Bashkirs took part in Sabantuy 2017 in Riga

UFA, 10 May 2017. /Bashinform News Agency, Leila Aralbaeva/. The Bashkirs took part in the Sabantuy 2017 in Riga. Tatars and Bashkirs of Latvia together with fellow countrymen from Estonia, Lithuania and Sweden conducted it in the central park of the city - Verman Garden. This was reported by the head of the Bashkir diaspora Rina Khamitova.

The Sabantuy festival was visited by residents of different nationalities with children and families, diplomats, businessmen, journalists, photographers, students, guests from neighbouring countries, foreign tourists.

A concert took place on the main stage of the park, in which artists from Tatarstan, amateur artists of national and cultural societies of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia took part. Sporting events and folk games have been lasting for five hours at sports grounds of the park.

The participants of the celebration were congratulated by the leaders of the Bashkir diaspora of Latvia and Estonia. Rina Khamitova read a welcome letter from plenipotentiary representative of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Moscow under the President of the Russian Federation Artur Shainurov. "Sabantuy became a real holiday of friendship of peoples, a holiday of kindness, mutual understanding, fun and unity. It represents a centuries-old way of life, original national traditions of the Bashkirs and Tatars, the ideals of humanism, peace and harmony", the letter says.

The Sabantuy has been held in Latvia for more than 30 years. This year the organizers of the Sabantuy were the Latvian Tatar-Bashkir cultural society "Chishma", the Union of the Tatar youth of Europe. The Sabantuy was supported by the Baltic International Centre "Salavat Yulaev", the Bashkir Society "Akbuzat".