Ithaca's first Himalayan Festival will take place 2-7pm, Dec 11, at Southside Community Center in downtown Ithaca NY, gateway to the Finger Lakes region. The event will feature the presentation of the Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal, educational displays (including Dream Flags) and lectures; presentation of prizes for essays submitted by students from Tompkins County and Nepal; music, dancing, and instruction; door prizes (books and CDs); free drinks (tea and fruit juices) and vegan Tandoori food -- much of we eat in Ithaca's Indian restaurants as well as in Nepal -- naan , samosas, palak paneer, aloo ghobi -- is actually of North Indian origin).

The Himalayan Festival has three purposes:

1. To educate our residents and visitors, and particularly young people, through participation in global observance of the UN-designated International Mountain Day on December 11th.

In 2002 the United Nations General Assembly carried out a review of the impact of the1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) [a.k.a. the Rio Earth Summit]. As a result, the General Assembly designated of 2002 as International Year of Mountains; and of December 11 (in perpetuity) as International Mountain Day (IMD). This year is the 20th anniversary of those declarations, an appropriate time to renew commitment to the principles detailed in Chapter 13: Mountains of the document "Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development," adopted in 1992 as part of the "Agenda 21" action plan. IMD events create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and build alliances that will bring positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world. These objectives are important elements of the recent proclamation of Sister Cities linkage between Ithaca and Pokhara, Nepal.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) manages IMD planning and has suggested "Women Move Mountains" as the 2022 theme. More information

2) To promote cultural pride among Tompkins County residents and visitors with origins or affiliation to nations in the greater Himalayan arc, including stretching from the Pamir Knot in Afghanistan and Pakistan, through Pakistan, India, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and to the eastern shear zone terminating in the Yu Long Xue Shan range in northwest Yunnan province of the People's Republic of China.

3) To provide an opportunity for inclusive and joyful recreation of Tompkins County residents and visitors during a time of year that can be stressful and lonely for many people, particularly for newer residents and for visitors from distant countries.