Kupalye in Vitebsk to Feature Latvian Ensembles
07/07/20120 views
On July 7, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Kupala Night in Vitebsk will be held with the participation of Latvian ensembles, the "Vitebsk" Culture Centre informed a correspondent.
Kupala Night is one of the few holidays that have survived from pagan times. Although the holiday is venerable, and the original reasons for Kupala celebrations are no longer so relevant, every year on July 7, bonfires are lit in all corners of Belarus, wreaths are floated down the river, and, of course, people search for the magical "fern flower". The folk tradition holds immense historical and cultural significance for the Slavic peoples, which is why the celebration of Ivan Kupala at the Soviet Army Cultural and Recreational Complex became a new stage in the implementation of the project "Daugavpils and Vitebsk: Cultural Cooperation and Development" of the cross-border cooperation programme "Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus". The programme, prepared by the "Vitebsk" Culture Centre and the Daugavpils Latvian Culture Centre, is packed with bright, memorable events.
The Kupala Night celebration will open with a concert programme by ensembles from the Daugavpils Latvian Culture Centre: the folklore song and dance group "Svadra", the children's vocal studio "Perlītes", and the professional wind instrument orchestra "Daugava", who will present the best numbers from their repertoire. This will be followed by an entertainment programme for children performed by the People's Theatre of Games. A concert by Vitebsk ensembles will then take place: together with the park guests, the Kupala Night festival will be celebrated by the dance ensemble "Lyavonikha", the choreography ensemble "Zorka", the dance ensemble "Yegoza", the children's pop song studio "Forum", and the song and music theatre "Prostory".
Fire, water, and herbs are the symbols of Kupala Night, and the Latvian organisers of the festival will give a master class on weaving magical Kupala wreaths. Afterwards, the participants will float their floral creations down the Western Dvina to find out if they will be married soon. The culmination of the Kupala Night festival will be the lighting of a sacred bonfire and a Kupala flash mob.
The project "Daugavpils and Vitebsk: Cultural Cooperation and Development" provides for joint cultural events, including: celebration of the traditional national holidays of Ivan Kupala and Ligo with the participation of Belarusian and Latvian creative groups, using historical and folklore themes aimed at preserving and popularizing folklore traditions and customs in the border regions; organization of concerts; implementation of cultural exchange programs; provision of the Honoured Amateur Ensemble of Belarus, the "Lyavonikha" dance ensemble of the "Vitebsk" Cultural Centre, with Belarusian musical instruments, stage costumes and accessories, and training of the ensemble members in new dance productions by a choreographer from Latvia; reconstruction of the summer stage of the complex for cultural and leisure activities named after the Soviet Army, a branch of the "Vitebsk" Cultural Centre. All this will contribute to the main goal of the project: to provide an opportunity to hold various events, including international ones, aimed at popularizing national cultures, customs and traditions at a higher technical level.
The project implementation is planned for 2012-2013. The total budget is EUR 296.8 thousand. The budget for the Belarusian part of the project is EUR 109.9 thousand, including EUR 98.9 thousand from the European Commission funds.
The overall strategic objective of the Latvia-Lithuania-Belarus Cross-border Cooperation Programme, implemented within the framework of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, is to improve the territorial cohesion of the Latvian, Lithuanian and Belarusian border region, ensure a high level of environmental protection, promote economic and social well-being, and foster intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity. -0-
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