An evening of memories and photographs of the “Mičotāji” of Münster

Looking back on the 55 years since the production “Mičotāji” by the Münster Latvian Grammar School was staged, we invite you to an evening of memories and photographs about folklore in exile, to be held at the library of the Latvian Centre in Münster on March 10, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.

Following its premiere on February 13, 1971, as part of the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Münster Latvian Grammar School, the Latvian wedding programme “Mičotāji” quickly developed into an exceptionally successful music and dance production, attracting the attention of the Latvian community in the free world and promoting the Münster Latvian Grammar School as a place where young people from around the world could receive a Latvian education. By August 18, 1975, “Mičotāji” had been performed 36 times and had toured Latvian communities in Europe, Australia, the United States and Canada. It became the first production to travel the world through guest performances for fellow Latvians on different continents, later inspiring other groups to adopt this format as well.

We invite the participants of “Mičotāji” and former students of the Grammar School to join us for conversations and share their memories of these experiences! We would be delighted if you brought along photographs to look through together over a cup of tea. Stories about the broader life of folklore in exile will also be most welcome.

The evening of memories will be hosted by Ilga Vālodze Ābelkina, a research assistant at the Archives of Latvian Folklore of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, who will be visiting Münster to familiarise herself with the Centre’s library and archive.

The event is organised within the framework of the Latvian Council of Science funded project No. lzp-2024/1-0522, “Latvian Folklore Studies in Exile”, in cooperation with the organisations “Latvian Community in Germany” and “Latvian Centre in Münster”. More information about the project can be found HERE.

For inquiries about the event: biblio@lcm.lv