Citrawarna comes to colourful end

ALOR STAR: The month-long Citrawarna Malaysia (Colours of Malaysia) 2003 celebration ended last night with a colourful and dazzling ceremony at the Bandar Darulaman Lake Park in Jitra near here. 

Watched by more than 25,000 people, hundreds of dancers from Kedah, Perlis, Penang and Perak mesmerised the crowd with their multi-cultural presentations and colourful costumes in the ceremony which started at 9pm. 

There were also performances by veteran singer Tan Sri S.M. Salim and his younger counterparts, Ning Baizura and Ella. 

Thousands of people turned up for the event which was graced by the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah.  

GRACEFUL MOVES:The Taman Budaya Group from Perlis performing a dance during the Citrawarna Malaysia closing ceremony at Bandar Darulaman Lake Park in Jitra last night.

Citrawarna Malaysia 2003 was launched on May 24 at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur with a colourful parade after which various events were held nationwide that showcased the country's wide variety of local arts and crafts, traditional music, dances and diverse culture. 

Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Datuk Paduka Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said this was the first time a closing ceremony was held for the Citrawarna Malaysia since the month-long event was introduced in 1999. 

Besides promoting tourism, he said the event increased the people's awareness of the various cultures of the multi-racial population in Malaysia.