A commemorative 1-lat coin honoring Latvia’s song festival tradition, which began in 1873, has been released by the Bank of Latvia.

The silver coin became available May 23, the bank announced in a press release. The silver proof coin has a circulation of 10,000 and, while legal tender, will be marketed to collectors. A copper-nickel version, also limited to a circulation of 10,000, will be released in the second half of June before the July 5-12 All Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Rīga.

The coin was designed by Arvīds Priedīte and the plaster model made by Ligita Franckeviča. The averse features a woman in folk costume carrying Midsummer wildflowers. Behind her is a fragment of the folk song “Pūt, vējiņi.” The reverse depicts a man in folk costume carrying a crown of oak leaves. Behind him is a fragment of the choral song “Gaismas pils.” The edge of the coin has the text “Dziesmai šodien liela diena” (Today is a grand day for song).

The coin was minted by the Finnish company Rahapaja Oy.

A total of 5,000 copies of the silver proof coin are reserved for sale within Latvia. The price of the coin at the Bank of Latvia is LVL 22.50.

The song festival coin is the 60th commemorative piece released by the bank since 1995.

Pirates of the Sea, a costumed trio from Latvia singing “Wolves of the Sea,” took 12th place in the Eurovision Song Contest final May 24 in Belgrade, Serbia. Russia’s Dima Bilan, performing “Believe,” won the competition.

Pirates of the Sea includes Italian-born singer Roberto Meloni, radio and television moderator Jānis Vaišļa and dancer Aleksandra Kurusova. The song “Wolves of the Sea” was written by Jonas Liberg, Johan Sahlen, Claes Andreasson and Torbjörn Wassenius, all of Sweden.

Latvia received a total of 83 points. Russia earned 272. Ukraine, in the No. 2 spot, finished with 230 points, while No. 3 Greece had 218. The United Kingdom, with just 14 points, came in last in the field of 25 countries.

Points were based on the results of telephone and text-message voting in 45 nations, including almost all of Europe as well as Turkey and Israel. Each country awarded 12, 10 and then 8 through 1 points for its favorite songs. Voters are not allowed to pick their own country, but cultural, geographic and political ties often play a role in the results.

Latvia earned its only 12-point award from Ireland, where just like last year the tens of thousands of migrants from Latvia likely played a role in the results. Latvia also gained 10 points each from the United Kingdom and Baltic neighbor Lithuania.

Voters in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, meanwhile, gave their highest awards to Russia.

Bilan’s victory means next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted by Russia.

Latvia’s integration secretariat has renewed a call to Latvians and Livonians abroad to participate in a survey about repatriation. The survey, coordinated by the Rīga-based consulting firm SIA Aksedo, is focused on Latvians and Livonians in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Russia and the United States.

The consulting firm seeks at least 1,000 responses, according to Dana Heiberga of the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Affairs (Īpasu uzdevumu ministra sabiedrības integrācijas lietās sekretāriats, or ĪUMSILS).

The survey aims at learning about respondents’ ties to Latvia, their opinions about the image of Latvia and their thoughts on barriers to repatriation, the secretariat announced in a May 21 press release. Also addressed in the survey are questions about maintenance of Latvian and Livonian identity abroad, plus how institutions in Latvia might support that maintenance.

The integration secretariat expects to use the survey results to help it develop programs for supporting ethnic Latvian and Livonian communities abroad, as well as to work on policies to aid those who do wish to repatriate.

SIA Aksedo was awarded an LVL 8,750 contract to complete the survey. ĪUMSILS asks anyone contacted by the consulting firm to cooperate with the survey, Heiberga said.

The survey also may be completed online, either in English at aksedo.e-formas.lv/forms/381 or in Latvian at aksedo.e-formas.lv/forms/370.