Yet another 'Flower Holiday'

In lest than two weeks, Azerbaijan will celebrate its 4th 'Flower Holiday'. It began four years ago, when local authorities decided to commemorate late President Aliyev on his birthday with this holiday. But it was never a simple holiday.

Different speculations are made each year as to how much money is spent on this holiday, but one figure always hits the media- millions. Brought either from Holland or somewhere else in the world, the flowers receive special care by gardeners like Ruslan Aliyev who spends hours on end watering, cleaning, and caring for the them. He says they need special attention, and thats what he does.

And each year, thousands of residents are either forced or come on their own to the park named after Haydar Aliyev to take a look at the flowers, take photos, have their ice creams or sun flower seeds and go home, for yet another time, not questioning the essence of this, not even one simple question: is it making their lives any better? I wonder if these people do the same on April 30th every year too, for some reason I doubt they do.

This article [AZ] published by Radio Azadliq (Radio Liberty Local Service) explores the upcoming holiday while paying a visit to heavily guarded park. Right now, no one is allowed, and the park is sealed from all the entrances.

Organized by the Baku city executive committee, the celebrations will continue throughout the day with fireworks held later in the evening. And this happens every year, including the year when just 10 days before the celebration, people died in one of the universities in Baku. Young men and their professors were shot but who cared?! Celebrations continued in their full even then. So nothing can stop Azerbaijani authorities from having their own fun, because at the end of the day, who cares about the rest...