Niagara Falls lit up in colors of Georgian flag for Independence Day
Dozens of countries around the world have illuminated their iconic buildings in red and white – the colours of Georgia’s national flag to mark the 30th anniversary of Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union. Photo: Diplomatic Representations of Georgia/Facebook.
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On May 26, the day when Georgia celebrates its Independence Day, one of the most well-known Niagara Falls in a city in Ontario, Canada lit up in colours of Georgia’s national flag.
Georgian chant ‘Shen Khar Venakhi [Geo. You Are a Vineyard], polyphonic songs Mravaljamieri [Long Live], Chakrulo and national anthems of both countries were performed during the event on May 26.
During Zviad Gamsakhurdia’s presidency on March 31, 1991 the vast majority of Georgian people across the country, including occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia, legally confirmed their support for the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union that was first declared on May 26, 1918.
However, this was a short-lived independence as the country was re-invaded by Russia’s Bolshevik Army and absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1921.
Seventy years later, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia once again became independent on May 26, 1991.
Today Georgia marks the 30th anniversary of the referendum that led to the country gaining independence from the Soviet Union.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Georgia’s Independence from the Soviet Union, at the initiative of the Georgian Embassy in Armenia, billboards in Yerevan lit up in red and white – the colours of Georgia’s national flag.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the US State Secretary Antony Blinken have congratulated Georgia on Independence Day.
United States President Joe Biden has wished the Georgian people a happy and healthy Independence Day on May 26 in a letter sent to Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. “The anniversary of a nation’s independence is not only a day of celebration, it offers a moment to honour the history and values that are ingrained in the national character, and to look to the future”, Biden wrote.
Traffic in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi will be restricted to facilitate preparations for the annual Independence Day celebrations on Friday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Monday.