July 2022 | Page 24

Local News

Swedish National Day in Nerja : A Thanksgiving Day and a Blue and Yellow Night

In the very beginning of the war in Ukraine , Sweden was one of the first countries who offered help to country suffering from Russia ’ s invasion . Already in February , Ukrainian
Joaquín Aguilera Rodriguez , a Nerja entrepreneur , suggested to turn such a Thanksgiving Day into a Blue and Yellow Night . His rural hotel-restaurant Los Caracoles became a meeting place for the Ukrainians and the Swedes .
The present for the Swedes on their national day was a concert performed by the Ukrainian singers and dancers and a display of national costumes . The debut was a tribute - Stafania , Eurovision 2022 winner song . And this was done with a meaning .
“ We will always be grateful to those who sympathized with us from the very beginning and also helped us financially . Especially in this context we would like to mention Sweden . Sweden is a country which has been trying for more than two centuries to live in peace without war and conflicts . However Sweden knows ( as we say ) the taste of victory even without wars . In total , Sweden has won Eurovision six times . This is probably due to your
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Sweden for its enormous support .
On the eve of the National Day of Sweden , Ukrainians living on the Costa del Sol , represented by the creative team Nadia Zelenskaya , came to Nerja to thank the Swedes for their humanitarian help to Ukraine , which has been at war for over three months . The meeting took place in one of the most peaceful spots of the easternmost coast of the province of Málaga , close to Nerja .
Since both countries have blue and yellow flags ,
long and meticulous selection at your national selection called Melodifestivalen . It is one of the biggest TV shows in Sweden .
The Swedes always vote charitably along with Radiohjälpen - a self-governing foundation within the Swedish public service broadcasting group . We are aware that this year money raised for Radiohjälpen from voting in Melodifestivalen was donated to Ukraine . And that significant amount , which if I am not mistaken , has even broken previous charity fundraising records ,” Nadya Zelenskaya says .
Nerja , for its part , was represented by a Flamenco
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