Winnners of the different section of the event were honored on evening Wednesday at Tehran's Vahdat Hall the closing ceremony of the festival, during which a message from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, was read.

The Leader called anthem "a precious artistic skill for the dissemination of a wisdom and practical values'' and added, ''Combination of lyrics, voice and music in the choral performances is the secret behind the exceptional influence of religious and national anthems all around the world, and with praise to God, the Iranian talent and good taste in this area could have placed our dear country among the tops.''

"Now, with thanks to all the anthem promoters, I advise them on the selective use of the three above-mentioned parts, abnegation of pernicious imitation, and the choice of themes based on the Islamic, revolutionary and national values,'' Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili, Basij Organization commander Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani were among the officials who attended the festival's closing ceremony.

A highlight of the closing ceremony was honoring “Salam Commander” as the anthem of the year. The chorale was recorded by eulogist Abuzar Ruhi and a choir of 313 children with a poem by Mehdi Banihashemi.

Different groups have performed the anthem during numerous gatherings organized by governmental organizations across the country over the past few years.

“‘Salam Commander’ was one of the most powerful anthems performed in the current year and has been able to attract the attention of many people in the country and abroad,” Esmaeili said.

“This inspiring anthem can show the enemies the cultural capacity of the Islamic Revolution,” he added.

“An anthem can be used as a weapon in the war of words, and as a shield against the cultural invasion because the enemies strive to use any device to weaken the Islamic Revolution, and an anthem is an effective means for communicating with its audience, therefore the Fajr anthem festival was launched,” he stated. 

Hamid Shahangian, the composer of the famous anthem “Khomeini, Oh Imam!”, was also honored for his lifetime achievements in revolutionary music. 

Source:Tehran Times