Anoghi Panighiri August 14th 2023
The Anoghi Panighiri is a local favourite. This year, many were surprised that the location of the festival had been moved to the local square a little further up the road. First time attendees thought it was great, and why wouldn't they, it's a vibrant cultural display of which they have no knowledge and where there is no history, but there was a palpable disappointment too among those who annually make their way up the mountain village of Anoghi.
I didn't mind the new location, although I do prefer the old. My thoughts were that unless you were around the dance circle, there was a great disconnect and it would not be easy to feel like you were part of something bigger than yourself with the distance and deterrants to gettting into the center. The new location was a maze to be tranversed, the old was a squeeze. Lots of people on the sidelines on different levels, just looking on. Bystanders and voyeurs.
It didn't have the same vibe as other years, but there were plenty who enjoyed every second and didn't care where the location was, only that the festival was and that it was fun and it certainly seemed like fun for them.
