Folk ensemble "Arinushka"

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, archaic vocal polyphony of the Latvian, Ukrainian Cossack songs, Lithuanian sutartinės, and traditional Georgian polyphonic music. This is just a glimpse of what the audience will experience during the festival.

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, The Agency of Vilnius Old Town Renovation, St. Catherine’s Church, Vilnius Culture Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius Academy of Arts, and the B. Jonušas Music School of Vilnius.








XIX INTERNATIONAL FOLKLORE FESTIVAL "POKROV BELLS"

PROGRAMME

November the 6th:
St. Catherine's Church (Vilniaus Str. 30)
18.00
Concert MUSIC FOR GOURMANDS
Folklore groups from Armenia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sakartvelo, Ukraine,
Ticket distributor KAKAVA.LT

November the 7th:
The Agency of Vilnius Old Town Renovation (Stiklių Str. 4)
10.00
ROUND TABLE "The Impact of Globalization on the Continuity of Folklore Traditions"
Vilnius University Theater Hall (Universiteto Str. 3)
18.00
UNIQUE TRADITIONS
Part 1 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage:
MASTERPIECES OF GEORGIAN POLYPHONIC SINGING. ARMENIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE
Participants: ensembles "GURDZAANI" (Sakartvelo), "RERO" (Sakartvelo-Lithuania), "PESVEBI"
(Lithuania), "TRIALOGUE" (Armenia)
Part 2 Performances of Lithuanian and foreign folklore groups

November the 8th:
The Agency of Vilnius Old Town Renovation (Stiklių Str. 4)
10.00-17.00
TRADITIONAL SINGING LABORATORY
Pub “Alaus namai” (Goštauto Str. 8)
21.00
FOLK DANCE AND SINGALONG EVENING

November the 9th:
Vilnius City Hall (Didžioji Str. 31)
10.00-18.00
FOLK ART AND CULINARY HERITAGE FAIR
Vilnius Art Academy Textile Art and Design Department Exhibition of Textile Works
TRADITIONAL LITHUANIAN CRAFTS FOR CHILDREN. Creative workshops
12.00
Republic competition of children's and youth folk art performers "HEIRS OF TRADITIONS" prizewinners’
concert
14.00 – 18.00
ARTISTIC PORTRAITS OF THE FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS. Concert-marathon
18.00
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: the Lithuanian SUTARTINĖS

November the 10th:
St. Catherine's Church (Vilniaus Str. 30)
18.00
GUESTS FROM SAKARTVELO: FROM ORIGINS TO THE PRESENT DAY
David AKOPIAN (violin), Milena JALALBEKOVA (violin),
Giorgi GURGENADZE (cello), Marika KUKHIANIDZE (piano)
Ticket distributor KAKAVA.LT