The World Loves Didim festival was held for the second time on 8-9 September opposite the Apollo Temple, and attracted the attention of hundreds of locals and tourists.
The festival was organized by Didim City Council, with the contributions of Didim District Governorship, Didim Municipality, Chambers and NGOs.
Foreign citizens living in Didim opened stands and reflected their country’s food and culture at the festival, giving messages of peace to the world.
The festival, supported by citizens of 75 different countries living in the district, started with a cortege march on Atatürk Boulevard. The district protocol also supported the march, in which foreign citizens also participated in the march with their own country’s flags and local costumes.
The march, accompanied by music, ended at the entrance of the Temple of Apollo, where the festival took place. Moving on to the activities after the march, Didim District Governor Can Kazım Kuruca and his wife, Didim Mayor Deniz Atabay, Didim City Council President Osman Ayyıldız, Chamber presidents, political party district presidents and managers, mass organization representatives and citizens attended the festival.
The event started with a second foreign national child singing the National Anthem. Then the children delivered the message of peace to the world. Folk dance teams, including foreigners, presented their performances at the festival.
Didim City Council President Osman Ayyıldız said: “There were three thoughts about the emergence of the festival in Didim. The first of these three thoughts is that we live in a region that is the homeland of the olive, which symbolizes Peace, which is considered sacred in four heavenly religions. This was an important factor for us.
The second reason was the saying of Mevlana, who symbolizes peace and tolerance all over the world, that only those who share the same feelings can get along, not those who speak the same language.
“The third was the promise of peace at home and peace in the world by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Our dear district governor of our Immigration Administration, especially our Aydın Governorship, who led us to prepare today by combining all these three ideas under one philosophy and ignited the spark of this work last year, I respectfully greet you all. See you again at our next festivals. We say we love Didim.”
After the speeches, the opening ribbon of the festival was cut, the District Protocol visited the stands one by one, chatted with foreign citizens and tasted their treats; and gained information about their cultures.