On Saturday, October 12, Chisinau hosted the 23rd edition of the Municipal Ethnic Festival.

The event organized by the municipality in the Public Garden "Stefan cel Mare si Sfant", under the theme "Unity through Diversity", is a celebration of multiculturalism and interethnic tolerance.

On Saturday, the city's citizens and guests, as well as those interested in cultural diversity, were able to visit the 15 ethnic courtyards in the Stefan cel Mare Public Garden, which presented their ethnocultural specificities and values, with craft fairs, master-classes in the gastronomic area, where skilled chefs displayed their variety of culinary delights of different ethnic groups. There were traditional dances, thematic exhibitions, opportunities for multicultural dialog and many other intercultural offers.

Present at the event, General Mayor Ion Ceban said that Chisinau has been a polyethnic and multicultural city for hundreds of years, and the festival's ultimate goal is to valorize and perpetuate the traditions of national minorities, as well as to develop intercultural dialogue, strengthen friendly relations between representatives of different ethnic groups living in the Republic of Moldova.

"The city in which we live today is the result of the work of all ethnicities living here. All together we are Chisinau citizens - we are the people of the Republic of Moldova. We have something to learn from each other, we have something to be proud of, we are different, but it is our differences that make us strong", concluded the mayor of the capital.

This year's Festival was attended by 18 ethnocultural associations with local status out of the 19 associations accredited to the Chisinau City Hall and 3 republican ethnocultural associations. In total, 21 ethnocultural associations participated in the municipal ethnic event.