Letts from all over Russia celebrated Ligo festival in Bashkortostan

Participants of the all-Russian Lettish song festival and official delegation from Latvia, headed by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia in Russian Federation M-r Edgars Skya and the wife of Latvian President Mrs. Lilita Zatlere, participated in the national Ligo festival in Archangelsky region RB. Ligo is the ancient Lettish festival of summer solstice and its essence is the honoring of the God of the fertility Yanus. Letts of Bashkortostan carefully keep the traditions of their forefathers and the bonfires, symbolizing the victory of the Sun, still burn on the hills. The descendants of the Lettish migrants, who had arrived in the territory of modern Bashkortostan in the XIX century, sang and danced around the bonfires. Ligo festival is celebrated in Bashkortostan every year in Archangelsky region RB in the historical-cultural center “Maxim Gorky”. National-cultural society “Austrum” works in Bashkortostan since 1993. The society established contacts with Lettish communities in Russia, with the Society of Letts in Russia and with the Lettish Embassy in Russian Federation. Republican Lettish national center RB works in our Republic since October 1996. Letts actively take part in plough festivals, family tree festivals, Salavat Ulaev days and other national festivals RB. In their turn the festivals of Letts have long ago become common for all nations RB. Here representatives from Bashkortostan, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk region, Magadan, Moscow and Republic of Komi often show their national traditions.

“It is good that Bashkir Letts manage to keep their culture, songs and national traditions till nowadays” – President RB Murtaza Rakhimov stated in his salutary address.