International Music Day 2011

The rain stopped completely today. We could have our long waited for international day of music together with friends from England and Norway outdoors on our new nice open air stage.

See some speedily published photos here. Author for all of them - Terēze Neliusa

Con Brio choir and the Westwood String Quarted conducted by choir's leader Shirley Smith

The Westwood String Quartet has expanded by one for the Latvia tour
Kokle quartet from Riga
"Vēja meitenes" (The Wind Girls) from the neighboring Misa
Senior citizens' choir led by Māra Lagzdiņa
Hanne Marie Ruud (Norway) sang Solveig's Song and a song-prayer in Latvian
Spectators - participants
Youth dance group from the neighboring Barbele "Rakari" (The Rascals)
A few of the "Rascals"

The final event - Skaistkalne Brass Orchestra under the leadership of Jānis Kalniņš
Gladioli exhibition set up by our famous selectionists Ilga and Visvaldis Viņķelis

Festival Ligo (Līgo vakars) in Stelpe

Festival Ligo (Līgo vakars) and the following St. John's Day (Jāņi) is a national holiday and widely celebrated event all over Latvia. Traditionally, it is a coming together some place where there is a man by name Jānis. Everyone greets Jānis with oak leave crowns. A popular combination traditionally is cheese and beer, but nowadays, unfortunately, a lot of all kind alcohol is being consumed, too.

The important woman of the festival is Līga. Līga gets crowns made of all kinds of field flowers and plants.

If there is no Jānis or Līga available, it does not stop the party. If someone is a son or daughter of Jānis or Līga, or any other type of relation, then it is as good. But even if there is nobody even close, the party still goes on. Then the reason for the celebration just gets generalized.

This year, an extensive celebration of Ligo was organized in the new open air stage in Stelpe. There was a concert not only by Stelpe own amateur singers, dancers and actors but also performances and attractions by creative people from the neighboring communities Vecsaule, Barbele, Kurmene.

Here you can watch a very short video from the theater performed by Stelpe troupe where a gypsy woman played by the head teacher of Stelpe School Dagmāra Venclova gives a good splash to her mischievous man played by Jānis Klāviņš.



Stelpe people gathered on the open air stage site to celebrate Ligo:


Guests from a neighboring community:Young people enjoy themselves:

Young children can see the scene best from the basement walls of the old culture house:Scene from theater: (from left) Servant - Sarmīte Jukone, Baroness - Agita Šķiliņa
Scene from theater: (from left) Gypsy man - Jānis Klāviņš, Baron - Valdis Rusiņš, Servant - Agnis Švarcbahs
Stage manager Lilita Berliņa says thank you to the troupe for the enthusiastic performance