Edinburgh Mela

The Edinburgh Mela is an annual multi-cultural festival held in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is one of the 12 festivals that make up the Edinburgh Festival. The first mela, a Sanskrit word meaning "gathering" or "to meet", was held in 1995 at Meadowbank Stadium, and was organised by members of the city's minority ethnic communities. The festival moved to Pilrig Park in 2000, and to Leith Links in 2010. Running over three days in September, the event attracts around 20 to 25,000 people each year.

Creative Scotland said "The [2010] program aimed to and successfully reflected a range of cultural influences and intercultural influences through the selection of music, film, arts workshops and stalls. The festival site contributed massively to the overall Mela programme offering a centre and focus for celebration, community togetherness and providing the context for a great family day out."

Melas are south Asian events which have spread around the world from the south Asian subcontinent. Mela means 'gathering' and can describe festival, market, trade event, religious gathering and more. Melas are celebrated with music, dance, theatre, fashion, food and stalls, these are days for the whole family, to join in and embrace south Asian culture. Melas are distinguished by their bringing together of south Asian cultures and those of other countries when promoted by south Asian Diasporas abroad. Melas first came to Britain in the late eighties.

The Edinburgh Mela is something unique and is not an attempt to merely recreate its south Asian counterpart. You are immediately aware of both Scottish and Asian cultures converging in a celebration of colourful costumes and performances. You are quickly immersed in the atmosphere of a bazaar with the food aromas of the east and traders selling clothes, fabrics, jewellery, crafts and much more. The Edinburgh Mela is a place to wander around and mix with people from all around the globe, all enjoying this spectacular event.

In 1995 people from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and other traditions of the sub-continent established a mela in Edinburgh. Chinese, African and other groups were also involved. The first festival was held in Meadowbank Stadium, London Road, Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Mela Company formed in 1996 and since then it has sought to use the form to create a very distinct and ambitious model for a multi-cultural platform. It has grown from its routes within Edinburgh’s South Asian communities to be an outward-looking organisation presenting an event with cultural offerings from across the globe. Edinburgh Mela now commissions and produces innovative work and is seen as Scotland’s foremost celebration of cultural diversity.

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Wikipedia