As is traditional, during the festival, 19 different Seto leelo choirs took part in a procession to the Värska Song Festival arch.

"This is the gathering of the Seto leelo choirs. Every three years the Seto leelo choirs get together and perform. What makes this song festival different is that the people don't necessarily know all the words, but they can still repeat them," said main organizer Maarja Saarine.

"Our grandmothers, who used to sing, have now gone to another world, but there are also young singers. There are two new choirs at today's festival. I think the biggest change is that while in the old days, leelo was around us every day and came to us like our mother's milk. Nowadays we have to learn it," said leelo singer Meel Valk.

Leelo singing has a long historical tradition. However, as Valk explained, there are also some newer takes on the words, which reflect daily life in the modern day.

"[The songs] talk about history, but they also talk about today – what we do and where we go and what life is like –  if new lyrics are made," says Valk.

"There are archaic, old songs and they are there in the Leelo Anthology. All the lyrics are in there, you just have to find the way," said Laine Lõvi, who is also a leelo singer.

Lõvi told ERR she especially likes the fact that Seto folk songs are inspired by what is happening in the moment.

"Let's get together and sing folk songs, who wouldn't like folk songs. I've heard quite a lot of people improvising – even though this has all been rehearsed. But what's really nice about Seto leelo is that you come to the place and you look around at whatever inspires you and then you sing about that," said young leelo singer Emilia Berg.

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