Opening Ceremony Part 2

The Baku European Games opening ceremony continued with a giant pomegranate moving to center stage. The pomegranate is a prized fruit of Azerbaijan, so much so that it's one of the mascots of the Games - plus Azerbaijan holds an annual pomegranate festival (perhaps I'll go and blog about it in the future!) The pomegranate slowly broke open and released balloons in the shape of pomegranate seeds.  Pandomonium erupted as everyone in the stadium tried to claim a balloon seed as their own!

Balloon seeds pour out of the pomegranate

Then the crowd settled back down for the Parade of Nations, with 50 participating countries presenting their athletic teams. There was plenty to look at - the uniforms, the size of each team, the crowd reaction.  But my favorite thing to watch was the ladies lining the walkway of the athlete's entrance.  Rather than just standing still, they moved in unison, marching in place one minute, then clapping their hands to the music, then side-stepping back and forth, continually changing their movements each time I checked back in on them.  It was a small little detail that frankly seemed unnecessary, but fascinated me and added to the whole spectacle of the moment.

Bopping ladies greet each team

With the Parade of Nations wrapping up, Jeremy and I noticed a golf cart drive quietly in from the side with a blond passenger in a white dress.  There had been rumors that a famous pop star would perform at the ceremony.  Could this be true and could this be her?  As she made her way to a flower-draped piano, the emcee introduced...Lady Gaga!  The crowd roared before raising their mobile phone lights high as she sang "Imagine."

Lady Gaga sings to an enthusiastic crowd

Lady Gaga was followed by obligatory speeches about the Olympic Movement and Baku's involvement.  Then the stage went dark.  We watched inspiring tributes to each of the four elements - earth, water, wind, fire - all so appropriate here in Baku:  a city perched on a peninsula of land jutting out into the Caspian Sea, often buffeted by strong winds in the land of fire with an actual burning hillside within an hour's drive.  As dancing flames emerged from the stage, a man coaxed them towards the edge before leaning down, grabbing them in his hands and tossing the fireball up into the air...to light the Games cauldron!

Man harnessing the flames of Azerbaijan's Land of Fire...

...to light the European Games cauldron!

As the cauldron rose higher in the air, the ceremony concluded with spectacular fireworks!

A grand finale of fireworks finished the ceremony

Baku European Games Opening Ceremony Part 1

This summer, Baku is hosting the inaugural European Games.  Continental games in the Olympic tradition have already existed with the Pan-American Games, Asian Games, All-Africa Games, and Pacific Games, but until now Europe hasn't had a similar games of their own.  Three years ago, the European Olympic Committees voted to create the European Games and awarded Baku as the first host city.  Since we arrived to Baku in March, there has been an air of excitement as the city anticipated the start of the Games.

European Games Countdown Clock in center city

The Games torch had been traveling throughout Azerbaijan for several weeks and last Sunday it finally arrived in Baku. Figuring this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, we went to check it out.  Our experience was a bit odd, since we happened to choose an unpopular portion of the torch route and watched the torch go by to an absence of crowds and cheers.

European Games Torch Bearer

But the real anticipation was for the opening ceremony.  It started with 1,000 women entering the stadium in fabulous hoop skirts.  As the music began, they moved their skirts a bit like curtains opening and closing to reveal different colors underneath.  It created a beautiful visual that became clear once we looked at the screen showing an overhead view - the colored skirts were arranged to look like a traditional Azerbaijani carpet!  The crowd went wild!

"Skirt dancers" showcase an Azerbaijani carpet design

The dancers continued to flip their skirts to display alternate colors and moved across the stage into different arrangements to create new carpet designs.

Another carpet design

I could have kept watching for hours, enjoying the bright colors and different designs, but the dancers were clearly building up to their finale.  They moved into their final positions and the overhead camera pulled back to unveil...the Azerbaijani flag! The crowd truly went nuts at this point.  Olympic ceremonies always have to have a healthy dose of patriotism from the host country, right?  The next blog entry will bring you the unique conclusion of the opening ceremony!

"Skirt dancers" create the Azerbaijani flag!