The “Lubāna” Folklore Group Takes Part in the International Folklore Festival “Baltica 2015”

On 18 and 19 July this year, the “Lubāna” folklore group (led by –Valentīna Baranovska) took part in the BALTICA festival, which has been held since 1987.

It is an annual tradition held in turn in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This year, the festival was held in Latvia for the tenth time, and the Lubāna group also took part. Each year, the festival has a special theme: in 1988 – “The Sun”; in 1991 – “Family Celebrations”; in 1994 – “The Sun, the World, the Other World”; in 1997 – “People and Work”; in 2000 – “The Sea”; in 2003 – “The Earth”; in 2006 – “Our Home”; in 2009 – “Signs”; in 2012 – “The Road”; and in 2015 – “Heritage”.

The Lubāna folklore group has taken part in the festival ten times in Latvia and once in Estonia. At this celebration, it was possible to enjoy Latgalian hospitality and the cheerful spirit of the region. There was an opportunity to sing to one’s heart’s content and listen to others, admire Rēzekne illuminated in all its nighttime splendour, and see Rēzekne’s landmarks – the Latgale Māra monument, the GORS Embassy of Latgale and the distinctive Zeimulis.

The Lubāna folklore group put its voices through their paces:

-At the regional singing-together event on Rēzekne Hillfort;

-At the festival’s grand concert – “The Abundance of the Four Fathers” – in the Ančupāni Valley karting track;

-At the evening gathering with potters near Rēzekne Hillfort, where the Lubāna folklore group gave an individual performance;

-At the family morning – the “Baltica” festival breakfast on Rēzekne Hillfort;

-In the festival procession.

At the end of the festival, the participants enjoyed a concert by guest groups from abroad in the Festival Park, featuring various ensembles: Talaka (Belarus); Mtskheta (Georgia); Maatasa (Estonia); Seomra 20 (Ireland); Colin McAllister and Robin Stapleton (United Kingdom); Nalšia, Poringė (Lithuania); Nordfolk (Norway); Krajna (Poland); Lavradeiras da Meadela (Portugal); Bozhychi (Ukraine); and the Rimski-Korsakov Folklore Ensemble of the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory.

The festival came to an end, leaving behind positive emotions, new ideas and songs, and confidence in the strength of the Latvian spirit.