The Celebration of the North and Reindeer Herder’s Day are held in Lovozero every year in the 20s of March. The event includes reindeer and dog sled races, ski races, and winter football. A artisans fair is held and Saami national cooking offered. Here are a few photos from the most recent event that took place March 19-20 by Oleg Filonok.
Why are their tongues stuck out? The reindeer has nearly no sweat glands, so when it runs it sticks it tongue out to stay cool, the way dogs do. more >>
Photo by Valentina Sovkina
Next Friday and Saturday, March 18-19, a small village of Krasnoshelye (population under 500), as close to the middle of nowhere as it gets, deep in the tundra 130km east of Lovozero, will be teeming with activity. It is the yearly Reindeer Herder’s Day, and it will include 3200 meter and 1600 meter sled racing, skier towing behind a reindeer, jumping over sleds, loop-throwing, and a fighting competition.
A watercolour painting by Anna Mikhailova. See kola.gallery.
Kola Nuclear Electric Station has announced plans to set up a deer park in Polarnye Zori, the town next door from Kandalaksha towards Murmansk. The park is to have 6-8 animals and be equipped with guest houses. If all goes well the park will welcome its first guests in spring of 2015.
I had the honour of acting as an interpreter and an organizer of the Lovozero part of the trip.
Even if you can’t read Swedish, look at them for the sake of photos.
The village of Lovozero: part 1, part 2, part 3
The trip to the Lovozero tundras: part 1, part 2, part 3
The stories appeared in Norrländska Socialdemokraten on Jan. 24 and 26 2015.
In the next few days there will probably be some new Lovozero stories posted as we’ve discovered a number of things to see/do there. Let’s start with the one about about Alexandra, who finally got to pet reindeer at the Sam-Syyt village ~30km west from Lovozero
March 22-23, Lovozero, part of “Celebration of the north”.
Lovozero district official site: lovozerie.ru. There you will find videos from similar events from previous years.
A three-day tour, organized by Kola Expedition, to the reindeer herders.
Distance travelled: 420 km. Group: 6-12 people.
Also lots of other fun winter and summer programs, but the description is in Russian only. See their blog and website.
A noteworthy article in Russian Beyond the Headlines. Lovozero is 150km north (halfway towards Murmansk, and then ~70km east)from Kandalaksha.
I sort of need to visit the place, so if your plans fit together with mine it can be “at cost”.