67 Chapter 4. Diaspora Festivals as a Way for Development of Cultural Identity … based, it is necessary to seriously reconsider its procedure in order to attract people to it and introduce a new tradition for celebrating this festival. The celebration of various festivals in the city’s public space showcases the prevailing ethnic cultures. In Daugavpils, such celebration is a peculiar indicator of the city’s multicultural structure. According to the data from the official webpage of Daugavpils City Council in 2017, the most significant cultural events in the city were: – – A Festive Gathering for Maslenitsa (Plašā Masļeņica), – – Spring Concert “For our Women” (Veltījums sievietēm), – – Solomon Mikhoels’ Days (in recognition of Solomon Mikhoels’2 life), – – Art Festival, – – Poetry Festival, – – Easter Celebration, – – Līgo Festival,3 – – Slavic Culture Festival, – – Celebration of the Republic of Latvia’s Proclamation Day, – – Lāčplēsis Day4 and Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, – – Lighting of the Christmas Tree, Christmas Celebration, and New Year’s Celebration (cf. “Kultūra” 2017). Two out of the 11 most significant cultural events in 2017 in Daugavpils were festivals dedicated to Russian and Belarusian culture, A Festive Gathering for Maslenitsa and the Slavic Culture Festival. One was devoted to Jewish culture—Solomon Mikhoels’ Days—while the others were either of a universal character, for example the Poetry Festival, or devoted to official state holidays. The city also publicly celebrates a lot of other national festivals not mentioned on the list. Slavic festivals are also supported in the official discourse in terms of information and finance—for example, the Slavic Culture Festival includes events that are meant for the general public, such as church services, concerts of holy music, open-air concerts in the main square, as well 2 Solomon Mikhoels (1890–1948), born Shlyomi Vovsi, was a Soviet Jewish actor, director, and political activist. 3 Līgo IE *leig-: *līg- means ‘to swing,’ līgot means ‘to sing Jāņis songs’; ‘to rejoice during Jāņis night’ (cf. Karulis 1992: 533). Jāņis Day is on June 24, the night before Jāņis Day is called Jāņis night. It is a Latvian annual festival which is celebrated on June 23–24. It is considered to be one of the most popular Latvian festivals. 4 Lāčplēša diena is a Memorial Day for soldiers who fought for Latvian independence (1918– 1920). Since 1988, placing lighted candles by the wall of the Riga Castle and torchlight processions have become popular Lāčplēsis Day traditions.
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