Culture and Sports: Macedonia hosts Mummer's Festival

19/03/2008

More than 40,000 participants attended the annual event in Strumica. Also in culture and sports: the International Festival of Underwater Films and Photography will take place in Pancevo, Serbia.

Mummers filled the streets of Strumica during a traditional festival. [Getty Images]

The annual Mummer's Festival was held in Strumica, Macedonia on Wednesday (March 12th). The event has a century-long tradition and is the only festival of its kind in Macedonia. This year, it attracted more than 40,000 participants who walked the streets of Strumica dressed in colourful costumes, playing traditional folk music.

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Contributors from Russia, the US, Poland, France, Germany, Hungary, Canada and Serbia will take part in the International Festival of Underwater Films and Photography in Pancevo, Serbia. The two-day event begins on Saturday (March 22) to commemorate the International Day of Water.

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More than 60 tennis players from 30 countries are taking part in the ATP tournament "BiH Telecom Indoors - Sarajevo 2008", which kicked off on Saturday (March 15th). Thirty-two made it to the tournament main draw that started on Monday. The host country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is represented by Aldin Sitkic and Mirza Basic.

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Greek Culture Minister Michalis Liapsis inaugurated an exhibition of Greek art Wednesday (March 12th) titled "From the Land of the Labyrinth -- Minoan Crete, 3000-1100 BC" at the Onassis Cultural Centre in New York. Liapsis met with the members of the Greek community in the United States.

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Romanian President Traian Basescu on Saturday (March 15th) posthumously awarded actor Ovidiu Iuliu Moldovan with the Order of the Star of Romania. Moldovan, 66, was well known in Romania for his work in theatre and cinema. He died of cancer on Wednesday (March 12th).

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Athens hosted a two-day UNESCO International Conference that began on Monday (March 17th). The forum, organised jointly by UNESCO and the culture ministry, has focused on returning cultural relics to their countries of origin.

(Various sources – 12/03/08-19/03/08)