The international intangible cultural heritage festival “Lauksnos” returns to Klaipėda—five days of global traditions

From July 8 to 12, Klaipėda will host the fifth international festival of intangible cultural heritage, “Lauksnos,” which will bring together tradition keepers from ten countries around the world.

The festival’s name, “Lauksnos,” comes from a Prussian word meaning stars and lights

This year in Klaipėda, visitors will have the opportunity to experience, learn about, and discover the traditional cultures of various countries around the world up close. Festival guests will come from: Paraguay, Argentina, Japan, Spain, Italy, Greece, Georgia, Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania.

July 8 – the start of the festival

The festival will kick off with a celebration of the Flag Day of Lithuania Minor at the Klaipėda Castle Site, and in the evening, the Lauksnai Movie Night will take place in the courtyard of the Puppet Theater, inviting attendees to explore intangible cultural heritage through film.

The evening’s program will begin with the documentary film “Šventė,” dedicated to the centennial of the Lithuanian Song Festival in 2024. The documentary “Šventė” invites you to visit the place where magic is born—behind the scenes of the Lithuanian Song Festival. The film features never-before-seen footage from the festival’s biggest events, the excitement and challenges of preparation, human talent passed down through generations, and an all-encompassing sense of community.

Later, the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO will present the films *The Cross-Maker’s Gene* and the animated film *The Secret of the Oak*, which tell the story of the Lithuanian tradition of cross-crafting, inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The films invite viewers to explore the symbolism of cross-crafting, the experiences of the artisans, and the significance of this unique tradition today.

The film evening will conclude with the Japanese documentary *Ripples of Physis*, which tells the story of the tradition of karakami patterns and washi paper, which has been alive for more than 400 years. It is a visually stunning journey that reveals the connection between people, nature, and traditional patterns. The film’s director, Sanae Kawai, will be in attendance.

July 9 – Exhibitions, sutartinės, and “Kanklių haiku” with Japan

On July 9, three international exhibitions will open at the Klaipėda Ethnocultural Center: “The Glow of Straw,” an exhibition dedicated to the traditions of straw gardens in Lithuania and Latvia; an exhibition on the tradition of handmade Washi paper from Japan; and a presentation of the Latvian glassblowing craft.

In the evening, sutartinės will be performed in the courtyard of the Clock Museum, and the day will culminate with the concert “The Sound of the Lithuanian Kanklės.” In the first part of the concert, Lithuanian kanklės players will present traditional Lithuanian kanklės music, while the second part will feature the program “Kanklės Haiku,” performed by Yuko Yamasaki, the wife of the former Japanese ambassador to Lithuania, together with the Žemyna kanklės ensemble and Kristijonas Lučinskas.

July 10 – World Traditions in Theater Square

On Friday, a Traditional Crafts Village will be set up in Theater Square, where visitors will be able to learn about the art of decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs, Latvian straw gardens, Lithuanian-German delmonas, the tradition of amber hunting on the Lithuanian coast, palm weaving, and other crafts.

Music will be playing in the Art Courtyard all afternoon Traditions of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Lithuania and Latvia—including performances on chord and melody zithers and the Ieviņš-type diatonic accordion, the singing tradition of the villages in the Kaunas District, cimbalom music from the Ignalina and Švenčionys regions, the tradition of collecting amber on the Lithuanian coast, and the Lithuanian polka.

Starting at 7 p.m. on the main stage in Theater Square, the festival will host concerts showcasing traditions of intangible cultural heritage protected by UNESCO. Audience members will have the opportunity to hear the musical traditions of the Ukrainian kobza and ratukinė lyra, as well as the traditions of Greek rebetiko and Spanish flamenco .

July 11 – Italy, Georgia, Argentina, and Paraguay will meet in Klaipėda

Saturday The Traditional Crafts Village will continue to welcome visitors to Theater Square, where craft demonstrations, educational activities, and meetings with tradition keepers will take place throughout the day.

In the Art Courtyard the intangible cultural heritage traditions of Lithuania and Latvia will be presented. Visitors will be able to learn about the tradition of drinking coffee in Lithuania Minor, hear the musical traditions of the St. Petersburg accordion and the Latgalian “bubyns” drums, the singing traditions of the Samogitians and the southern (Šilinių) Dzūkai, the sound of the century-old Skriaudžiai zithers, and the folk dance traditions of Riga.

In the evening, an impressive international program awaits the audience on the main stage in Teatro Square—a performance by the legendary Sicilian puppet theater “Opera dei Pupi” , Georgian polyphonic singing, Argentine tango, and Paraguayan guaraní music. The festival day will culminate with traditional open-air night dances.

July 12 – a puppet show and a farewell until the next LAUKSNŲ

This Sunday will be another opportunity to see the Sicilian puppet theater performance “Orlando’s Madness”, and the festival will conclude with a cozy get-together “Over a cup of coffee. See you at the next ‘Lauksnai'” .

Not just concerts

The Traditional Crafts Village will be open throughout the festival Traditional Crafts Village, where visitors can watch artisans at work and try their hand at various crafts; the Art Courtyard will host international exhibitions; and those wishing to learn more about seaside traditions can take part in the tour “Secrets of Amber Hunting”. During the festival, the “Raudonų plytų takas” café will invite you to you to sample dishes inspired by the culinary heritage .

All festival events are free. The full festival program is available at here