Livonian Culture Day
A moveable feast that is celebrated on the first Saturday of August.
The anniversary is held in honour of the opening of the Livonian Community Centre in 1939. The house was built as a joint project between Estonia, Finland, Hungary and Latvia.
Author: Sonja Laitinen.
During the regaining of reindependence in Latvia, also the Livonians experienced a national awakening and in 1989, the Livonian Culture Day began to be organised in Irē (Mazirbe) on the first Saturday of August. Concerts, dances and plays take place, exhibitions are opened, and lectures are given.
The Livonian green-white-blue flag is hoisted, and at the Livonian Community Centre also the flags of Estonia, Finland, Hungary and Latvia. The Livonian national anthem is sung, the melody of which is similar to the Estonian and Finnish ones. After words of greeting in Livonian and other languages, a procession led by the orchestra makes its way to the seashore, where a symbolic oak wreath is placed in the sea.
Traditionally, representatives of Estonian, Finnish and Hungarian embassies have attended the celebration.
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