XIX INTERNATIONAL FOLKLORE FESTIVAL "POKROVO BELLS" 

Music for Connoisseurs – November 6 

For the 19th time, the international folklore festival "Pokrovo Bells" will delight its loyal audience with exclusive concerts, programs, and performances. The events will take place from November 6 to 10 in such prestigious venues in Vilnius as St. Catherine’s Church, Vilnius University halls, and Vilnius Town Hall. The festival will serve as a platform for cultural exchange, bringing together representatives of different countries and national minorities living in Lithuania. "Pokrovo Bells" is not only an outstanding cultural event but also an important source of cultural heritage for Lithuania and other countries. From November 6 to 10, the city of Vilnius will become an international center of traditional music, bringing together music lovers, folklore enthusiasts, and those, interested in the cultures of other nations. Having earned a strong reputation over the years, this festival is sure to offer many unforgettable moments and inspire further appreciation and development of traditional music.

On November 6 the festival's opening concert "Music for Connoisseurs" will take place at St. Catherine’s Church, promising to be an impressive and unforgettable musical event. For the nineteenth year in a row, the festival has been delighting its loyal audience with unique programs, showcasing the folklore traditions of both Lithuania and foreign countries. The audience will have the opportunity to enjoy unique examples of folk songs and traditional choreography performed by folklore ensembles from Armenia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Norway, Georgia, Ukraine, and Germany. The festival's distinctiveness lies in its deep respect for traditional folklore and the UNESCO-protected cultural heritage values. The event will feature such treasures as Armenian duduk music, the polyphonic singing tradition of the Seto people from Estonia, Ukrainian Cossack songs, Lithuanian sutartinės, and traditional Georgian polyphonic music. This is just a glimpse of what the audience will experience during the festival. 

Festival Tradition and Purpose 

The "Pokrov Bells" festival, which promotes the traditional music of various nations, has been held since 2006 and has already established strong international roots. Every year, the festival presents new groups that introduce the audience to authentic examples of folk art from their homelands. Folklore ensembles from various countries, including Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Mexico, Norway, the Netherlands, Georgia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Hungary, and others, have participated in the festival. The festival provides an opportunity to see and hear only high-level performers who earn the right to perform on this stage through a rigorous selection process. Each ensemble showcases the unique features of its region, also their performances reveal deep cultural roots and the continuity of traditions. 

This Year's Events and Programs 

The 2024 festival program will be especially diverse and engaging. The events will take place in prestigious venues across Vilnius, such as St. Catherine's Church, Vilnius University halls, and Vilnius Town Hall. In addition to concerts, the program will include folk dance evenings and round table discussions featuring renowned ethnography experts from Lithuania and abroad. The Department of Textile Art and Design of Vilnius Academy of Arts will organize an exhibition of ethnographic textile works at Vilnius Town Hall. During the festival, there will also be masterclasses and traditional singing workshops. Craft workshops will offer the opportunity to explore various traditional techniques, such as handmade candy production, belt weaving, historical toy making (along with stories about their traditions and origins), wooden musical instrument crafting (whistles, horns, and rattles), hand knitting (socks, mittens, wrist warmers), handmade toys, plant-dyed yarns, ceramics (hand-sculpted, wheel-thrown, black, and glazed), handmade jewelry, and Baltic-style jewelry-making. In addition, there will be workshops on wool felting, amber processing, papercutting, and wood and linen carving, among other activities. 

Partners and Sponsors

 The international folklore festival "Pokrovo Bells" would not be possible without the support of strong partners and sponsors. The festival is organized by the Lithuanian Centre for National Minorities Folklore and Ethnography, which collaborates with partners such as the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Council for Culture, the Department of National Minorities, Vilnius City Municipality, Vilnius Town Hall, St. Catherine’s Church, Vilnius Culture Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius Academy of Arts, and the B. Jonušas Music School of Vilnius. This collaboration demonstrates the event’s importance not only in the field of culture but also in a broader social context, fostering international cooperation, strengthening cultural ties, and preserving traditions for future generations. 

Arina Zacharova