European national costumes exhibited in Baku

The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Azerbaijan, together with the embassies of the EU member states, has organized the first European national costumes exhibition as part of the FantazEU Cultural Heritage Festival, which is being held for the fifth time.

The exhibition aims to introduce the Azerbaijani audience to the world of European traditional costumes that have come down to us from centuries.

Within the framework of the exhibition, the embassies of Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia presented their national costumes reflecting their customs and traditions from different historical periods, the diversity and cultural experience of the EU countries.

EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Peter Michalko addressed the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

"National costumes are a reflection of the history of the nation. They are formed under the influence of socio-economic, cultural-historical, natural-geographical factors. That is why national costumes become a source for studying the culture of different countries. We hope that the exhibition will help visitors to Azerbaijan learn more about the national culture and folklore of EU member states," EU Ambassador said.

FantazEU Festival is the successor of the Fantazia Cultural Heritage Festival, which has been organised by the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan since 2018. It aims at promoting European cultural diversity, with a particular focus on European cultural heritage in Azerbaijan, including demonstrating links between European and Azerbaijani cultural heritage.

The festival took its name from the Fantazia hamam. The bathhouse was built in Baku in the end of the 19th century, bringing together European and local architectural elements.