On 23 April, we will celebrate the Latvian traditional festivity – the Ūsiņš Day – in the Children’s Town at 11:00 and in the children’s park Fantāzija at 15:00. During this event, children will have the opportunity to spend some time with ponies trained by the Equestrian Sports Club Demora and participate in a wide range of activities related to this Latvian traditional celebration.
The lovely ponies named Mohito, Dūja, Selibri, and Mafins will be brought from the stables of Demora which is known for their horse breeding and training base, where horse and rider training takes place.
Through riddles and games, children will discover the meaning of ancient words together with Sandra Gūtmane, an educator from the folklore studio Vacelīte. In the children’s park Fantāzija, on the other hand, children will enjoy the creative workshop We Have a Horse That Sings at Night as part of the events held during the National Library Week. During this workshop, they will craft paper horses and decorate stones with the ornamental sign of Ūsiņš that brings special luck to its holder for the journey.
Based on the solar calendar of our ancestors, the Ūsiņš Day was celebrated between the spring solstice – Easter – and the summer solstice – Jāņi, approximately in the middle of this time period. Ūsiņš was believed to be the guardian of horses who led horse herds and was responsible for agricultural work. The Ūsiņš Day coincides with the Saint George’s Day celebrated by Christians to honour Saint George, which is why the Ūsiņš Day in Latvian was also called the Jurģi or Juris Day.
Admission is free is charge.
The event is organised by the Ventspils Cultural Centre and financed by the Ventspils State City Municipality.
