The Latvian Folklore Archives, in cooperation with the municipal company “Rīgas satiksme”, invites you to discover Latvian folk songs

From April 2 until the end of the year, thematic selections of Latvian folk songs will be displayed weekly on the screens of Riga’s public transport. The campaign is organized by the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia (ILFA) in cooperation with the municipal company “Rīgas satiksme.”

Marking both the completion of the academic edition Latviešu tautasdziesmas (Latvian Folk Songs) and the 100th anniversary of the Latvian Folklore Archives, ILFA and “Rīgas satiksme” invite everyone to honor Latvian folk songs. For centuries, these songs have accompanied Latvians through everyday life and festive occasions, uniting people from the 19th-century national awakening to the Third Awakening.

The aim of the campaign is to showcase the richness of Latvian folk songs, covering a variety of themes that correspond with holidays, commemorative days, and socially relevant events. As the campaign begins on April 1, International Joke Day, the first week invites everyone to smile and tease through witty lines from folk songs. In the following weeks, the themes will include spring, the virtue of work, songs for Mother’s Day, and more. To highlight the richness of the Latvian language, songs from different dialects have been chosen.

The Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art expresses its gratitude to “Rīgas satiksme” for supporting the promotion of Latvia’s traditional culture.

As previously announced, the 13th and final volume of the academic edition Latviešu tautasdziesmas will be published in autumn 2024, concluding nearly 70 years of work by several generations of scholars. This publication is a complete edition of the folk song collection preserved in the Latvian Folklore Archives, making available to the public a treasure of over one million Latvian folk songs gathered after the publication of Krišjānis Barons’ Latvju dainas (around 219,000 texts). Together, these editions reflect the life of the song tradition among the people for more than a century.

This initiative is part of the Latvian Folklore Archives’ centenary celebrations. Throughout the year, various events dedicated to Latvian folkloristics will take place, exploring both the history of the institution and the vast collections preserved in the Archives.