Unique experience: Gu Ziyang, a student from China, taking a photo of the traditional wedding ceremony ‘Thirumana Vaibavam’ during the George Town Heritage Celebrations 2023. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Visitors to the George Town Heritage Celebrations 2023 were fascinated by the time-honoured traditions featured in the cultural workshops here.
They went from one craft booth to another yesterday to try their hand at threading beads, folding paper effigies, making flower garlands, doing calligraphy and designing henna art.
Some also learnt how to make floral carpets and wayang kulit bookmarks while others created their own batik masterpieces.
Among them were tourist couple Banny Asciutto, 34, from Italy, and Natalia Romero, 31, a Guatemalan.
“We had a good time trying out different traditional art forms. It was a good way to get to know Malaysia.
“It’s amazing how many activities there are. Everything was well done and organised,” Romero said while putting the final touches to her batik piece.
Visitors were also able to enjoy Bansan, an interactive board game revolving around the activities of a wet market, as well as Tambola, a Bingo-like game where players ticked off numbers called out by the presenter.
Many had a blast participating in various music and dance workshops, from the dikir barat and joget to Japanese shimokita, Siamese klongyau, Gujarati raas garba and lion dance.
Equally interesting were demonstrations of nuptial traditions of various local communities, like the Malay bersanding ceremony, Indian-Muslim Thirumana Vaibavam, and Sikh Sangeet Ki Raat.
A German musical workshop completed the line-up of activities at the event held at various venues across Acheh Street, Cannon Street, Armenian Street and Soo Hong Lane in the heritage enclave.
Colleagues Nur Amelia Abdul Salleh, 23, and Farah Hassan, 25, also found the experience fun.
Both human resource executives, they timed their weekend getaway from Kuala Lumpur to coincide with the celebrations.
“We originally thought of coming last month to relax and makan-makan (enjoy the food), but changed our dates after learning of the celebration, as there could be extra things to experience.
“I’ve never tried many of these crafts before. Plus, you have nice souvenirs to take home,” quipped Nur Amelia.
Farah added: “In bigger cities like Kuala Lumpur, people have mostly lost touch with such traditions. Luckily, there are still places like Penang where you could have a feel of them.”
The event was organised by George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) in collaboration with 37 partners and cultural organisations to commemorate the 15th anniversary of George Town’s inscription as a Unesco World Heritage Site. The annual occasion is marked as a public holiday in the state.
GTWHI general manager Dr Ang Ming Chee was present to accompany Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and other local leaders around the activity sites.
“The celebration emphasises accessibility and inclusivity so everyone may get to experience, learn and appreciate the cultural elements that contribute to the city’s alluring charm.
“It highlights our diverse, multicultural social fabric and enables us to identify and document our heritage so we are equipped to address issues and challenges.
“More importantly, it is also a pathway to connect with younger generations so they could become champions of this cultural heritage,” said Ang.
