Belfast Mela: Colour and culture returns after pandemic

It was the first Mela parade to take place through Belfast city centre

Belfast city centre was awash with colour on Saturday as the first ever Mela carnival parade wound its way through the city.

Bringing together hundreds of participants and artists from Belfast and beyond, the streets were filled with global costumes, music and dance.

The parade marked the start of eight days of the Mela festival, after a two-year break due to the Covid pandemic.

More than 40 events are planned across the city between 20 and 28 August.

Nisha Tandon, the festival's organiser as it marks its sixteenth year, described the parade as a representation of the "true diverse communities which are living and making this city such a beautiful city".

She said it was important that everyone has "ownership of this space and true shared space so that they feel that this is their city".

The festival brought plenty of colour and culture to Belfast city centre

Belfast Lord Mayor Tina Black said the parade was a "beautiful riot of colour, culture, different traditions and backgrounds".

"Everyone associates Mela with Botanic Gardens so it's good this year to have that spreading out and Mela does lots of different activities right across the city," she continued.

"The parade through the city core is just a sign to all our citizens that Mela is for everyone."

Mexican dance

Mayte Segura, who is originally from Mexico but has been living in Northern Ireland for 14 years, led the Mexican contingent.

"We have two groups of Mexican dancers. One of them is my own group that is performing," she said before the event.

Mayte Segura was among the performers who took part in the carnival

"The costumes are made from basic fabrics, they tend to be a little more elaborate, finishing with a big dress in different colours and different textures.

"That is what is characteristic of Mexican dance around the world."

Mazen said the event encouraged people to learn about other cultures

Another group which took part was from Ukraine and this year its carnival group grew in size.

"Because of the war in the country, they didn't really think about it was something we should do," Marina Furey, from Ukrainians in Northern Ireland, said.

However Ms Furey, who has lived in Northern Ireland for about 19 years, thought the Mela would be a great opportunity to showcase Ukraine's culture, including traditional music and making blue and yellow bracelets to represent the country's flag.

Mazen, from Syria, said the event was "really important".

"It's very good to meet people from other cultures, so we learn about other cultures, so that's really nice."