Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek-Catholic Church will host its 30th annual Middle Eastern Food Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2-3, at the church, 8501 Lewinsville Road in McLean.
The festival will feature authentic Middle Eastern food, pastries, music and dancing, as well as vendors, church tours, and activities for both children and adults.
Events will run Sept. 2 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sept. 3 from 12:30 from 5 p.m.
“Smell the aromas from the outdoor grills, partake of kibbeh, chicken shish kabob, roast lamb, falafel, hummus, stuffed grape leaves and Tabouleh, or any number of other delicious menu choices,” organizers said. “Be sure to save room for dessert and coffee. Some of the mouth-watering Arabic pastries include baklawa, maamoul, namoura and ghraybeh. There also is atayef, a pancake-like dessert stuffed with a delicious pistachio mixture and rose-water simple syrup.”
For children, there will be a moon bounce, 18-foot slide, face painting, petting zoo and many games going on throughout the festival day.
A highlight of the event is the Saturday night, 7:00 p.m. “hafli” (“party” in Arabic) that will feature live music and dancing.
“Join us and learn to dance the dabke, a traditional folk line dance,” organizers said.
The festival will be held rain or shine. Admission and parking are free. For information, including how to order in advance, see the Website at www.MiddleEasternFoodFestival.com.
Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek-Catholic Church is the local parish of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton, Mass. “Melkite”refers to those Catholics whose ancestry is Middle Eastern and who follow the Byzantine tradition in worship, theology and spirituality.
