“Glika days” will be held in Alūksne from May 17 to 19 in Alūksne, in honor of the German Alūksne pastor Ernst Gliks, who in the 17th century was the first to translate the Bible into Latvian and established the first schools for the children of Latvian farmers in Vidzeme, in the territory of the current Alūksne district.
The choirs of Alūksne, Balvu and Gulbene regions are preparing for this event, which will perform spiritual songs by Latvian and international authors in a concert dedicated to the memory of Glik, Jānis Lūsēns and Zigfrīds Muktupāvels, the vocal group “Schola Cantorum Riga” will delight us with concerts in churches. There will be an evening of fellowship between generations at the Glik oaks, spiritual talks will take place in the afternoon of discovery at the Baptist church building, churches will invite you to Pentecost services, you will be able to participate in a creative workshop at the Bible museum and go on a tourist route specially dedicated to Glik. Glik Days will also be complemented by Museum Night activities throughout the county.
History shows that Ernst Glik planted two oak trees in honor of the translation of the Old and New Testaments, which are still green in the territory of the rectory of Alūksne Evangelical Lutheran Church. Therefore, on May 17, the “Glika days” will begin right there – in the shelter of the three-hundred-year-old oaks of Glika, with an informative fellowship evening “birds sing in the Glika oaks” from 18.00 to 20.00. Mind games for teams created by the youth of Ernst Glik Alūksne State Gymnasium, joint music making, praise, friendship soup will take place here. A beautiful, musical and emotional evening promises to be in the Alūksne Saint Boniface Roman Catholic Church when at At 21.00 there will be a concert by composer Jānis Lūsēns and musician, singer Siegfrieds Muktupāvels.
Saturday, May 18, at 12:00 p.m. Alūksne Evangelical Lutheran Church will host the sacred music concert of Alūksne, Gulbene, Balvu Choir District choirs “Blessed be Your Name”. Women’s, mixed and senior choirs, a total of 12 collectives, will take part in the concert, which will delight the audience with pieces performed both individually and in a collective choir and accompanied by an organ. The artistic director of the concert is Uldis Kokars, the concert will be conducted by Ilona Riekstiņa, a teacher and researcher of the life of Ernst Glik. in the Bible Museum from From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be a creative workshop on printing the words of the Bible on the prototype of Latvia’s only Gutenberg printing press.
In the building and square of the Baptist church, Dārza Street 2, at At 11.00, the service of the Seventh-day Adventist church “Light shines in the darkness” will be held, but from From 14:30 to 16:00, everyone is invited to the discovery afternoon “Glik’s legacy is still modern”, it will include a seminar, which will mainly answer questions about whether the Word of God or the Bible (Glik’s legacy) is still relevant today. The program will be complemented by performances of 18th century Christian music.
From 18.00 until the first hour of Sunday morning, the museums of Alūksne region will participate for the 20th time in the international European museum campaign “Night of Museums”. This year’s theme is to learn and acquire, study and understand.
Sunday, May 19, at 9.00 a.m. Pentecost service will be held in Alūksne Evangelical Lutheran Church, while Saint Boniface of Alūksne Roman Catholic Church is invited to Pentecost Holy Mass at 11.00 a.m.
At the end of the Glik day at 18.00 concert of the vocal group “Schola Cantorum Riga” in Alūksne Evangelical Lutheran Church. The vocal group “Schola Cantorum Riga” was founded in 1995 with the aim of practicing authentic singing of ancient music, especially Gregorian chorale. The group’s singers are professional musicians united by their love for ancient music and the desire to play it according to the latest knowledge in the field of authentic interpretation. In addition to medieval music, the group’s concerts and recitals also include works by modern Latvian composers, and often they are premieres.
From May 1, as part of the Glik days, the Alūksne Tourism Information Center invites you to take a walk around the city and get to know the places associated with E. Glik’s name, using the prepared pedestrian route “Ernst Glik’s name in modern Alūksne”. More about the route at www.visitaluksne.lv
Entry to events is free.
Amanda Emma Gaiša,
Alūksne County Culture Center
