Cities Worldwide Celebrate with Georgia
Cities around the world will host performances and symbolic displays to mark the 100th anniversary of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia this Saturday.
On May 26, at locations from including Asia, Europe and North America, monuments will be illuminated with colours of the Georgian national flag while concerts and educational events will celebrate the anniversary.
In Brussels, the trademark monument of Manneken-Pis will be dressed in the Georgian national costume chokha, with the country’s national anthem performed by the choir of the city’s Georgian church.
The legacy of Michel Mouskhely (1903-1964), a Georgian political scientist and University of Strasbourg professor, will be marked at the European Council offices in the French city.
European cultural sites and governmental buildings including the medieval castle above downtown Ljubljana in Slovenia, the central bridge in Vilnius, Lithuania and the City Hall of Lisbon, Portugal will light up in the red and white of the Georgian flag.
The flag itself will be raised at public offices in cities on both sides of the Atlantic, from Tartu, Estonia to Dublin, Republic of Ireland and Ottawa, Canada, among others.
South Korean capital Seoul, the United States Congress will join the celebration, with pianist Giorgi Mikadze and Basiani ensemble hosted at the United Nations offices in New York.
The celebratory events will be particularly marked in Eastern European states that share common memory of loss of independence to Soviet annexation with Georgia, as well as restoration of statehood since the dissolution of the USSR.
Cities from Tallinn to Chisinau will seek to raise awareness on the date and promote Georgian culture and language.
Among the occasions paying homage to the 1918 date, Georgian state vocal ensemble Batumi will host around 80 service members of the Georgian Armed Forces for a concert before their departure for the NATO peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.
Cultural events, conferences and receptions will welcome guests and participants in celebration of the centennial in Georgia and abroad throughout the year.
By Shawn Wayne
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