site.btaTaraclia to Host 23rd Unity in Diversity Ethnocultural Festival

The 23rd Unity in Diversity Ethnocultural Festival is expected to bring together some 5,000 participants in Taraclia on September 14.

The organizers of the event are the Taraclia District Council, together with the Department of Culture and the Bulgarian community in Taraclia District. Moldova’s Culture Ministry and the KLumea Public Association are the forum’s partners.

The Festival will open with a procession of representatives of different ethnic groups. "It will be very colourful and exciting. Between 20 and 40 ensembles will parade in traditional national costumes, representing their ethnicity, city, region, and country," the head of the Department of Culture, Lyudmila Shebolenko, told BTA.

Artistic companies from Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria are expected to showcase their traditions at the event. Shebolenko noted that companies from Ocniţa, Ungheni, Hîncești, and Gagauziya have applied for participation in the festival.

The event will also feature live music performances by popular artists and bands, including DoReDoS, and display products and crafts of artisans and local producers. Guests will be able to sample traditional dishes and visit the Covoare Ungheni carpet fair that will be taking place for the third year in a row. Part of the fair’s proceeds will go to a children’s education institution in Taraclia.

"With this event, we want to show that Moldova is a multinational country, home to many ethnic minorities, who can only come together at such large-scale festivals where everyone can showcase their culture, traditions, cuisine, costumes, and exchange information and skills," Shebolenko said. She added that passing on the cultural heritage to young people and boosting the visibility of Bessarabian Bulgarians throughout Moldova are among their main objectives.