Mall and the Al-Bustan Center.
The Flower Carnival is one of the many shows that are being staged during the week and which have attracted lots of visitors. The carnival has so far been held in the Ibn Battuta Mall, Mercato and the Al-Bustan Center and will now be heading to Deira City Center today and then to the Al-Ghurair City and Bur Juman.
The event also encompasses a flower costume competition for children of different nationalities and age groups. Children will be competing for the best flower costume, the best cap and the best flowers of kids’ awards, which are judged by visitors to the mall. The winners are then awarded cash prizes and certificates of appreciation.
Meanwhile, a newly married Tamil couple re-enacted their marriage ceremony with full rituals at a flower decorated wedding stage at the China Court of the Ibn Batuta Mall in Dubai on Friday. The wedding ceremony, hosted by the couple’s families and the Indian Association Dubai, was re-enacted as part of the activities of the Flower Surprises Week.
The bridegroom and bride, Krishnan and Anu, and their relatives, all dressed in traditional clothing, participated in the re-enactment of the wedding that lasted 75 minutes. The entire marriage ceremony was enacted with flower garlands and other traditional rituals and was a rare treat for the large crowd that had thronged the shopping mall.
The Indian Association Dubai also arranged a flower carpet with public participating at the mall. Members of the association mainly arranged the multicolored flower carpet which was 10 feet in diameter, said K.V. Shankar, a member of the association.
