Photos: Song and Dance Festival fire moves through Pärnu County

The flame of the Song and Dance Festival "Iseoma" was lit at sunrise on June 15 near the Estonian National Museum in Tartu and traveled through Pärnu County yesterday.
The seventh day of the flame's journey took place in Pärnu County. The flame was handed over by Viljandi County in Kõpu. The first stop was the Kilingi-Nõmme bus square. From there, the journey continued on toward the Lähkma-Saunametsa village center, accompanied by motorcyclists and a vintage red car.
At the village center, the women's choir Kirekeel, the Surju Sõbratarid women's folk dance group and the Lähkma Village Musicians welcomed the flame with beautiful music and dance. The flame then moved on to the birthplace of Mihkel Lüdig, where choirs greeted it with Lüdig's song "Koit" ("Dawn"), which has since become the traditional opening piece of the Song Festival. This year as well, the festival flame will be lit to the tune of "Koit" on the evening of July 5 at the Song Festival Grounds' lighthouse.
From Sindi, where locals held a grand welcome ceremony, the flame traveled to Pärnu to take part in the festivities for the opening of a new bridge. The flamebearers were hoping to meet the famous cat who was meant to be the first to cross the bridge. Unfortunately, by the time the flame arrived in Pärnu, the cat had already made its lap.
Nevertheless, waiting on the other side was Pärnu County's production team for the 21st Dance Festival, led by sector head Ingrid Jasmin, who ceremoniously carried the festival flame across the newly opened bridge accompanied by folk dancers and cultural figures. Folk dancers lined the more than 200-meter stretch of the bridge and a brass band provided a musical escort for the flame. The crowd marked three celebrations at once: the journey of the flame, the opening of the bridge and the arrival of summer.
In the afternoon, residents of Kihnu took the flame from Munalaid to Manija Island. When it returned to the mainland, the flamebearers were awaited at Tõstamaa Manor School, where the flame arrived in a golden festival vehicle, accompanied by horseback riders and a horse-drawn carriage. Onstage, local women were weaving and the value of handicrafts as a communal tradition was celebrated.
That night, the flame stayed at the Varbla marina, where a concert and village party were held in its honor. Hopefully, the flame had a chance to get used to the sea breeze overnight, as today it travels to Saaremaa, then on to Hiiumaa for Midsummer's Eve, and back to the mainland on Midsummer morning, when Lääne County will receive it at Haapsalu's Veskiviigi harbor.
In Pärnu County, the flame covered a journey of about 208 kilometers, stopping in 11 different locations and meeting nearly 5,000 curious onlookers. The flame was carried by a wide variety of transport: ABCMotors' flame vehicle, an open-top car, a vintage Toyota Land Cruiser, a fire truck, walkers, a golden "spa-goers'" car, a boat, a horse-drawn carriage and two riders on horseback.
Over the past week, the flame has traveled a little more than 1,500 kilometers and has been greeted by nearly 15,000 people.
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Editor: Neit-Eerik Nestor, Marcus Turovski