"Lithuanian Song Celebration exalts the creative self-expression of the human being, creative potency of artists, vitality of national culture, love to the native land and the solidarity."
(www.dainusvente.lt)
On Kudirkos g. at Tauro Hill
Monday's events began with a parade from Cathedral Square at the bottom of Gediminas' Hill, where the medieval castle tower still stands today, and continued up Kudirkos g. along Tauro Hill where I got a great view of groups from all cities across the country marching to Vingis Park.Traditional costumes
Group from Druskininkai with baskets of mushrooms
Vilnius Capital of Culture 2009 logo
Vilnius Capital of Culture 2009 logo
King Mindaugas
There were tons of traditional costumes...
and lots of crowns of flowers.
Vingis Park entrance
The park was recently renovated in preparation for the concert (repainted song stage, graded and reseeded lawn, new benches, repaved pedestrian paths), and it looked great.
This year, the song festival was particularly important, taking place on the anniversary of Grand Duke Mindaugas' coronation in 1253 and in the 1,000th year since the first mention of Lithuania.
A new sculpture was unveiled in Vingis Park to commemorate the milestone for Lithuania.
Millennium Tree of Unity
Inscribed in the lower circular portion of the monument are the names of important Lithuanians from grand dukes Mindaugas and Gediminas to Romas Kalanta (1953-1972) and Vytautas Kernagis (1951-2008).
Here are some clips from the all the singing:
1 comments:
Your photos of the Vingis Park Song Festival are wonderful. All the participants and spectators appear to be having such a good time. I loved the photos of the parade with national dress and symbols. And the design of the monument is so unique. Some of the motifs remind me of my father's designs on some of his handmade wood carvings. What a wonderful event - it really reflects the importance of song and music in Lithuanian culture. Thanks for adding the video clips with sound - it must have been awe-inspiring to hear such a rich sound of choral music coming from so many voices on the domed stage. Hope you have more clips!
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