The best way to celebrate history is to learn from it! Yesterday was one such historical occasion which Gujarati Samaj Finland celebrated. May 1st, popularly known as Vappu (in Finland) or Labor Day, is Gujarat Foundation Day/ ગુજરાત સ્થાપના દિવસ as we call it.

Starting from this year, we - Gujarati Samaj Finland - have made Gujarat Day celebration part of our activities. First time in years, Gujarati families gathered on the occasion of Gujarat Day. There was a rictriciton on the number of available seats because of size of the place, so the registration invitation was sent only to the registered members.

Since it is a day with history and lessons, all the committee members had proposed ideas to make it fun event where everyone gets to know something new about Gujarat. (Kudos to Chirag Bhai for the research)

As planned, most members gathered at the venue and the event started with documentaries on Gujarat (links below). Information shared in the videos became more interesting when it was informed that the subsequent quiz would have some questions from the videos! Later on, two rounds of Kahoot quiz were organized of which one was specifically designed for kids. One of the many engaging moments of the day for sure! (Thank you, Srujal Bhai, for taking efforts in organizing the quiz)

As you know, we planned to launch the Gujarati Samaj Website on Gujarat Day. So, finally, now we have our own website which is one place to get all the information about Gujarati Samaj, our past and future events, activities, and above all, useful information for families!
Gujarati Samaj Website is now live  - www.gujaratisamaj.fi
One request: this is our own portal and there are many ideas which we can implement together to make it more useful. Please explore the website and share your suggestions on Gujarati Samaj email address (gujaratisamaj.finland@gmail.com)On behalf of everyone, Gujarati Samaj is thanks Raunaq and Kush for dedicating efforts in creation of the website for us.

And then it was time for some masala tea and hot snacks. A lot can happen over cups of tea. Luckily, the venue had a fully functional kitchen so volunteers were able to prepare tea at the venue and serve everyone with hot samosa and chips. Special appreciation for volunteers for making snacks arrangements during the event!
It was a May day minus the sparking drink but there were many high spirited games that everyone enjoyed! Active participation from kids made the Sunday afternoon cheerful! Until the next time then!