Hollo & Martta FestivalBackgroundThe Festival is established by Hollolan Nuorisoseura (Hollola Youth Association), founded in 1901, whose main field of activity is cultural youth work. With its about three hundred members Hollolan Nuorisoseura is not only one of the largest but also best valued youth associations in Finland. The high valuation is earned by successful, persistent long term work in providing numerous folkdance groups of national elite for domestic and international venues as well for presentation means at schools or beneficiary events on special groups as for representative means. Further more quite a significant amount of Finland's professional folkdance directors has achieved his/her basic education and passion for folklore in the Hollola Youth Association. The Hollola Youth Association maintains a 100-years old hall - in very good condition, fondly known as "Kukko" (cock), and located in Kukonkoivu, Hollola. In 2006 the Hollola Youth Association was rewarded for its youth work with a national prize. The idea of establishing such a festival arose from two great events organized by the Hollola Youth Association: first in 2001 was held the 100-anniversery of Hollola Youth Association, celebrated by five international folklore groups together with all the members of Association. Anniversary week events were visited by total 6.800 persons, mainly school children. The other event took place in 2003 when the first Hollo & Martta International Folklore Festival was organized by the Hollola Youth Association. The festival week reached an audience of almost 17.000 with its 57 concerts. More than half of these concerts were directed for schools and day-care centers. The Hollo & Martta Festival 2005 achieved a record audience - total 18.500 persons visited different festival week events in Hollola, and neighbouring city of Lahti with its surroundings. During the festival week both national and international folkdance groups performed total 59 concerts. The Opening and Final concerts were sold out with only a few free seats. Partners in organizing the Festival are: the regional South-Häme organisation of the Kalevala Youth Allience, the South-Häme Allience of Youth Associations, the Education Alliance of Citizen Forum, the Lahti Folk dancers, the music-classes of Lotila School, the music-classes of the Hollola schools, the Support for Dance in Päijät-Häme, the Regional Inner-Finland Dance Center, the communal authorities of Hollola, the Folklore Suomi Finland (CIOFF Finland), the Finnish Alliance of Folk music. Year 2006 shall be a start for folklore festival directed to children, requested in this region. The Children's festival is meant to be held every second year in turns with the adults festival. Years of experience of the project team in providing international festivals as well as the know-how of the Hollola Youth Association based on setting up previous mass events are being utilized in the practical work for providing the festivals. Existing contacts and the feedback and wishes given about the previous events have been a valuable resource..
Hollo and MarttaAccording to local legend Hollo and Martta, after whom the festival is named, are the two giants that built up the medieval grey rock church in Hollola. Likewise the name of the locality Hollola is said to base on the male giants name Hollo. It is an international tradition to use names found in regional legends when naming festivals or mascots. CIOFF festivalThe Hollo & Martta Festival has achieved international valuation and responds the criteria of international CIOFF festival. Today only three Finnish festivals are certified by CIOFF: Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, Pispalan Sottiisi (Tampere), Jutajaiset (Rovaniemi). Thus the Hollo & Martta Festival shall become the first CIOFF festival in southern Finland. CIOFF, the International Council of Organisations for Folklore Festivals and Folk Art, functioning since 1970, was founded to protect and launch traditional culture. It is acting in tense co-operation with the UNESCO. At this moment it has over 70 member countries spreading its activity over all continents. The CIOFF organisation includes more than 250 international festivals. Folk danceFolk dance is traditional social kind of dance passed from one generation to another. Using traditional clothing and instruments is another important specificity of folk dance. The forms, figures and purposes of folkdance are varying, including celebrating seasons, themes of wedding or proposing, or simply dance for the joy of movement itself. A special feature of folk dance is that it is not performing art but an activity to be taken part in. Folk dance is not only the oldest form of dancing but also the basis of all other dancing forms: ballet, modern, common, disco, jazz. Emotions have always been shown through movement and rhythm. Folk dance reflects cultural life and era; having adopted features close to people. PartnersPartners and benefactors of the Hollo & Martta Festival.
|
Ticket sales
Hollola Youth Association
(Mon - Fri, 8 am - 4 pm) +358 50 541 5572 HotelContact
Hollola Youth Association
Aimo Hentinen Tampereentie 124 15880 HOLLOLA FINLAND +358 40 558 9755 hollojamartta@phnet.fi www.hollolannuorisoseura.fi |