Press Release - March 25, 2007

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

AZERBAIJANI COMMUNITY CELEBRATES NOVRUZ IN LOS ANGELES

On Saturday, March 24th, 2007, the annual celebration of Novruz, attended by more than 100 people, took place in Palm Terrace Banquet Hall and Restaurant in Los Angeles, California. The festivity drew together both Azerbaijanis living in Los Angeles vicinity and representatives of other cultures.

The Novruz celebration was initiated by Nika Vekilova who put a lot of effort into making this event a true success with the contributions from a well known Azerbaijani actress and singer Firangiz Rahimbekova and a famous producer and director, Sevinj Kerimova.

The official part of the ceremony started with Sevinj Kerimova welcoming the participants and congratulating them with the spring holiday. General Consulate of Azerbaijani Republic in Los Angeles was represented by Mr. Khalid Hasanzade who also congratulated his compatriots.

Azerbaijani American Women’s Association, represented by the President Beniz Spencer and two Vice Presidents, Natella Isazadeh and Farida Buyuran, also extended their holiday greetings and introduced this newly established organization to the guests. The initiative was greeted by the celebrants with great warmth and enthusiasm. The speakers stressed the importance of establishing the organization that will provide a network, a resource and a voice for Azerbaijani women living in the US, Azerbaijan and other countries.

The organizers of the party did a wonderful job bringing joy to the hearts of Azerbaijani American families with their favorite Azerbaijani songs performed by talented singers Firangiz Ragimbekova and Daniko, a native of Daghestan and resident of Arizona, who was invited to Los Angeles especially for this occasion. Also, Nika Vekilova put together a selection of hand picked disco music that made it hard for everybody to stay away from the dance floor.

Azerbaijani culture and holiday traditions were also represented by authentic Azerbaijani cuisine: celebrants had a chance to enjoy traditional appetizers and main dishes, including salads, smoked fish, marinated vegetables, salmon dishes, kabobs and dolma, as well as traditional Novruz pastry – baklava and shekerbura.

Another surprise was a contest for the best performance of the Lezginka dance where both the winners and those who didn’t win received traditional souvenirs kindly provided by the General Consulate of Azerbaijan Republic in Los Angeles.

All in all, thanks to the full-hearted efforts of the party organizers, the celebration of Novruz 2007 turned out to be a great success. And as Sevinj Kerimova put in, "It is great that Azerbaijani Community in the US, and particularly in California is active in organizing and participating in events in remembrance and celebration of our country’s old-established traditions, but what is truly inspirational is to see our Youth take initiative in its hands and motivate others to take actions."

Azerbaijani American Women's Association (AAWA) established in 2006 is a non-profit organization with its headquarters in California, USA. AAWA is dedicated to identifying and addressing the issues concerning Azerbaijani American women as well as women living in Azerbaijan, to increasing awareness of Azerbaijan and its current issues in American society, to preserving our cultural heritage, and to carrying out philanthropic activities that would benefit both Azerbaijanis living in the U.S. and those in Azerbaijan.