2024

   Tradition of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory 

** UNESCO intangible cultural heritage tradition 

27 JUNE, THURSDAY 

CENTRE OF ETHNIC CULTURE, ART YARD (Daržų St 10) 
*  10.00–17.00 Exhibition. Delmonai of Lithuania Minor 
**  10.00–17.00 Exhibition. Tradition of straw gardens (by Margarita Macijauskienė) 
 *  10.00–17.00 Exhibition. Antanas Butkus collection of musical instruments. The tradition of instrumental music in Lithuania Minor
Open on all festival days. 
*  17.00–18.30 Open workshop. Tradition of straw gardens 

CLOCK AND WATCH MUSEUM COURTYARD (Liepų St 12) 
** 19.00 Sutartinės Garden. Ratilio (Vilnius), Sasutalas (Kaunas), Čiulbutė (Ignalina), Saulala (Biržai), Rags and Lygė (Pasvalys), Alsūnė (Molėtai), Pyniava (Ukmergė) 

SMALL STAGE, ART YARD (Daržų St 10) 
** 22.00 Beat Bitela – a project of sutartinės, beatbox and electronic music. Electronic and beatbox music maker GON and group of Ratilio sutartinės singers (Vilnius) 

DANĖ SQUARE BY THE ARKA MONUMENT 
** Installation Luminous Gardens (by Morta Pilkė, Anykščiai). Displayed on all festival days.

28 JUNE, FRIDAY 

DANĖ SQUARE BY THE ARKA MONUMENT
10.00–22.00 Craft town 
* 12.00–19.30 Intangible cultural heritage of Lithuania and Latvia. Craft demonstrations 
** 12.00–19.30 Virtual presentation of tradition. Lithuanian song and dance celebrations 
** 12.00–14.00 Open workshop. Petrykivka decorative painting as a phenomenon of the Ukrainian ornamental folk art 
* 14.30–16.30 Open workshop. Tradition of straw gardens 
** 17.00–19.00 Open workshop. Delmonai of Lithuania Minor 

BLACKSMITH'S MUSEUM (Šaltkalvių St 2) 
** 16.00–18.00 Craft demonstration. Cross-crafting and its symbolism in Lithuania 

MAIN STAGE, DANĖ SQUARE (Danės St 25) 
Intangible cultural heritage of Lithuania and Latvia 
* 16.00 Presentation and tasting. The practices of reviving kafija drinking culture in Lithuania Minor. Revival of the Lietuvininkai (šišioniškiai) dialect. Šilutė Hugo Scheu Museum
* 16.30 Concert. The singing tradition of Lietuvininkai. Folklore ensembles of Klaipėda Centre of Ethnic Culture Kuršių Ainiai, Alka, Kuršiukai, Alkiukai 
* 17.00 Concert. Singing above the voice (pusbolss). Folklore group Upīte (Latvia) 
* 17.30 Concert. Playing melodic and chord zithers. Traditional music group Skaņumājas Muzikanti (Latvia) 

Intangible cultural heritage protected by UNESCO 
** 19.00 Concert. Kaustinen fiddle playing and related practices and expressions. Folk dance and music group Ottoset (Finland)
** 20.00 Concert. Polonaise, traditional Polish dance. Folk dance ensemble Poligrodzianie of Poznan University of Technology (Poland)
** 21.00 Concert. Fado, urban popular song. Ideal de Fado (Portugal)
22.00 Traditional night dance 

29 JUNE, SATURDAY 

DANĖ SQUARE BY THE ARKA MONUMENT 
10.00–22.00 Craft town 
* 12.00–19.30 Intangible cultural heritage of Lithuania and Latvia. Craft demonstrations 
** 12.00–19.00 Virtual presentation of tradition. Lithuanian song and dance celebrations 
** 12.00–14.00 Open workshop. Petrykivka decorative painting as a phenomenon of the Ukrainian ornamental folk art 
* 14.30–16.30 Open workshop. Tradition of straw gardens 
** 17.00–19.00 Open workshop. Delmonai of Lithuania Minor 

BLACKSMITH'S MUSEUM (Šaltkalvių St 2) 
** 15.00–17.00 Craft demonstration. Cross-crafting and its symbolism 
MAIN STAGE, DANĖ SQUARE (Danės St 25) 
** 15.00 Performance. Puppetry in Czechia. Divadlo Spejbla a Hurvínka (Czech Republic) 

Intangible cultural heritage of Lithuania and Latvia 
* 16.00 Concert. Kalvarija region singing tradition in Brukai village. Kalvarija Culture Centre folklore ensemble Bruknyčia 
* 16.30 Presentation. The tradition of making the white horse (šyvis) jump in Gražiškiai. Gražiškiai village community 
* 17.00 Concert. Playing the Ieviņš type harmonica. Playing the Latgale bubyns frame drum. Traditional music group Skaņumājas Muzikanti (Latvia) 
* 17.30 Concert. Instrumental music in Lithuania Minor. Folklore ensembles of Klaipėda Centre of Ethnic Culture Kuršių Ainiai, Alka, Kuršiukai, Alkiukai

Intangible cultural heritage protected by UNESCO 
** 19.00 Concert. Georgian polyphonic singing. Polyphonic singing and folklore group Pherkhisa (Georgia)
** 20.00 Concert. Gnawa tradition. Omar Hayat and band (Morocco) 
** 21.00 Concert. Mariachi music tradition. Mariachi El Mexicano (Mexico)
22.00 Traditional night dance 

30 JUNE, SUNDAY 

SMALL STAGE, ART YARD (Daržų St 10)
** 11.00 Performance. Puppetry in Czechia. Divadlo Spejbla a Hurvínka (Czech Republic) 

PUPPET THEATRE COURTYARD (Vežėjų St 2)
11.30–13.00 Lauksnos Harbour workshop 
Marine knot workshop From Knot to Rigging 
Education about weathervanes On Weathervane Roads around the Lagoon 
Lighthouse figurine and wooden boat decoration workshop 

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Intangible cultural heritage of Lithuania and Latvia. Craft demonstrations: ** Cross-crafting and its symbolism in Lithuania, ** Tradition of straw gardens, * Bobbin lace making, * Amber hunting on the coast of Lithuania, * The tradition of shingle roofing, * Delmonas of Lithuania Minor, * The tradition of making woven sashes, * The tradition of stone carving in Kelmė, The tradition of net knitting, Macramé tradition 

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE 
In case of bad weather, slight changes to the programme are possible

Kaustinen fiddle playing and related practices and expressions
Inscribed in 2021 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Kaustinen folk music is a Finnish tradition where the fiddle (violin), although not the only instrument, is the main melodic instrument. It is in fact the violin (with or without other instruments) that cadences the dances or the songs. Based on playing by ear, it is characterized by syncopated and accented rhythms that are easy for people to dance to. The distinctive style and playing technique of Kaustinen folk music have existed for over 250 years, and there is a repertoire of several hundred tunes from the area. Kaustinen folk music is played in many contexts: in private, in organized groups, during public celebrations and ceremonies (including wedding parties), at concerts and public jam sessions, and at the annual Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. Performers often wear traditional costumes. Most inhabitants of Kaustinen and neighbouring communities consider this music an essential aspect of their personal and community identity, even if they are not practitioners themselves. It is felt to represent a sense of belonging and viewed as a means of strengthening cross-generational ties. The significance of the practice is evident in the names of public spaces and in symbols such as the presence of the fiddle in the Kaustinen coat of arms.

Short information about group
Kaustinen Youth Association - Folk dance and folk music group Ottoset

Ottoset comes from Finland, Kaustinen. The group was founded in 1985. Ottoset's roots go even further back in the Kaustinen folk dance and folk music tradition. At first, there were two children's folk dance groups when Kaustinen Youth Association started the children's groups. At the moment, there are ten different dance groups in Ottoset and almost two hundred dancers and musicians from three-year-olds to young adults.

Nowadays, the most important mission is to provide conditions for children, youngsters and adults

activities such as folk dance and folk music as meaningful and educational hobby.

One of the most important goals of Ottoset's folk dance activities is to keep the local intangible cultural heritage alive. Ottoset respect and value their own local intangible cultural heritage, the Kaustinen violin playing tradition and the Kaustinen folk dance tradition. Kaustinen's Youth Association and Ottoset do significant work to keep cultural heritage alive.

Ottoset, who will perform in Klaipėda, train with a goal in mind. The dancers are young adults, who started as folk dancers at the age of three or four. They want to develop as dancers and as a group. Their repertoire includes traditional Finnish folk dances and new choreographies that are influenced by Finnish and Kaustinen traditions. There are 16 dancers in the group and six musicians in the music group. A group of 17 performers will go to Klaipėda. Because we are from Kaustinen, naturally, some of our dancers also know how to play the violin, so it may be that they will also bring their violins and sometimes join the music group.

The group's artistic director and choreographer is Miia Timonen.

Miia Timonen was chosen as folk dance director of the year in Finland in 2022.

The tradition of instrumental music in Lithuania Minor inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory in 2022.
Written sources testify that in the territory of Lithuania Minor self-made and purchased instruments have been used since the 16th century. Prussian Lithuanians used kanklės, trumpets, hornpipes (birbynės), drums, whistles, fiddles, jaw harps, and later cymbals, zithers, psalteries, and other string, woodwind and brass instruments to play at community and family ceremonies and parties, to play songs tunes and dances, and to accompany religious hymns. Undergoing transformations, this music-making tradition of Prussian Lithuanians lasted until the middle of the 20th century. After World War II, the settlers who moved to Klaipėda region brought with them their own musical traditions, and as the local population declined, the old repertoire and style of playing were almost forgotten.
The tradition of music-making in Lithuania Minor began to be revived in the 1970s-1980s, when Antanas Butkus, a researcher and maker of historical musical instruments, reconstructed the musical instruments of Lithuania Minor, such as kanklės-harp, psalterium, horn-trumpet, whistle, etc. Other masters followed in his footsteps, and soon folklore ensembles of Klaipėda city and district, Šilutė district, Neringa municipality, as well as folklore ensembles from other regions of Lithuania began to play musical instruments of authentic design. Based on scientific research, written sources and ethnographic material, as well as through experimentation, the ensembles have been recreating and developing the tradition of music-making of Lithuania Minor for more than three decades. Musical instruments are used to accompany songs and Gospel hymns, and tunes of songs, dances, and circle dances are played from German publications from East Prussia and from the notes of the 20th-century expeditions in Klaipėda region. The manner of playing of soloists and groups is quite individual – the character is dictated by the harmony of the melody, the metrical structure and the context of the performance.
The basis for the restoration and preservation of the music-making tradition, which has become a sign of the cultural continuity of the ethnographic region of Lithuania Minor, is historical knowledge, the reconstruction of musical instruments, various experiences of traditional music-making and creativity. Thanks to professional ensemble leaders and musicians, original compositions are also created, played together with classical, jazz and electronic music performers.

During the International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival "Lauksnos," the instrumental music of Lithuania Minor will be presented by the children's and youth folklore ensembles "Alkiukai" and "Kuršiukai" from the Klaipėda Ethnocultural Center, as well as the adult folklore groups "Alka" and "Kuršių ainiai." The leaders of the folklore groups are Jolita Vozgirdienė, Alvydas Vozgirdas, Jonas Kavaliauskas, Elena Šalkauskienė, Ingrida Žmijauskienė, and Gabija Kochanskaitė.

Georgian polyphonic singing

Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2001)

Popular singing has a highly valued place in Georgian culture. Polyphonic singing, in the Georgian language, is a secular tradition in a country whose language and culture have often been oppressed by invaders. There are three types of polyphony in Georgia: complex polyphony, which is common in Svaneti; polyphonic dialogue over a bass background, prevalent in the Kakheti region in Eastern Georgia; and contrasted polyphony with three partially improvised sung parts, characteristic of western Georgia. The Chakrulo song, which is sung at ceremonies and festivals and belongs to the first category, is distinguished by its use of metaphor and its yodel, the krimanchuli and a “cockerel’s crow”, performed by a male falsetto singer. Some of these songs are linked to the cult of the grapevine and many date back to the eighth century. The songs traditionally pervaded all areas of everyday life, ranging from work in the fields (the Naduri, which incorporates the sounds of physical effort into the music) to songs to curing of illnesses and to Christmas Carols (Alilo). Byzantine liturgical hymns also incorporated the Georgian polyphonic tradition to such an extent that they became a significant expression of it.

Having previously suffered the drawbacks of socialist cultural policies, traditional Georgian music is now threatened by rural exodus as well as by the increasing success of pop music. In many archives one finds recordings of polyphonic songs from the beginning of the twentieth century; these recordings are, however, not secure enough to guarantee the long-term preservation.

Folk group "Pherkhisa" was created in 2008 under the direction of choirmaster Natia Datuashvili. Several generations have already been raised in the ensemble. The creative direction of the ensemble is adherence to traditional performance, its style, and its forms. "Pherkhisa’s" repertoire includes examples of folk songs and traditional hymns from different parts of Georgia. Along with musical pieces, the group also performs traditional dance samples. Since the day of its inception, the ensemble has actively participated in the cultural life of the country, in local and international festivals, conferences and symposia, various religious holidays, and charity concerts, and is a prize winner in many competitions. Participation of the ensemble in the opening concert of the 5th International Symposium of Traditional Polyphony in 2010 is worth mentioning. The ensemble is the winner and gold medallist of the 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023 national competitions of children’s and youth choirs of Georgia. "Pherkhisa" held successful tours in Poland (2016, 2019, 2022) and Germany (2019).