The festival is held once a two years!!
It is planned to invite 10–15 groups from foreign countries and over 300 performers from Lithuania to participate at the 10th anniversary international contest-festival “The Flower of the Sun”.
Registration of participants for the festival of 2025 is open online via the official web site of the festival at www.saulesziedas.lt
Attention! Registration of foreign performers to participate in the contest programme will be open until 15 February 2025; whereas Lithuanian participants will have the access to the registration open until 15 March 2025. Lithuanian performers wishing to participate in the programme of the festival only have to register until 15 April 2025.
The 10th international folk contest-festival “The Flower of the Sun” is included in the official event calendars of 2025 for the Federation of International Dance Festivals, FIDAF, and the International Organization of Folk Art, IOV.
“The Flower of the Sun” is the largest International Folk festival in the Baltic States that has gained international recognition and is one of the largest festivals in Eastern Europe!
All information and the regulations of the contest are provided at the website of the festival at: www.saulesziedas.lt
For more information please contact: email saulesziedasfestival@gmail.com or tel. +370 685 33142.
We are looking forward to your submitted applications!
The uniqueness and uniqueness of the event at the international level:
This competition – the only one in šiauliai region – is included in the official list of events of the International People’s Art Organization IOV (under UNESCO) and the International Federation of Dance Festivals FIDAF.
There are very few folklore competitions in the world. This competition is one of the few events of its kind in Eastern Europe.
Ix International Folklore Competition-Festival “Ring of the Sun” will compete in 6 categories: from traditional folklore dancers, instrumental music, singing groups, solo vocalists, instrumentalists to stylized folklore groups. Lithuanian performers will be able to participate not only in the competition, but only in the festival program.
The concept of performing and creating folklore is based on both authentic and authorial.
An authoritative commission evaluating the competition, consisting of specialists known in Lithuania and abroad, will help to solve the issues of folklore development, value and expression.
The prize fund of the competition is planned over 5000 euros, and the Grand Prix (Grand Prix) is 1500 euros. Financial motivation, material encouragement will enable the change in the value and self-esteem of folklore performers in the context of cultural and social life.
The international competition-festival provides an opportunity to present, prove their uniqueness to both groups and soloists (category I: Groups of dancers of traditional folklore, II: Groups of stylized folklore dancers, III: Instrumental music groups, IV: Traditional singing groups, V: Solo vocalists, VI: Solo instrumentalists).
The uniqueness and uniqueness of the project on the Lithuanian scale:
The aspect of artistic styles. While there is still a fairly strict polarization of aesthetic value in Lithuania between authentic and other folklore styles, this competition-festival helps to reveal their peculiarity by linking, and not eliminating the “other”. At this event, priorities are given to the authentic way of performing.
There are very few folklore competitions in the world. This competition is one of the few events of its kind in Eastern Europe.
State, festive dates. During the closing of the competition-festival, mindaugas’ coronation day will be exceptionally marked.
“The Ring of the Sun” is one of the largest, brightest and most famous events of ethnic culture in Northern Lithuania and the whole country.
Objectives:
- To develop, develop and promote the diverse sociocultural and economic development of šiauliai region.
- Promote the idea of volunteering.
- To develop a sense of self-esteem among Northerners.
- To develop a positive image of šiauliai region in Lithuania and foreign countries.
- To stimulate the interest of our society and festival guests in Lithuanian traditional culture.
- To develop and promote cultural, inter-institutional cooperation, knowledge, dissemination, tourism and entrepreneurship of Northern Lithuania.
- To develop a more high-quality, professional, discursive attitude in the assessment of ethnic culture, its dissemination.
- To create conditions for young performers to get acquainted and adopt folklore traditions, to stimulate the interest of young people in folklore.
- Reducing the differences in the dissemination of culture between the centre and the regions.
Number of National groups: 20
Number of International groups: 10-14
Minimum ages participants: 17
Maximum number of participants in a group: 25
Recorded music allowed: No
Accommodation: Group Accommodation
Traditional Folk Art: Yes
Traditional Folk Music: Yes
Traditional Folk Singing: Yes
Present-day Dancing: No
Workshops dance/music: Yes
Traditional food preparing: Yes
Other special program parts:
Contest festival for dancers, musicians and singers 600 participants.
