If you want your friends to know your roots, get ready to showcase your immaculate ethnic dresses and share some of the delectable delicacies that your forefathers had savoured for eons on the first World Ethnic Day on June 19.
A brainchild of craftsvilla.com, the World Ethnic Day envisages a world held together by its roots — a world that respects heritage, civilisation, anthropology, art and culture.
“World Ethnic Day is a day to celebrate the cultures of different countries together on a single day,” <g data-gr-id="35">Craftsvilla</g> said in a statement.
“In the digital world, ‘World is One’ yet we all carry different identities represented by what we wear, eat, believe and celebrate. Let us come together and celebrate our diversity as ‘One World’,” it added.
The world has over a thousand ethnic groups; each with considerable genetic, linguistic, cultural and
social diversity.
“World Ethnic Day is a concept that came out of the passion and vision of craftsvilla.com, India s largest online marketplace for ethnic products. It is a way to celebrate unique cultures of the world on a single day in unison,” explained Monica Gupta, co-founder.
One simple way to participate in the celebration is by wearing your favourite ethnic dress.
“You can also gift ethnic like handicrafts, sweets and musical instruments, or indulge in an ethnic party with lots of ethnic food and music,” the statement read.
A research paper from Stanford University identified 820 ethnic and “<g data-gr-id="34">ethno</g> religious” groups in 160 countries — while considering only those that had at least one percent of country population.
That is just an estimate, as the number for ethnic groups in the world would vary, depending on who is classifying and on what basis.
Actor Vidya Balan, who often sports saris, has been roped in to be the face of the World Ethnic Day, which will be celebrated globally.
“By celebrating World Ethnic Day, we get an opportunity to go back to our roots. I feel strongly about the dying art of handlooms in the country, and also about the plight of artisans who are struggling for <g data-gr-id="41">livelihood</g>. I am delighted with the opportunity to spread awareness about it,” Vidya said in a statement. World ethnic Day envisages a world held together by its roots - <g data-gr-id="39">a world</g> that respects <g data-gr-id="38">heritage</g>, civilisation, anthropology, art and culture.