The fifth edition of the International Festival of Traditional and Local Games was held on Thursday with participation of Iranian and Iraqi teams near Lake Zarivar in Marivan, Kurdistan Province, northwest of Iran.

The two-day festival brought athletes from Iranian provinces Kurdistan, Lorestan, Khuzestan, Sistan and Baluchistan, Ardabil, North Khorasan, Golestan and five Iraqi provinces Duhok, Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, Erbil and Kirkuk together.

The festival is an annual event that brings the tribes closer together.

International Festival of Traditional and Local Games includes competition in various games along with traditional dances from the various regions.

“The festival is spreading hope and happiness among the people. In the third millennium, people are forgetting their history and tradition and the festival can bring them closer together,” Marivan mayor Foad Karimi told ISNA news agency.