Saree walk to celebrate South Asian heritage

Sarees, also spelt sari, is a draping garment which dates back about 5,000 years

A group of women have walked together dressed in sarees to celebrate South Asian Heritage Month.

They took part in the third annual walkathon at Christchurch Park in Ipswich on Sunday.

The saree is considered a cultural garment and consists of a long unstitched piece of fabric draped in various styles around the body.

One of the organisers, Mayuri Patel, hoped wearing a saree would create "confidence and give a sense of belongingness to our Indian women and show our culture to the local community".

The saree designs and how they are draped varies according to where in South Asia a woman is from

"We would like to celebrate the Indian culture and at the same time encourage our ladies all over the world to uphold the Indian attire and tradition," said Ms Patel.

The organiser said that in India, donning a saree was seen as a way of promoting cultural pride and keeping ancient customs alive.

"Not only does it depict Indian culture, but it also emphasises the values and emotions so fundamental to Indian heritage," she added.

Sarees are worn in different ways, carry different patterns and are made of a variety of cloth according to the different regions of India.

As well as being worn by Indian women, sarees are worn in Bangladesh, Sri lanka, Nepal and Pakistan.

South Asian Heritage Month runs from July to mid-August, but the organisers held the walk a month later to allow for more participants.