{"id":956,"date":"2024-07-04T23:11:24","date_gmt":"2024-07-04T21:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/?p=956"},"modified":"2024-07-04T23:10:34","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T21:10:34","slug":"lithuanian-song-festival-huge-event-for-the-100th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/2024\/07\/04\/lithuanian-song-festival-huge-event-for-the-100th-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuanian Song Festival, huge event for the 100th Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>The park resounds with music and songs.<\/strong> The rehearsal of musicians and singers preparing for the biggest event of the summer in Lithuania: <strong>the centenary of the Lithuanian Song Festival. Dain\u0173 \u0160vent\u0117<\/strong> in Lithuanian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>WATCH THE VIDEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lithuanian Song Festival 2024, The centenary celebrates Lithuania\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iL_OYUwjCQw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Lithuanian Song Festival 2024 &#8211; Opening Concert in Kaunas<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The first was held in 1924 in Kaunas<\/strong>, then the country was <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/2021\/09\/05\/kaunas2022-interview-to-virginija-vitkiene\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">the temporary capita<\/a>l.<\/strong> The opening concert is scheduled for Saturday June 29. <strong>Over four thousand artists.<\/strong> The choir alone is made up of around four hundred people. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/EoCHNBtWH728cfkP\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Lithuanians living in the Baltic country, but also many who lives abroad. <\/a><\/strong>Months of preparation for each of them. <strong>The moment has come.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Choir-Dainu-Svente-2024-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-957\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Choir-Dainu-Svente-2024-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Choir-Dainu-Svente-2024-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Choir-Dainu-Svente-2024-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Choir-Dainu-Svente-2024-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Choir-Dainu-Svente-2024.jpg 1417w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The rehearsals, <strong>the emotion of being part of a unique event,<\/strong> the excitement of speaking with those living in different countries, but <strong>strongly feeling part of this country,<\/strong> the heat that makes the performance a challenge&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cMay the Green Forest Grow\u201d<\/strong> is the title chosen for the centenary. A reference to nature, so important and present in the hearts of all Lithuanians. <strong>Their songs, many of which were banned during the Soviet occupation<\/strong> because they were considered against the regime, speak of nature and love for the homeland. <strong>In the music, in the words, a love that crosses borders shines through.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lithuania, a land of emigration<\/strong> since the time of the Tsar, when many Lithuanians decided to leave their occupied land to seek a better life: United States, Argentina, Venezuela, Australia and many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to data from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.urm.lt\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">the Ministry of Foreign Affairs<\/a><\/strong>, 470,000 Lithuanians live abroad. The largest community is in the USA. <strong>The current population of Lithuania is 2,800,000 people.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today <strong>Lithuania is a modern, welcoming country, rich in history and culture, with good job opportunities.<\/strong> Especially for young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to official statistics, <strong>eighty thousand Lithuanians returned from abroad in the last four years. <\/strong>For the first time, <strong>the number is greater than that of emigrants in the same period.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the centenary <strong>the first concert takes place in Kaunas.<\/strong> A tribute to the second city of Lithuania, <strong>capital in the first independence<\/strong> between the two world wars of the last century, which hosted the first festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"606\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-Dainu-Svente-2024-1024x606.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-Dainu-Svente-2024-1024x606.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-Dainu-Svente-2024-300x178.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-Dainu-Svente-2024-768x455.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-Dainu-Svente-2024-640x379.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/5-Dainu-Svente-2024.jpg 1417w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The first week of July the celebration continue in Vilnius<\/strong>. Dozens of shows, most of them free to the delight of everyone, including tourists. <strong>Around thirty-seven thousand artists participate in the event<\/strong> and <strong>over thirteen thousand will be at the final concert on July 6 at Vingis Park<\/strong>. Special date for Lithuania. <strong>July 6 is Statehood Day<\/strong> and at 9 pm o\u2019clock (local time) all Lithuanians, wherever they are in the world, sing the national anthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The opening concert<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Song Valley is a large open-air theater built more than fifty years ago<\/strong> and recently restored. It is located <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/visit.kaunas.lt\/en\/see-and-do\/sights\/nature\/oak-grove-azuolynas\/\" title=\"\">in \u0104\u017euolyno parkas, the Oak Park,<\/a><\/strong> eighty-four hectares of nature where centenary trees stand out, austere and of great beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Already in the morning <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/fb.watch\/t6MR4n9YNZ\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">the artists alternate on stage for the rehearsals.<\/a><\/strong> The choir of around <strong>four hundred people is made up of choristers<\/strong> from all over Lithuania and from communities living abroad. <strong>They all sing together the pieces<\/strong> proposed by the various conductors. I have never seen so many women among them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"716\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-Dainu-Svente-2024-1024x716.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-Dainu-Svente-2024-1024x716.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-Dainu-Svente-2024-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-Dainu-Svente-2024-768x537.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-Dainu-Svente-2024-640x448.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/3-Dainu-Svente-2024.jpg 1417w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The city has been buzzing for days<\/strong> about the upcoming event and <strong>people are listening, watching, enjoying and listening to songs<\/strong> in the shade of the oak trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>From the afternoon onwards the number of people increases.<\/strong> It&#8217;s very hot. Unlike in the morning, the stage is now in shadow. A relief for choir and musicians. The sun beats down on the audience until late in the evening, when it is finally hidden by the treetops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nobody complains. They wait for the event and the stands fill up quickly. <strong>Thousands of people, many young people and entire families.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-Dainu-Svente-2024-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-Dainu-Svente-2024-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-Dainu-Svente-2024-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-Dainu-Svente-2024-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-Dainu-Svente-2024-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/2-Dainu-Svente-2024.jpg 1417w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>At 6 pm the concert begins with the national anthem.<\/strong> Everyone standing sings together with the choir. Get excited. Many, I read in the following days, <strong>have relatives and friends who participated in past editions.<\/strong> But this one is special. <strong>It&#8217;s the centenary.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Music and performance follow one another<\/strong> with the scenography that <strong>tells the story of the past editions and the history of Lithuania.<\/strong> Images from the past show a very different country. But yesterday as today <strong>the audience is part of the show: they participate, sing, stand up, applaud.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a big, beautiful celebration for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>WATCH THE VIDEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lithuanian Song Festival 2024, The centenary celebrates Lithuania\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iL_OYUwjCQw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Lithuanian Song Festival 2024 &#8211; Opening Concert in Kaunas<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The park resounds with music and songs. The rehearsal of musicians and singers preparing for the biggest event of the summer in Lithuania: the centenary of the Lithuanian Song Festival. Dain\u0173 \u0160vent\u0117 in Lithuanian. WATCH THE VIDEO The first was<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,1],"tags":[210,44,13,11,209,26],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=956"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":962,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956\/revisions\/962"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lithuanianstories.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}