A GLIMPSEINTO LATVIAN CULTURE:

By: Mikus Kins

The NationwideSong and Dance Celebration

LATVIAG E T T O K N O W

A RICHHERITAGE AND

CULTURELatvia is near and dear to my heart. I

have travelled there countless times andhave even gained dual-citizenship in the

country. One of Latvia’s nationwidecustoms is to celebrate the NationwideSong and Dance Celebration every fiveyears for one week. This festival attracts

millions of people from around theworld to celebrate Latvia’s rich heritage

and culture.

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THE SINGINGREVOLUTION

Latvia is known worldwide for itstraditions in singing. Most Latvians, youwill find, have been involved in choirs atsome point in their lives. Folklorestrongly influences these songs and thepeople of Latvia, even in modern times.They even had a “Singing Revolution”

once the country became self-governed.

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"THESINGINGNATION"

A K A :

BORNA T R A D I T I O N W A S

These millions and millions of songs overthe centuries encompass topics such ashuman life, cultural traditions; andrelationships with self, a higher power,other people, and nature. The powerfulinfluence of song in Latvia created anever-growing group of people whowanted to advance their artistic andsocial ideas. Out of this was born theNationwide Song and DanceCelebration.

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This Celebration all started in the secondhalf of the nineteenth century inVidzeme, Latvia. Six musical groupsjoined together for the first ever “SongFestival.” The beauty of this celebrationhas gone so far as to touch UNESCO,

naming it a “national treasure.”

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CELEBRATIONA B O U T T H E

THE CELEBRATION ,CONTINUED

S O U R C E : H T T P : / / W W W . S T U D Y I N L A T V I A . E U / E N / W H Y - L A T V I A / C U L T U R E

Folksongs are deeply ingrained in this tradition. According toStudyInLativa.eu, “There are three essential elements of thesefolksongs: tradition, literature and symbolism. The daina, [forexample,] is a form of oral art and is a symbol that has bothshaped and epitomized Latvia’s national identity for the last twocenturies.” The next time the Celebration will occur is in 2018,

which coincidentally is the country’s 100th birthday.

MAJOR STAPLES

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IN THE FESTIVALThe Festival’s Opening ConcertDaugava StadiumThe Festival’s Closing Concert

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CONCERTT H E O P E N I N G

The opening concert isheld in ViesturdārzsPark, Riga, Latvia eachyear, because it is thesame place as the

original first concert ofthe Celebration almost

150 years ago.

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STADIUMD A U G A V A

Dancers, actors, and singers, allwar against one another in agrand competition in DaugavaStadium. The productions gathertens of thousands of viewers andthousands of performers. Thisstadium is known nationwide asbeing a major hub of various

artistic productions throughoutthe Celebration.

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CONCERTT H E C L O S I N G

The Festival’s finale attracts tens ofthousands of performers, let aloneaudience members. It showcasestraditions both new and old and

displays cultural norms from years past,as well as modern performing

techniques. People from all over theworld are drawn to this concert and itboosts the economy tremendously, as

tourism spikes during this time.

LATVIA TRAVEL

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Latvia’s Nationwide Song and DanceCelebration has been celebrated for over acentury and it is not slowing down anytimesoon. This is a national holiday every fiveyears, and people take off time to enjoy allthe Celebration has to offer. Interested in

visiting Latvia? Learn more atwww.latvia.travel.

THANKS !M i k u s K i n s . n e t