The Night of the Ancient Bonfires will be celebrated on the coast of the Baltic Sea on 27 August

Ancient Bonfires are lit for the Baltic Sea also in the centre of Turku

Turku, the European Capital of Culture  encourages the inhabitants of the Baltic region to take care of the well-being of our common sea. The co-ordinator of the Capital of Culture year, Turku 2011 Foundation, challenges the inhabitants of the coastline to light the ancient bonfires on the last Saturday of August, and at the bonfires, make a pledge to protect the Baltic Sea.

Turku 2011 Foundation hopes that the bonfires and pledges will be published on the internet site www.ancientlightsnight.fi, so that the bonfires can be seen as a chain connecting the people around the Baltic Sea and the pledges will inspires others to act, as well.

The Ancient Bonfires will be lit on 27 August at 9:30 pm Finnish time. In Turku, the bonfire will be lit on the River Aura next to the Theatre Bridge. The building of the chain of bonfires can be seen on the Internet in advance.

The tradition reaches to new areas and becomes more responsible

In ancient times, fires were lit along the coast to notify and warn of imminent danger. This is the case now, as well – the Baltic Sea is in danger, and everyone can help.

Now people around the Baltic Sea will join in lighting the fires and making eco-pledges for the benefit of the Baltic Sea. The bonfires and pledges will be placed on the website www.ancientlightsnight.fi. During the Night of the Ancient Bonfires a chain of fire is expected to burn along the coast of the Baltic Sea.

In the centre of Turku, the bonfire of the City will be lit on Saturday 27 August, and it will glide along the River Aura to the sea as a greeting to the Baltic Sea.

On public screens in different parts of the city, celebrities make their pledges for the Baltic Sea.
The following have already made their pledge:

• Minister of the Environment Ville Niinistö
• Minister of Defence Stefan Wallin
• The Chairman of the Turku City Board Minna Arve
• CEO of the Turku 2011 foundation Cay Sevón
• Movie Director and Producer Antonia Ringbom
• Opera Singer Päivi Nisula
• Archipelago Photographer Janne Gröning
• artist Sandra Nyberg and
• composer Sebastian Fagerlund. 

The Night of the Ancient Bonfires has already made many people around the Baltic Sea light a fire in advance on the web page www.ancientlightsnight.fi and make a pledge on behalf of the Baltic Sea. During the actual Night of the Ancient Bonfires a chain of fire is expected to burn along the coast of the Baltic Sea.

Tune into the atmosphere of the Night of the Ancient Bonfires at Logomo as well!

At the end of August the ancient bonfires will spread under the Logomo theme Fire! Fire! into an exhibition.

In the Fire! Fire! exhibition ancient bonfires will provide the theme for a workshop and public guided tours all week 22 – 28 August. At the exhibition one can light an ancient bonfire in a night sky or spell the glow of the ancient bonfire! Painting shops are suited for people of all ages.

At the exhibition it is also possible to make one's own eco-pledges during the week of the ancient fires. What could you change in your every day life to benefit the environment? In the Living Room at the exhibition there is a Make an eco-pledge point, where the pledge can be given. Workshops are included in the price of the exhibition ticket.

The summer guided tour times are still valid for the duration of the Ancient Bonfire week. The guided tours go into the meaning and purpose of fire.

Until 31 August, the guided tours are included in the price of the ticket:

• in Finnish: every day 11:30 am and 4:30 pm
• children's tour: every day 1 pm
• in Swedish: every day 2 pm
• in English: every day 3:30 pm

The tour takes an hour.   

The closing ceremony of the Capital of Culture summer will draw attention to the state of the Baltic Sea

The Night of the Ancient Bonfires has been celebrated on the south and southwest coast of Finland since 1992, that is, sing the 75 jubilee of the independence of Finland. The Night of the Ancient Bonfire tradition was started by Sydkustens Landskapsförbund rf (an association of Swedish-speaking Finns in southern Finland). The bilingual municipalities of Southern Finland are part of it.

The idea for the Ancient Bonfires came to southern Finland from the coast of Ostrobothnia, where the end of the summer season has been celebrated for over a century in the Veneziad. On the west coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, in Västerbotten, the same event is called Stugs (end of cottage season) and further down south in Sweden on the coast of the Baltic Sea it is Lyskväll (brilliant night).

The Turku 2011 Foundation, Sydkusten Lanskapsförbund rf. and Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) have co-operated in order to spread the Night of Ancient Bonfires to all the Baltic Sea countries, in a new, more profound way. The work has already produced results: different parties and people participate in the chain of fire from Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Sweden, in addition to Finland.

In the background there is also the commitment left by the Turku 2011 Foundation in February 2010 to the Baltic Sea Action Summit  to promote the model where a pledge to do something concrete to save and protect the Baltic Sea was attached to the lighting of the ancient bonfires and spending time together.

One of the culminations of the Turku Capital of Culture year 2011 is scheduled for the Night of the Ancient Bonfires. On Saturday 27 August, in the Elements performance on the banks and above the River Aura, an impressive celebration of circus and fire is open to the public. The performance will be seen right after the Ancient Bonfire is lit. During the same weekend the Tall Ships of the Culture 2011 Tall Ships Regatta will sail into the river.