BBC about grotesque gifts on Heydar and Ilham Aliyevs’ birthdays
In Azerbaijan, every year since 2000 public holiday of flowers is celebrated in memory of the former President of the country, Heydar Aliyev. Despite the unofficial status, the event requires a large-scale preparation, Russian service of BBC reports.
The article reads that hundreds of people decorate Central Park after Heydar Aliyev in Baku. This year more than 2 million flowers from 80 countries were brought into the country. The authorities do not disclose the budget of the celebrations.
"Heydar Aliyev is invaluable, therefore I don't even think of money. We did not bring as many flowers as he deserves," Radio Azadlig quotes the mayor of Baku as saying.
According to the article, the current president, Heydar Aliyev's son Ilham, is not forgotten too in Azerbaijan. In 2011, on the 50th anniversary of the head of state, a 50-meters-long cake weighing 12 tons was made. There is a symbolism in the length of the cake - one meter for each year of the president's life. On Aliyev's 49th anniversary, a 49-meters-long cake was made in Ganja. The tradition continued in the following years. The first piece of the cake usually goes to the “birthday boy,” and the rest is distributed to everyone who wants.
According to media reports, in 2012 the cake was attacked by a crowd of beggars. The police had a hard time trying to hold them back.