Special Attention to the 40th Anniversary of “Salduvė” at the Jubilee Folklore Festival “The Herbs Are Coming”
Organizer – Šiauliai Cultural Center. Admission is free.
The Šiauliai Cultural Center Folklore Ensemble Salduvė was founded in 1986. At that time, the then Šiauliai Teachers’ House nurtured the idea of bringing together teachers who appreciated folk creativity. Thus, a small group of teachers singing Lithuanian folk songs was formed, later adopting the name of the historic hillfort located on the eastern outskirts of Šiauliai, known as Salduvė Hill.
Over the years, the ensemble’s members and leaders changed, but the group continued to grow, mature, and strengthen. Today, the ensemble unites 27 folklore enthusiasts who sing, dance, and play music while preserving the traditions of the Aukštaitian and Samogitian regions. “Salduvė” actively performs in Lithuania and abroad, participates in international festivals, collaborates with various artists and ensembles, and has received the highest amateur art awards, including the prestigious “Golden Bird” award in 2008.
During four decades of activity, “Salduvė” has built a rich repertoire of Lithuanian folk music, dances, and narrative folklore, consistently contributing to the dissemination of ethnic culture and the preservation of traditions. The ensemble actively participates in organizing the international folklore competition-festival “Sun Blossom”, and it was also the initiator and organizer of the folklore festival “The Herbs Are Coming”.
The idea to organize the folklore festival “The Herbs Are Coming” emerged three decades ago, after the ensemble adopted the name “Salduvė”, created its own emblem and flag, and sought ways to give them meaning. It was decided to gather folklore groups and hold a joint celebration, which eventually evolved into the traditional event cycle “The Herbs Are Coming”, including the folklore festival of the same name. The aim of the cycle is to encourage awareness, continuity, and transmission of ethnic culture by presenting the diversity of folklore from Lithuania’s ethnographic regions and combining traditional and contemporary forms of expression.
This year’s jubilee festival will feature folklore ensembles from various ethnographic regions of Lithuania: the Šiauliai Cultural Center Folklore Ensemble Salduvė (artistic director Darius Daknys), the folklore ensemble “Mėguva” of the Palanga Culture Center (leaders Zita Baniulaitytė and Diana Šeduikienė), the folklore ensemble “Raskila” of the Birštonas Culture Center (leader Roma Ruočkienė), the folklore ensemble “Rags” of the Pasvalys Culture Center (leader Daiva Adamkavičienė), and the folklore ensemble “Verpeta” of the Kaišiadorys Culture Center (leader Valerija Jankauskienė). All participating ensembles are laureates of the “Golden Bird” award.
Throughout the festive afternoon, authentic songs and instrumental music from various Lithuanian regions will be performed, along with traditional dances. The ensembles will present the uniqueness, customs, and traditions of their ethnographic regions, while the folklore of different areas will be revealed through dialects, melodies, and vivid stage expression.
“This celebration is not only the embodiment of forty years of creative work for us, but also a living meeting with people for whom folklore is an important part of identity. I wish the members of the ensemble strong unity and unwavering enthusiasm, joy in singing, dancing, and making music, while preserving traditions and sharing them with others,” says Darius Daknys, artistic director of the Šiauliai Cultural Center Folklore Ensemble Salduvė.
The folklore festival taking place on May 2 is the first part of the event cycle “The Herbs Are Coming”. On October 3, fans of the romance genre will be invited to the romance evening “From Heart to Heart” at the Šiauliai Cultural Center, dedicated to the International Day of Older Persons. On November 14, the “Laiptai” gallery of the Šiauliai Cultural Center will host the concert “In the Circle of Rėda” – a synthesis of contemporary and Lithuanian folk music, bringing together the Šiauliai Cultural Center Folklore Ensemble Salduvė and musician Gediminas Dapkevičius.
Admission is free with complimentary tickets, available from April 17 at 9 a.m. at the box office of the Šiauliai Cultural Center and online at Ticket Market.
Box office opening hours on weekdays: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays: 1 hour before the event.
Box office phone: +370 683 57 691.
The number of seats is limited.
Photo by Darius Ančerevičius.
Information provided by Aušra Brijūnienė, Head of the Amateur Arts Department at the Šiauliai Cultural Center, tel. +370 655 25 527, email: ausra.brijuniene@siauliukc.lt.
Atnaujinta: 2026-05-15 08:44