DETROIT — While rain on Saturday caused the attendance to drop a little bit, the spirit of the 2008 Arab and Chaldean Festival was not compromised at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit this past Saturday and Sunday.

From food to the gallery of art and artifacts to concerts and other performances, crowds of many different nationalities went home happy all weekend.

In particular, the belly dancing show on Saturday was a big hit with the crowd. Belly dancer Nadira was among the most popular attractions on Saturday, the first day of the festival.

“Everybody had a very, very good time at the belly dancing show,” said Dr. Jacoub Mansour, president of the event. “She picked people out of the audience to come dance on stage and the crowd was blowing whistles at her and everything.”

Big-name international music artists like Mahoud Anwar and Ali Amuntaser also were huge attractions. Anwar captivated the crowd on Saturday as he pulled people on stage and posed for pictures while he was playing, showing his support and love for the fans.

Food is always a big part of any festival, and the booths at the Arab and Chaldean Festival were no different this year. The two main restaurants serving Arabic food were Marhaba from Farmington Hills as well as the popular Dearborn banquet hall Byblos.

While many of the visitors who came already knew and loved Arabic food, others tried it for the first time at the urging of friends.

Event security guard Shamar Clemons gave Mansour and his staff a thumbs-up as he sunk his teeth into a chicken schawarma sandwich for the first time.

“I’ve always wanted to try Arabic food but this is the first time I’ve ever tried it,” said Clemons, 35, of Dearborn Heights, who tried the sandwich after a recommendation by an event volunteer. “The only problem is you just don’t know what to try, but this is really good.”

The festival, now in its 37th year, actually has ties to Dearborn’s International Arab Festival. The International Arab Festival split off from the Arab and Chaldean Festival, which used to be called the Arab World Festival. But Mansour, now in his 27th year with the Arab and Chaldean Festival, changed the name in 2000 so that he could draw in more of the Chaldean community, which is more scattered in places outside Dearborn, so that he could create a family-friendly environment that fosters cooperation and diversity among the two groups as well as people from other backgrounds in the area.

Luckily for Mansour, the idea has worked and allowed both festivals to prosper despite their closeness of location and attractions. And luckily for people across Metro Detroit, the festival should remain strong enough to be an annual tradition in Hart Plaza for years to come.     

Photos: Khalil AlHajal/TAA