More than 70 ethno-cultural groups will take part in the 13th Ethnic Groups Festival “Unity by Diversity” that will be held in the central park of Chisinau on September 22, IPN reports.

Ludmila Burlaca, head of the Interethnic Relations and Language Functioning Division, said there will be staged exhibitions of plastic arts, books and handicrafts. Emphasis this year will be put on the national costumes rather than on traditional dishes. As usual, the festival will start will laying of flowers at the monument to Ruler Stephan the Great. The event will involve government officials. Afterward, there will be opened the exhibitions mounted on the central park’s alleys.

This year the festival has three stages that cover the entire territory of Moldova. The first stage began on September 8 in Taraclia, where dozens of ethno-cultural groups presented the traditions of the national minorities of southern Moldova. The second stage will take place in Chisinau, while the third in Balti, on September 28. In the end, the participants will be awarded. There are 48 ethnic groups in Moldova.

The Ethnic Groups Festival is organized by the Interethnic Relations Bureau, the Chisinau City Hall and the local authorities of Moldova.