I wonder if you have heard about them or not. I also wonder if you have something similar in your country.

In the Baltic countries we have a custom to come together every 4 or 5 years and sing - the whole country.

We have choirs from 30,000 people in Estonia to 50,000 people in Latvia and Lithuania, with listeners by the stage being around 300,000 - 400,000, which also join in the singing of the songs they know. And then there are dancers...

I always have tears in my eyes in these, it's something unforgettable. And there will be these festivals again this year.

Please see this UNESCO VIDEO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuKB5O23W5g&feature=related)for general information and live video.

It's nice when one person sings, but when 50,000 sing one song on a stage the power is tremendous, it goes right through you and shakes the very foundations of your ethnic identity.

The songs sung are folk songs, popular songs and rebelion songs.
For example this one is a song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roZP8PNHsao&feature=related) that was sung during soviet occupation. It's about how a song is a cry and that only your people will understand it.

Our national anthem.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hxM__6ox_A&feature=related)
This another is a popular song with a few folk elements (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baaX4-1_df0&feature=related).


Of course you are all welcome to come to Latvia and participate for yourselves in 2008. :)

I guess, this is how baltic people managed to retain their cultural/ethnic identity under threat of assimilation from big brothers russia & poland in east and germans and swedish in the south& notrth.