Feature: Feeling joy of harvest at pomegranate festival in Azerbaijan

The Pomegranate Festival in the Azerbaijani city of Goychay was cheered by music, dances, and colorful costumes themed around pomegranates.

BAKU, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- "This year I harvested around 10 tons of pomegranates -- one of my best yields ever," said Khagani Salakhov, a local farmer.

"Our 'Gyulovsha' and 'Shikhbaba' varieties are famous across Azerbaijan for their juiciness and sweetness," Salakhov told Xinhua at his bustling stall during the 16th Pomegranate Festival in the Azerbaijani city of Goychay.

Salakhov has been growing and selling pomegranates for more than 30 years, and has been a participant in the festival since it was first launched in 2006.

This year's festival, held on Sunday at the city's central stadium, saw over 60 stalls offering ruby-red pomegranate fruits, fresh juices, jams, wines, traditional salads, and pomegranate-inspired handicrafts.

"Goychay is the homeland of the pomegranate," said Zivar Zeynalova, deputy head of the Goychay District Executive Authority. "The festival has become our brand in horticulture and fruit growing. This fruit helps local farmers increase their family incomes."

The day was cheered by music, dances, and colorful costumes themed around pomegranates. Visitors vied in contests ranging from hand-squeezing juice to endurance tests with heavy baskets of vibrant fruits.

"It's wonderful when people from different countries learn each other's traditions," said Fidan Gabilova, a tourist from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. "Our fruits and dishes are special -- both in appearance and taste. I think foreign guests should definitely try them."

The Goychay district, renowned for its high-quality produce, cultivates nearly 70 varieties of pomegranate, a fruit long deemed as the "king of fruits" in Azerbaijan. In 2020, this cultural significance earned global recognition when UNESCO inscribed Azerbaijan's pomegranate festival and related traditions on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

"This festival is very important because it brings people together to enjoy and share our culture," said Arzu Chiraghi, a 19-year-old student from the Goychay State Management and Technology College. "Pomegranates symbolize abundance, health, prosperity, unity and joy."

The harvest season in Goychay peaks from late October to early November. Around 4,000 hectares of orchards yield some 50,000 tons of pomegranates annually. According to Zeynalova, Goychay pomegranates are in high demand and mainly exported to Russia, Georgia and Central Asian countries.

"China is a vast market," she said. "We would like Goychay pomegranates to reach Chinese consumers as well."■