La Nucia celebrates diversity with successful International Day

THE Municipal Hall Camilo Cano in La Nucia hosted the second International Day of the municipality on Sunday.

Organised by the Department for Foreign Residents, this second edition of the celebration was a success with over 10,000 visitors, 2,000 more than in 2014.

The thousands of visitors enjoyed the gastronomy, folklore and traditions of the 40 countries that were represented in the multicultural gathering, showing the diversity of different nationalities living in La Nucia.

During seven intense hours, visitors enjoyed a day packed with fun and entertainment, including live performances of music, dance and chorus from 22 different participating countries.

The event began with a dance group from Senegal, then it was the Bulgarian Balkan folklore group of La Nucia’s turn. Later in the day visitors could experience Tinkus, a Bolivian dance group, River Dance from Ireland and traditional Chilean dance among others.

The second International Day was also attended by 55 different associations and clubs, each association managing stands that showed the gastronomy, clothing, folklore, crafts and culture of their respective nations.

Among the countries represented were Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Ecuador, Scotland, Slovakia, Denmark, Spain, France, Wales, Georgia, Honduras, India, Indonesia, England, Northern Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, Norway, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad, Ukraine and Venezuela.

The International Day of La Nucia was created to be a further step towards the integration of citizens of different nationalities. La Nucia currently has a population of 20,500 inhabitants, of whom 43 per cent are foreigners. The municipality has half the world living within its borders with residents from 84 different nationalities.

“I want to thank the various associations from the 40 countries who have participated in this event for displaying their country’s wonderful culture, cuisine and folklore,” said Bernabe Cano, mayor of La Nucia.

“This international day has been a cultural enrichment for all and a further step in our policy of encouraging the integration of all international residents in the social life of the town. The event has also shown the multiculturalism and multinationalism of La Nucia, the Marina Baixa and the province of Alicante in general.”