Klumpynė competition in Trakai – enduring love for folk dance Marius, traveller from Lithuania

Marius, traveller from Lithuania:

Song and dance, which have existed since the dawn of time, are still among the most profound means of self-expression. The deep layers of the national character and attitude toward the most essential things in life are maintained through the profound traditions of folk art.
It was easy to see how universal and still important the language of folk dance is, at the senior folk dance competition Klumpynė in Trakai. The festival, which has become an annual tradition since 2010, has grown not only a large number of participants, but also a devoted audience.

Step by step, the competition became international, welcoming participants from other regions of the country, as well as guests from the neighbouring Baltic States and Poland.

Each year, teams compete for the symbolic wooden clog – klumpė, an impressive piece of folk art that is the festival’s transitional award. After spending time in the oversight of the victors, the clog returns to its birthplace, Trakai, every year for a short while, only to move back to its new home after the competition.

Obviously, it is not the mere desire to win this prize that brings together folk dance lovers every year in Trakai.

First and foremost, it is a celebration of those for whom folk art and a lifelong love of dancing are fundamental parts of their lives. Equally important, such gatherings allow people to share their common interests and views with other like-minded people.

Intercultural bridges of mutual understanding and tolerance are undoubtedly being built through this great and sincere love for dance – participants from various countries demonstrate their programmes while also encouraging interest, knowledge, and understanding of the folk cultures of other nations, particularly those in the neighbourhood.

Finally, this event is about each participant’s enthusiasm, mood, and emotion, both on and off the stage.
It was wonderful to experience the tradition of folk art in its widest sense in Klumpynė: the styles of traditional rustic, stylized folk and interwar dance genres organically and charmingly intermingled on the same stage.

Traveller memo
Find out more about this and other events in Trakai region – https://eventstrakai.lt/en