Singing Heritage of Latvia
Singing heritage in Latvia is one of the country’s most visible, deeply rooted, and widely shared cultural expressions. Singing accompanies everyday life, work, rituals, celebrations, and major life events, functioning both as a form of artistic expression and as a powerful means of social connection, memory, and continuity.
This living heritage is sustained on multiple levels. Across Latvia’s regions, diverse local singing traditions are maintained and passed on by folklore groups, ethnographic ensembles, and community singers, reflecting centuries of historical, social, and spiritual influences.
At the same time, Latvia’s strong choral tradition unites thousands of singers and culminates in the nationwide Song and Dance Celebration, held every five years and internationally recognized as a symbol of collective cultural expression.
Events such as the International Folklore Festival BALTICA further connect regions, generations, and countries, fostering exchange, learning, and visibility for traditional singing practices.
Together, community-based traditions, folklore ensembles, choirs, and large-scale cultural events form a dynamic and interconnected system that ensures Latvia’s singing heritage remains vibrant, meaningful, and actively lived today.
Key living singing traditions in Latgale
Latvia is rich in diverse singing traditions that have developed across different historical layers and regions; however, some of them stand out as particularly vivid, well preserved, and actively transmitted. In Latgale, these traditions are distinguished by their antiquity, continuity, and strong community involvement, ensuring their vitality in the present day.
Drone Singing in Northern Latgale (Burdondziedāšana Ziemeļlatgalē, tolku bolss)
One of the oldest vocal traditions in Latvia, based on a sustained drone that accompanies a soloist or leading voice. Historically linked to collective agricultural work, especially communal field labour (manure-help), it functioned both as coordination and as a sonic marker of community strength. Although its original social context disappeared in the 20th century, drone singing has been preserved in memory and today lives on primarily through folklore ensembles, having become a powerful musical symbol of Northern Latgale.
Polyphony with the Upper Solo Accompanying Part – “Half-Voice” (Daudzbalsība ar augšējo solo pavadbalsi, pusbaļss)
A distinctive subtype of late polyphony in which a single singer performs a strong, high solo line above the main melody and lower accompanying voices. The half-voice usually enters in the second half of the stanza, requiring exceptional vocal power, endurance, and precision. This expressive and sonically striking practice has been documented mainly in Northern and Northeastern Latgale and is closely associated with seasonal, wedding, and work-related songs. It continues to be actively practiced today by skilled local singers and folklore ensembles.
Bolsi (Voices) in Auleja and Izvalta (Aulejas un Izvaltas bolsi)
Ancient melodies belonging to the old musical layer, locally referred to as bolsi (“voices”), a term that in Latgale also denotes a melody. Each bolss is associated with a specific function—seasonal rituals, agricultural work, weddings, or communal gatherings—and with its own corpus of poetic texts. This highly specialized system of melodies remains vividly preserved and continues to be transmitted within local communities.
Late Harmonic Polyphony (Vēlīnā harmoniskā daudzbalsība)
A widespread multi-part singing style characterized by broad melodic ranges and harmonic thinking, often associated with Catholic musical influence. In Latgale, late harmonic polyphony permeates a wide variety of social and ritual contexts and, in some localities, encompasses nearly the entire song repertoire. Its richness and territorial coverage distinguish Latgale from other Latvian regions.
Song Duels (Apdziedāšanās)
A traditional form of sung poetic competition rooted in ritual and social life. During weddings, seasonal festivities, and communal celebrations, opposing groups exchange witty, humorous, and symbolic verses. Song duels function both as entertainment and as a regulated form of social dialogue, combining playfulness with ritual seriousness and reinforcing communal bonds.
Psalmody in Oral Tradition – Office of the Dead (Psalmodija mutiskajā tradīcijā – Mirušo ofīcijs)
A Catholic funeral and memorial singing practice transmitted orally in Latgalian and performed mainly outside church settings, especially in homes and local communities. Known locally as “psalms” (salmes), this tradition forms an integral part of family life, death rituals, and remembrance, and remains alive thanks to dedicated local singer groups.
May Devotion Singing (Maija dievkalpojumu dziedāšana)
Lay-led devotional singing dedicated to the Virgin Mary, traditionally performed at village and roadside crosses throughout May. Introduced in the late 18th century and strongly revived since the 1990s, this tradition combines prayer, ritual structure, and communal singing, with Marian songs forming a central musical element.
Catholic Songs (Gareiguos dzīsmis)
A vast and much-loved repertoire sung throughout the liturgical year and at major life events such as baptisms, funerals, and memorial services. Learned primarily by ear and passed on within families and communities, these songs represent one of the core categories of Latgalian traditional music and remain deeply embedded in everyday and ceremonial life.
Several of these traditions—including polyphony with the half-voice (pusbaļss), psalmody (the Office of the Dead), and May Devotion singing—are already included in the Latvian List of Intangible Cultural Heritage Values. Taken together, all the traditions described above form a living, diverse, and resilient cultural heritage, sustained by local communities, folklore ensembles, and a strong nationwide interest in traditional culture.
https://nematerialakultura.lv/en/Elementi/dziedasana-ar-pusbalsu-2017/
https://nematerialakultura.lv/en/Elementi/elements-4/
https://nematerialakultura.lv/en/Elementi/psalmu-dziedasana-ziemellatgale-2017/
https://nematerialakultura.lv/Elementi/maija-dziedajumi-pie-ciemu-krustiem-ziemellatgale-2020/
https://nematerialakultura.lv/resursi-2/
In the photo Upīte
Upīte folklore group in the International folklore festival Baltica 2015 concert in Latvian Music academy. Pusbolss singers: first from the right Kate Slišāne, third from the right Santa Matisāne. Photo by Zinaida Logina
The living folklore movement in Latgale
Latgale is one of the most active regions of the folklore movement in Latvia, with more than 90 folklore groups and ensembles currently operating in the region. This extensive and vibrant network sustains community-based traditions of singing, music-making, and ritual practice, ensuring their continuous transmission and relevance in contemporary society. These traditions are actively sustained by people of different generations, from children and young people to adults. In Northern and Southern Latgale, the folklore groups “Upīte” and “Svātra” stand as vivid examples of this intergenerational, living movement.
The Folk Song and Dance Group “Svātra”
The Folk Song and Dance Group “Svātra”, based at the Daugavpils Unity House, has been active since 1994 and is one of the most significant traditional culture groups in Latgale. The name “svātra” in Latgalian means “intuition” or “inner sense”, reflecting the group’s approach to traditional culture as a living and emotionally rooted heritage.
The group brings together singers and dancers of different generations and performs a wide repertoire of traditional songs, dances, and ritual practices from Latgale and other regions of Latvia. “Svātra” regularly participates in concerts, folklore festivals, and cultural events in Latvia and abroad, representing Latgale’s living traditions to a broad audience.
An important part of the group’s work is community engagement and knowledge transmission. Through communal singing gatherings and singing workshops organised at the Daugavpils Unity House Tradition House, “Svātra” actively promotes intergenerational learning and strengthens the practice of living singing traditions in an urban environment.
The Folklore Group “Upīte”
The Folklore Group “Upīte” is a striking example of how traditional culture can become a contemporary, creative, and community-building force. Active in Northern Latgale, within the Upīte cultural space, the group brings together participants of different ages—from children and young people to adults—who jointly preserve and develop local language, singing, music-making, humour, and everyday cultural traditions.
The group is widely recognised for its active participation in seasonal celebrations, local rituals, and cultural events, as well as for its ability to connect traditional singing practices with a modern perspective and broad public engagement. The Upīte Folklore Group plays a crucial role in sustaining the vitality of the Upīte cultural space and stands as a vivid testament to the fact that Latgalian folklore is living, relevant, and capable of engaging multiple generations.
More information:
Facebook page: Folk Song and Dance Group “SVATRA”
Facebook page: Namaterialuos kulturas montojuma centrs UPĪTE
Song and Dance Celebration
The Song and Dance Celebration is the uppermost cultural masterpiece of Latvia that has stood the test of time. It has become a nationally and internationally significant event which calls together and unites Latvians worldwide, bringing together generations and ethnicities.
From the first festival in 1873 with 1,000 singers, it has grown to a mighty movement: around 40,000 participants are preparing to take part in the XXVII Nationwide Latvian Song and XVII Dance Festival. More than 1,600 groups in Latvia and more than 100 elsewhere are preparing for the event.
To ensure that choir singers and dancers, musicians, decorative folk applied art creators, folklore groups and amateur theatre participants can take part in the Festival, there are five years of everyday, systematic work in the lead-up: rehearsals, constant preparation of repertoire, evaluations, competitions, exhibitions, seminars and concerts.
And, every five years, they all flow from Latvia’s regions and small towns to Riga, becoming Latvia’s most powerful folk movement. The Song and Dance Celebration tradition has played a significant role in creating Latvia’s national identity and maintaining the idea of an independent nation through difficult periods of history.
This has also been recognised at an international level: in 2003, the Song and Dance Celebration was included on the UNESCO List of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
More information: https://www.dziesmusvetki.lv/en/about-the-celebration/the-song-and-dance-celebration/
The video is made by Latvian National Centre for Culture
You can find more information about Latvian Song and Dance Celebration traditions from Latvia.eu pages
Singing Revolution
The most impressive demonstration of the power of the singing movement was the awakening that took place at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s in all Baltic countries. It was largely based on the Song and Dance Celebrations, which had strengthened the sense of national identity and need for sovereignty. The concept of “Singing Revolution” is today known in the whole world.
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_Revolution
The photo of The Baltic Way on the Vidzeme Highway. 23.08.1989.Photo by Aldis Jermaks. National History Museum of Latvia
Folklore Festival BALTICA
The International Folklore Festival Baltica is one of the most important traditional culture events in the Baltic States and a joint project of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Founded in 1987 during the period of national awakening, it has gradually developed into a broad networking platform for Baltic folklore ensembles, bringing together enthusiasts of traditional culture from different regions and countries.
The festival is dedicated to the preservation, development, and promotion of intangible cultural heritage, and in the intervals between festival editions, regular showcases and evaluations of folklore groups and ensembles take place, fostering quality, exchange of experience, and continuity of traditions. Each year, “Baltica” highlights a specific theme of traditional culture, encouraging the learning, research, and wider public presentation of the associated repertoire.
In 2025, the closing events of the Baltica festival took place in Daugavpils. The festival’s culmination in the largest city of Latgale symbolically emphasized the region’s important role in preserving singing traditions, music-making, and other forms of traditional culture, as well as the active participation of local communities. The closing events in Daugavpils confirmed that “Baltica” is not only a festival, but also a living and continuous movement that unites generations, regions, and countries, strengthening the role of traditional culture in contemporary society.
More information: http://www.festivalbaltica.com/
Festivals and Events
Latvia
2026
April – Latgale Potters’ Days in Rēzekne Municipality.
More information: luznavasmuiza.lv
April – 22nd International Folk Musicians’ Gathering in Vabole.
More information: visitdaugavpils.lv/en/events/
June – Great Latgalian Market in Ludza.
More information: visitludza.lv
June – Midsummer Eve Celebration in Daugavpils.
More information: visitdaugavpils.lv/en/events/
June – Midsummer Eve Celebration “Pīdzīdam Upītē” in Upīte.
More information: Lielākie reģiona pasākumi 2026 | Tūrisma jaunumi
June – Līgo Celebration in Višķi.
More information: visitdaugavpils.lv/en/events/
July – St. Anne’s Day in Vabole. 20th Anniversary Concert of the Ethnographic Ensemble “Vabaļis”.
More information: visitdaugavpils.lv/en/events/
August – International Folklore Festival “Lipa Kust” in Balvi Municipality.
More information: Lielākie reģiona pasākumi 2026 | Tūrisma jaunumi
August – 8th Baltic Jazz Festival “Škiuņa Džezs” in Rēzekne Municipality.
More information: luznavasmuiza.lv
September – Upīte Uobeļuorzs in Upīte, Balvi Municipality.
More information: visit.balvi.lv
September – Miķeļi Day Autumn Fair.
More information: visit.rezekne.lv
October – Daugavpils International Folklore Festival.
More information: Facebook page: Daugavpils Starptautiskais folkloras festivāls. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558580770943
