Sindhi Cultural Day

Sindhi Cultural Day (Sindhi: سنڌي ثقافتي ڏھاڙو) is a popular Sindhi cultural festival celebrated each year in the first week of December on the Sunday. It is celebrated with traditional enthusiasm to highlight the centuries-old rich culture of Sindh. It's widely celebrated all over Sindh, and amongst the Sindhi diaspora population around the world. Sindhis celebrate this day to demonstrate the peaceful identity of Sindhi culture and acquire the attention of the world towards their rich heritage.

Sindhi cultural day is celebrated worldwide on the first Sunday of December. On this occasion, people wear attires, Ajrak (traditional block printed shawl) and Sindhi Topi. During the festival, people gather in all major cities of Sindh at press clubs, and other places to arrange various activities. Literary (poetic) gatherings, mach katchehri (gathering in a place and sitting round in a circle and the fire on sticks in the center), musical concerts, seminars, lecture programs and rallies are held. Major hallmarks of cities and towns are decorated with Sindhi Ajrak. People across Sindh exchange gifts of Ajrak and Topi at various ceremonies. The children and women dress up in Ajrak, assembling at the grand gathering, where famous Sindhi singers sing Sindhi songs, which depicts the message of Sindh peace and love. The musical performances of the artists compel the participants to dance to Sindhi tunes and the national song, sung by Ahmed Mughal (Brother of Late Rehman Mughal) ‘Hea Sindh Jeay-Sindh Wara Jean Sindhi Topi Ajrak Wara Jean’.

All political, social and religious organizations of Sindh, besides the Sindh Culture Department and administrations of various schools, colleges and universities, organize a variety of events including seminars, debates, folk music programs, drama and theatric performances, tableaus and literary sittings to mark this annual festivity. On Sindhi culture day, history and heritage are highlighted at the events.

Sindhi Cultural day is observed to display solidarity among the Sindhi-speaking masses; the event is celebrated throughout Sindh and all over the world. The culture and heritage day was celebrated for the first time on 6 December 2009 (as the Sindhi Topi Day) as a backlash to the comments of anchorperson Dr. Shahid Masood who had criticized President Asif Ali Zardari for wearing a Sindhi cap on his foreign tours. People across the Sindh province condemned Masood’s comments via SMS, which ultimately resulted in the announcement of celebrating the Sindhi Topi Day. Ever since, Sindhi media groups have also started to celebrate the day as ‘Sindhi Cultural Day’. The Sindhi language TV channels including Time News, Sindh TV, Awaz TV and Mehran TV broadcast live and special programmes on the culture of Sindh, besides these media outlets separately arrange the mega musical events, which also attract large audiences to celebrate the culture day every year.

This is the timeline of celebrations of the Sindhi cultural day.

The first cultural day celebrations were held on 6 December 2009. Ali Kazi was the first to announce the celebration of the cultural day and all Sindhis endorsed his decision.^{[citation needed]}

Sindhi cultural day was celebrated in December 2010. Provincial government and Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah announced it a public holiday.

Sindhi cultural day was celebrated in December 2011. Government of Sindh in collaboration with media centers sponsored this event.