The spring in the European Capital of Culture year of Umea 2014

The activities during the European Capital of Culture year of Umea 2014 follow a scheduled program. It is based on the Sami calendar which divides the year in 8 seasons according to the nature cycles. Spring is a very important period. In this time your mood changes with the changing weather. Nature leave the cold and dark winter and we can feel how each day is getting longer and warmer. This make us feel with more energy and feeling to enjoy live. And all these feelings are going to be taking into account with the different activities that Umea will offer as the European Capital of Culture. The spring time will be divided in the period between April – May and the period of June. The first period is called Gijrra [Spring] in the Sami languate. In this period the snow melts and nature starts to awake. In the cultural calendar it will be named as the “Returning time of year;. There will be many activities but the most remarkable ones will be the visit of successful artists to Umeå, many of them internationally renowned choreographers and dancers. The period of June is called Gijrragiessie [Late Spring]. It is the;Growing time of year;. The main activites will be the Children's cultural festival and the Umeå Open music festival, which will have a “Grand Slam; with high-quality pop music from around the world.