Sweden celebrates Novruz holiday

Novruv holiday has been celebrated in Stockholm, Sweden. Around 300 guests from different parts of Sweden attended the event, co-organized by International Media Group Sweden and the Azerbaijan Media Center in Stockholm with the support of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Sweden, Azernews reports citing Azertag.

At the beginning of the event the National Anthem of Azerbaijan was played, followed by Garabagh Sunday School students' performance of the Almali dance.

Well-known singers Abbas Ahmad and Chinara Malikzade, who arrived from Azerbaijan, also took part in the festive program.

"I am glad that so many of our compatriots came to celebrate the ancient national holiday of Novruz. I am very grateful to the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva for the fact that, thanks to her efforts, the Novruz holiday was included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List," said the event organizer Rahim Telman Sadikhbayli.

At the end of the holiday, the young talent Aynura Safarova performed popular songs in Azerbaijani and English.

Note that the first day of Novruz falls on the spring equinox on March 20-21. The holiday celebrates the arrival of spring and the start of a new year.

On September 30, 2009, Novruz was included in UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. On February 23, 2010, the UN declared March 21 the International Day of Novruz.

Azerbaijan is to mark Torpaq Charshanbasi (Soil Tuesday) on March 19. The Novruz holiday will be celebrated on March 21.