​The Capital of Culture 2025 event plan

JANUARY

01.01 – 28.02 Fenno-Ugria Institution’s traveling exhibition “Waterfowl People” at Narva Estonian Gymnasium. The exhibition will be opened on February 10 at 11:25 by linguist and professor emeritus of the University of Tartu, Tõnu Seilenthal.
Contact: Margit Joonas, +372 56 28 54 27, margit.joonas@nerg.ee

18.01 Cultural Day at Ingeri House. Learning about the Votic and Izhorian folk holiday “Veerisse” and performing the ritual of expelling the spirit of frost

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FEBRUARY

01.02 – 31.03 Fenno-Ugria Institution’s traveling exhibition “A Hundred Years of Ingrian Finns” at Narva Central Library. The exhibition will be opened on February 17 at 16:00 by Ingrian Finn researcher, chairman of the Estonian Academic Ingrian Society Taisto-Kalevi Raudalainen, and Narva resident Madis Tuuder, who has participated in many Finno-Ugric expeditions. Musical interludes will be performed by Ekaterina Kuznetsova, head of Narva Ingeri House.
Contact: Maritsa Ort, +372 53333552, maritsa.ort@narvalib.ee

08.02 at 12:00 Lecture “Secrets of Finno-Ugric Myths” at Narva Central Library. The creative meeting will be conducted by Ekaterina Kuznetsova, head of Narva Ingeri House.
Info: nkr@narvalib.ee

13.02 from 11:00 to 19:00 Popular science seminar “Narva – The Capital of Ingria” at the University of Tartu Narva College. Organized by the Estonian Literary Museum

22.02 Ingrian and Finno-Ugric Handicraft Event Day at Narva Ingeri House. Cultural evening at Ingeri House: Narva – Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2025 event program and project history

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MARCH

01.03 Opening event of the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2025 in Narva

01.03 Exhibition “The Holy Scriptures in Finno-Ugric Languages” at Narva Central Library.
The exhibition will be officially opened on March 3 at 12:00

02.03 at 11:00 Festive concert and religious service in Finno-Ugric languages at Narva Alexander Church

02.03 from 14:00 to 15:00 Celebration of the Votic folk holiday “Cihlagoo” and Izhorian “Liugupäevä” at Ingeri House

10.03 – 30.04 Exhibition “Written Epics of Finno-Ugric Peoples” at Kohtla-Järve School.
The exhibition will be opened on March 11 from 11:35 to 12:20 by folklorist and associate professor of Estonian and comparative folklore at the University of Tartu, Madis Arukask

15.03 Votic Cultural Day at Ingeri House

19.03 at 17:00 Fenno-Ugria Tribal Club at Narva Town Hall. Lecture on Vadja people in Ida-Virumaa by historian Vallo Reimaa

22.03 Etnofuturism Festival “Linnutee” at Narva Youth Center. Masterclasses and lectures

27.03 - 28.03 Etnofuturism Festival “Linnutee” at Narva Youth Center
29.03 Izhorian Cultural Day at Ingeri House

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APRIL

05.04 Art exhibition as part of the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture Year and the Etnofuturism Festival “Linnutee” at Jõhvi Concert Hall

11.04 – 12.04 Mikael Agricola and Finnish Language Day Conference at the University of Tartu Narva College

19.04 Ingrian and Finno-Ugric Handicraft Day at Narva and Cultural evening at Ingeri House

23.04 St. George’s Day, a significant date in the Estonian folk calendar, celebrated in Narva

26.04 Sports Day in honor of Mari Sangari Day in Narva

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MAY

09.05 Finno-Ugric Cafe Day at Europe Day in Narva College.
10.05 Culture Day at the Narva House of Ingria. We will make a Votian-Ingrian-Estonian-Russian short phrasebook and learn the basic phrases.

17.05 Museum Night at the Narva-Jõesuu Museum of Local History. An exhibition of Finno-Ugric books from the library of the Narva House of Ingria dedicated to the Year of the Book in Estonia and reading a fairy tale in the Votian language.

30.05 Cultural Evening at Ingeri House. Learning about the Votic and Izhorian folk holiday “Birth of the Earth”

30.05  "Gymnast Girls" - Finnish Teatteri Takomo and Finnish Institute, Narva Cultural Centre Rugodiv. Performances at 13:00 and 19:00.

31.05 Finno-Ugric communal prayer dedicated to the Votic holiday “Birth of the Earth” in Laagna Forest.
Cultural festival “Birth of the Earth” and Udmurt gathering “Kuarsur” in Narva.
Finno-Ugric cuisine and music

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JUNE

07.06 Cultural Day at Ingeri House. Learning about the Votic and Izhorian folk holidays “Troitsa” and “Jaanu” and their traditional songs

13.06 Opening of the Finno-Ugric sculpture “Lighthouse” in the courtyard of Narva Castle. Language speaker event “Open Steps”

21.06 Ingrian and Finno-Ugric Handicraft Event Day: craft workshops and cultural evening at Ingeri House

23.06 Midsummer’s Eve celebration at Sillamäe Cultural Center.
Midsummer’s Night in Narva-Jõesuu.
Midsummer Bonfire at Jõhvi City Park

24.06 Estonian Midsummer Day (Jaanipäev) and Ingrian Midsummer (Juhannus) in Narva.
Fair, workshops, and more

28.06 Narva City Days, Viru-Ingrian Song Festival in Narva-Jõesuu

28.06 – 30.06 ESTO 2025 in Narva

28.06 – 29.06 Artists' Day in Narva

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JULY

05.07 Cultural Day at Ingeri House. Learning about the Votic and Izhorian folk holidays “Ogru päivä” and “Kupol’o”

06.07 – 11.07 Herb Week. Masterclasses on collecting medicinal plants and preparing traditional Votic fireweed tea “Irvieinä”

12.07 Traditional Votic holiday “Pädra” at Iisaku Parish Museum.
Finno-Ugric cuisine and music

13.07 Traditional Votic holiday “Pädra” and Narova River Festival in Narva.
Finno-Ugric food, music, and workshops

26.07 Ingrian and Finno-Ugric Handicraft Event Day: craft workshops and cultural evening at Ingeri House

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AUGUST

02.08 Cultural Day at Ingeri House. Learning about the Votic and Izhorian folk holiday “Iilia päivä”

24.08 – 25.08 International Forum “Finno-Ugric Movement: A Look into the Future” in Narva

30.08 Night of Ancient Bonfires in Narva-Jõesuu and Toila

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SEPTEMBER

01.09 – 31.10 Traveling exhibition “Sacred Natural Sites of Uralic Peoples” at Jõhvi Central Library.
The exhibition will be opened on September 4 at 17:30 by researcher of sacred sites and board member of the Hiite Maja Foundation, Ahto Kaasik

06.09 – 07.09 Maardu Ethnic Fair. Finno-Ugric Café Day in Abja-Paluoja

13.09 Udmurt Cultural Day at Ingeri House

20.09 – 21.09 Ethnic Fair in Tallinn

27.09 Cultural Day at Ingeri House

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OCTOBER

Early October – Late December Fashion exhibition “Forms of Power” at Narva Art Residency (NART)

04.10 Cultural Evening at Ingeri House

05.10 Ingrian Day

11.10 Cultural Day at Ingeri House. Votic Flag Day

16.10 Fenno-Ugria Heritage Day Conference at Narva Town Hall

18.10 Fenno-Ugria Heritage Day Folk Music Concert at Narva Culture House Rugodiv

25.10 Ingrian and Finno-Ugric Handicraft Event Day at Narva Ingeri House

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NOVEMBER

08.11 Cultural Day at Ingeri House. Learning about the Votic and Izhorian folk holidays “Jakoaika” and “Martipäivä”

22.11 Finno-Ugric Handicraft Event Day: workshops dedicated to Estonian folk holidays – St. Martin’s Day (Mardipäev) and St. Catherine’s Day (Kadripäev)

29.11 Cultural Day at Ingeri House. Exploring how Christmas was celebrated in Ingria and learning to make the traditional Ingrian ritual straw doll “Olkosuutari”

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DECEMBER

06.12 “Nigulapäev” (St. Nicholas' Day). Official closing ceremony of the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture. Celebration of the 108th anniversary of the Republic of Finland