Latvia: The fashion show NYC and Paris missed out. // The singing revolution was born here.
Latvian Song XXVI and Dance XVI Festival
Latvians are proud to call themselves "a nation that sings".
The biggest day of summer 2018 has happened. The flags of the Song and Dance Celebrations
of 1873 and 2018 flew, divided and united by 145 years. But the
feelings are unchanging-pride in our people, our country, our
traditions. Even through the most difficult periods of history, the
Latvian people have come together, united in our joy of music, song, and
dance. The Song and Dance Celebration-an unforgettable amatuer artisitc
phenomenon with a century-and-a-half of tradition.
(from dziesmusvetki.lv)
The fashion show NYC and Paris missed out.
2018 is a special year for Latvia and for Latvians anywhere in the world—one hundred years have passed since Latvia was proclaimed an independent Republic. In the singing and dancing shows they were highlighting the main events related to the founding of the nation, telling the story of Latvia.
Ever since the 100th years celebration started,the main
message, the most popular hashtag to show the pride in roots, was ‘I AM LATVIA’, and ‘I CREATE LATVIA’. With this message latvians understand that it is them who make this country not only just some politicians. Latvia’s core value is her
people, those who devoted their lives to creating and maintaining Latvia
as an independent state, and those whose daily efforts create the
present and lay the foundations for Latvia’s future together with the
new generation.
The Song and Dance Celebration Phenomenon
The Song and Dance Celebration is the greatest cultural
masterpiece of the Latvian people, and has withstood the test of time.
The Celebration has become an event of national and international
importance, bringing together people of different generations and
nationalities, and uniting Latvians throughout the world.
In order for 12 000 singers and 17 000
dancers, and thousands of musicians, masters of folk and applied arts,
as well as folklore and amateur theatre ensembles can participate in the
Celebration, effort is systematically invested on a daily basis for
five years—rehearsals, continuous revisions to the repertoire, recitals,
contests, exhibitions, seminars, and concerts.
And then, every five years, all of these
artists and musicians from Latvia’s towns and rural territories flow
into Riga, creating a powerful grassroots movement.
Latvia's Song and Dance Celebration
tradition has contributed significantly to the national consciousness,
and to maintaining the idea of an independent Latvian nation during
difficult periods of history. This has been recognised at the
international level and in 2003 the Song and Dance Celebration was
included in UNESCO's list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible
Heritage of Humanity.
(text from: dziesmusvetki.lv)
The singing revolution was born here.
During Celebration week, Riga hosted 43 000 participants from 118
Latvian municipalities, and from many other countries where Latvians
continue to uphold and develop the traditions of the Song and Dance
Celebration. For seven days they took part in more than 65
events—choirs, dance ensembles, brass bands, 'kokle players', folk
musicians, vocal ensembles, folklore ensembles, and others will perform
in various events, the Latvian folk costume exhibition, the Latvian
applied art exhibition, and amateur theatre performances. 500 000
celebration-goers (roughly ¼ of the Latvian population—1,96 million) attended (ticketed and free) events.
My experience.
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