On the 6th of May 2017 Riga’s Sabantuy will be held within the framework of the cultural program of Riga. The Tatar and Bashkir folk holiday Sabantuy will be held in the “Vērmanes Garden”, which is a central park in Riga.

The program of the Sabantuy will be a pleasant surprise for everyone: local residents of Riga and its guests will have an opportunity to learn about the eastern culture traditions, and the Tatar and Bashkir nationals will get a chance to show the beauty and values of their native culture.

What is Sabantuy? “Saban” is translated from Tatar language as “plough”, and “tuy” as “holiday”. The holiday is usually celebrated after ending the spring sowing works. The purpose of Sabantuy is to preserve national cultural traditions of Tatars and Bashkirs, fostering respect for the traditions of different nations, development of generations’ continuity. The folk holiday Sabantuy has been celebrated for over a thousand years. In Latvia, the Tatar and Bashkir nationals have celebrated Sabantuy for more than 30 years.

Vērmanes Garden is one of the biggest and most beautiful parks of Riga, where everyone can find a cosy area to relax and unwind. The stage area of the park regularly hosts various concerts and children may enjoy the children’s playground. Vērmanes Garden is located between Tērbatas Street, Elizabetes Street, Kr. Barona Street and Merķeļa Street.

The Sabantuy is organised by the the European Tatar Youth Association (http://www.tatarlar-europe.eu) and Latvian Tatar-Bashkir Cultural Society “Chishma”. Also, the Tatar and Bashkir communities of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland take part in organizing this event.
We hope you can join the celebrations of Sabantuy with us!