Int’l Festival of Iranian Tribes’ Culture to boost Iran-China friendship: Envoy

Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua said that holding the 14th International Festival of Iranian Tribes’ Culture helps the Chinese people get more acquainted with the Iranian culture and it would bolster amicable ties between Iran and China.

Participating virtually in the festival, which is underway in Gorgan, the capital of Iran’s Golestan Province, the ambassador added that the Chinese Embassy in Tehran, in cooperation with Iranian authorities, will hold a set of cultural activities in a bid to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Tehran-Beijing ties, IRNA reported.

In a message sent to the event online, the Chinese envoy pointed to his presence at the cultural event last year, saying that he had wished to inform his Chinese friends of the festival after last year’s event, but since the event is taking place virtually this year, his wish had come true.

The festival is scheduled to run until January 31.

The opening ceremony of the festival is held virtually with the participation of Iranian and foreign audiences as well as the authorities of Golestan Province in its capital city Gorgan.

Golestan Governor Hadi Haqshenas said that the traditions of the tribes of the province consist of cultural identity of the region, which should be transferred to the new generation.

For the first time this year, four villages and one city of Golestan Province have been selected as the villages and city of national handicrafts, which shows the high capacity of the region in terms of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, said Haqshenas.

Managing Director of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Golestan Province Ahmad Tajarri said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the secretariat of the festival decided to hold the 14th round of the festival online.

He added that 23 ensembles perform Persian traditional music during four nights of the festival.

The festival embraces a wide range of regional arts, handicrafts, workshops, souvenirs, culinary traditions and tourist-attraction exhibitions, online sales, webinars as well as live musical and theatrical performances.

With a population of 1.9 million, Golestan Province is considered to be the gallery of Iranian tribes, ethnicities and the followers of various religious sects; therefore, the permanent secretariat of the Iranian ethnic culture festival is located in Gorgan.

Source: Iran Daily