Milan hosts event on occasion of Novruz holiday

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Italy organized a gala dinner on the occasion of the Novruz holiday at the Milan Marriott hotel on March 18, the embassy told Trend.

Representatives of the public area of Lombardy, consulates of foreign states accredited in Milan and local media, as well as Azerbaijani Diaspora have attended the event.

Informing the participants about the holiday rituals, Azerbaijani Ambassador Vagif Sadigov said the Novruz festival is one of the oldest traditional festivals of the Azerbaijani people. He stressed that the Novruz holiday is celebrated in several other states and has already been recognized at the international level. Sadikhov said that the U.N. General Assembly adopted in February 2010 a special resolution declaring March 21 as International Novruz Day. Afterwards, the OSCE also recognized Novruz as an international holiday.

Then, the event was continued with a musical program. Mugham performers and dance groups performed at the concert organized with the support of the Azerbaijani Culture and Tourism Ministry. Italian masters of arts performed the Azerbaijani dance.

A short film about Azerbaijan was also demonstrated to the participants.
The embassy also reported that it plans to hold a number of cultural events dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the restoration of Azerbaijan’s independence in Rome and other Italian cities in 2011.


/Trend/