TEHRAN, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran started Thursday to celebrate the 34th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Ceremonies started across the country at 9:33 a.m. local time ( 0603 GMT) Thursday, marking the time when Iran's late Islamic revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Tehran on Jan. 31, 1979, from 14 years of exile in Paris.
Ringing bells, reciting verses and blowing horns across the country marked the beginning of the nationwide ceremonies.
In Tehran, a ceremony was held in the mausoleum of Khomeini, where large crowds of people and a number of Iranian high-ranking religious, political and military officials attended to renew allegiance to the ideas of the late leader.
Motorcyclists held a parade from Tehran's Mehrabad airport to the mausoleum of Khomeini. Helicopters laid flowers over the route of Khomeini's procession on Jan. 31, 1979, which extended from Mehrabad airport to the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery outside Tehran.
In a speech at the ceremony, Iranian senior cleric Seyyed Ahmad Khatami described the revolution as the beginning of the " sovereignty" of the Iranian nation and "the governance of religion, people and freedom."
After 34 years and despite the enemies' plots, the Islamic revolution has become established and will resist the hostilities, said Khatami, adding that Iranians will demonstrate their solidarity with the Islamic establishment to the world in the upcoming presidential elections slated for June 2013.
Iran commemorates the historic event each year, during a period of 10 days called Daheyeh Fajar (Ten-Day Dawn), by holding film, theatre and music festivals as well as cultural exhibitions in the cities of the country.
Iranian officials said during the 10-day celebration this year, several industrial, military and scientific achievements of the country will be unveiled.
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