The song and dance festival is not just a big event that takes place every five years, but it is a way to better understand and carry all the important values of Estonia as a nation - love for your country, language, culture, and customs. The 13th Youth Song Celebration is inspired by the poem written by Hando Runnel titled ‘Let There Be Light! (Valgust!)’ which is like an ode to the beautiful nature of Estonia where it catered to some 90,000 spectators who watched performances by 31,415 singers, dancers and musicians.
It has grown steadily since 1869, when the first festival was held in Tartu. Only male choirs and wind orchestras with a total of a thousand performers participated in the first song festival. Over time, mixed, children's, women's, and boys' choirs, hobby symphonies, and toddler choirs were added.
The party moved to Tallinn, where the first dance party took place in 1934. Since 1947, song and dance festivals have mostly been held together. A number of traditions have emerged that have become a part of this party. A torch is lit in Tartu, the birthplace of the festival. Like an Olympic fire, the torch travels through the whole of Estonia to Tallinn, where thousands of folk dancers first wait for that fire for a dance performance
Sources:
2023.laulupidu.ee/en/13th-youth-song-celebration/
www.visitestonia.com/en/why-estonia/welcome-to-the-estonian-song-and-dance-celebration#:~:text=Probably%20because%20the%20song%20and,language%2C%20culture%2C%20and%20customs
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