Over 3,000 attend Narva August 20 song and dance festival
Over 3,000 spectators congregated in Narva Sunday for a singing and folk dancing event marking the 32nd anniversary of the Restoration of Estonian Independence.
Dubbed the Laulupiknik ("Song picnic"), nearly 200 performers took part, at Joaoru, on the banks of the Narva River and under the battlements of the city's castle.
The first major singing event took place in the same location, Narva Joaoru, 86 years ago, in 1937, during the period of the First Republic.
That tradition was restored just two years ago.
Anna Farafonova, head of the Narva Eesti keele maja (Estonian language house), which organized the event, said: "The singing party was very warmly received two years ago, hence our decision to continue it. This year's Laulupiknik has recapitulated that singing together unites people - the people of Narva and Ida-Viru County really enjoy celebrating, shoulder-to-shoulder, with singing and dancing."
The Eesti Keele maja is under the auspices of the Integration Foundation (Integratsiooni Sihtasutus), in turn within the Ministry of Culture's sphere of activity.
The event is significant in the Ida-Viru County, and Narva in particular, is home to large numbers of Russian speakers.
