The 27th Cultural and Sports Festival of Qarah Qayah Nomads was held in the northwestern Iranian province of East Azarbaijan on Friday.
The festival is held every year on the occasion of the spring migration of Kaleybar nomads, eachto.ir reported.
In the Sports Section, competitions include horseback riding, archery, arm-wrestling, beach volleyball, tug of war and wrestling, while traditional and local performances are parts of Cultural Section.
The festival is highly admired by the people of Azarbaijan, as the participants play an important role in performing local rituals and attending with traditional clothes, which are part of the intangible heritage of Iran.
Due to the spread of the coronavirus and the standard operating procedure of the Health Ministry of Iran, the festival was suspended for two years.
 

The Serbian ambassador to Iran said that the Serbian language has nearly 1,000 words in common with the Persian language.
Dragan Todorović made the statement during his visit to the Saadi Foundation pavilion at the 33rd Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF), adding that the Persian language enjoys a high status in Serbia, ILNA reported.
Mazeh (taste), limoo (lime), porteqal (orange), bajenaq (brother-in-law) and gerdab (whirlpool) are among the many examples which both languages use, the envoy said.
A large number of young Serbians are enthusiastic to learn the Persian language, the Serbian official said.
The Persian language could be a cogent reason to expand their friendly ties, Todorović noted.
Speaking about the increasing number of Iranian university students in Serbia after 1979 Islamic Revolution, he said that at present there are 100 Iranian students in Serbia.
Serbia annually gives some scholarships to Iranian students, he said, this year there have been 18 for Iranians.
Over 120 Persian books including books of great Persian poets Hafez, Rumi, and Ferdowsi were translated into the Serbian language, he said.  
The Serbian people are not only interested in the Persian language, but they are keen on the Iranian culture, he said.
Many Serbians appreciate Iranian films, he said. Serbian Film Week is held annually in Tehran, Tabriz and Shiraz.
Serbia was the guest of honor for the 29th edition of the TIBF, said the ambassador.
The 33rd TIBF is being held in both physical and online formats, from May 11 to 21.

An art exhibition titled ‘Iran Cultural Days’ is being held in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, until May 15.
The event is organized by the Iranian Embassy in Romania in collaboration with Romania’s National Village Museum, IRNA reported.
Iran’s Ambassador to Romania Hossein Sadaat-Meidani, manager of the museum, Paula Popoiu, Romania’s Deputy Minister of Culture and former Romanian ambassador to Iran, Christian Teodorescu, gave speeches at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
A video clip including Iran’s tourist attractions was screened and a booklet on the several reasons to visit Iran, which was translated into Romanian, was also unveiled.
The exhibition is being held in the framework of programs to mark the 120th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Two workshops on the art of Persian carpet-weaving and familiarity with Iranian culture and civilization will also be held on the sidelines of the exhibition.

The winners of the Iranian National Pantomime Festival were announced in a ceremony held in Zanjan, Iran’s northwestern province of Zanjan.  
The Secretary of the festival Sassan Qajar said that the selection committee reviewed 41 stage productions which were sent to the secretariat of the festival from 19 provinces, according to ILNA.
Head of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Department of Zanjan Province Amrollah Hassani said, “Pantomime is the first and most basic form of communication without the use of words, through body movements. With body language, we can show the problems of the society and ameliorate them.”
In the Critics Section, the jury members announced ‘Empty Oxygen,’ written and directed by Milad Al-e Abaei, from Hormuzgan Province, as the top winner. ‘Music Player’ by Asghar Mohammadi, from Zanjan Province, also received the plaque of honor of this section.
‘Empty Oxygen’ also received the Special Jury Award of the festival.
The secretary’s special award was given to Rima Pirvali, from Markazi Province, for her role in ‘Fall’.
The festival was held from May 10 to 12.
East Azarbaijan, Zanjan and Markazi provinces each had two works at the festival.
 

The Iranian short film, ‘Sofa,’ written and directed by Sahra Ramezanian, will compete at the 8th Gulf of Naples Independent Film Festival in Italy, to be held from May 26 to 29.
‘Sofa’ was previously screened at the 14th Angelica Festival in the US State of California, ifilmtv.ir wrote.
‘Sofa’ narrates the story of a couple encountering a bitter truth on their wedding night.
Ramezanian made her directorial debut with ‘The Sea’ in 2020, which competed at the 27th Annual Twin Rivers Media Festival in the US, the 14th International Rotary Short Film Festival (ROFİFE) in Turkey, the Clapperboard Golden Festival in Brazil, and the Changing Face International Film Festival in Australia.