DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   For the people of Punjab, the festival of Lohri holds a great significance, as it marks the harvesting season and the end of the winter season.  The main event is the making of a huge bonfire which is symbolic of the homage to the Sun God for bringing in warmth.  Celebrated on January 13th every year.  Lohri festivities are associated with the harvesting of the Rabi crops.  There is a special significance attached to the celebration of Lohri as this day the sun enters the rashi (zodiac) of Makara (Capricorn), this is considered auspicious as it signifies a fresh start.    Lohri has special significance for the agriculturists because, it marks the beginning of a new financial year, on this day they settle the division of the products of the land between themselves and the tillers.  Lohri assumes greater significance, if there has been a happy evet in the family, such as the birth of a child or a marriage in the past year.  The family then plays host to relatives and friends and

   The Touaregs, nomads from the south of the Sahara, have a long standing tradition of coming toether for annual meeting called Takoubelt in the Kidal region or Temakannit in the Timbuktu region.  These meetings allowed them to reconnect with each other (after the nomadic season), have fun, resolve conflicts between individuals or groups and to exchange ideas about the challenges that they were facing at the moment.  These encounters are what "Le Festival au Desert" is built upon.  "Le Festival au Desert", in its present form was born in January 2001, at the dawn of the third millennium, following a meeting between Touaregs from Mail and European musicians.    The organization of the Festival, wit its focus on combining modernity and tradition, is driven by a strong desire to open its doors to the outside world, while still preserving the cultures and traditions of the desert; for some,  this signifies being listened to and then recognized, for others i