Pink Soup Festival colours Vilnius

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Tens of thousands of people gathered in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, for a three-day festival celebrating the country’s famous cold beet soup. The event, called Vilnius Pink Soup Fest, turned the city bright pink as visitors came together to enjoy šaltibarščiai.

The soup is popular in Lithuania during the country’s short summer because it is cool and refreshing. It is made with beetroot, kefir, boiled potatoes, eggs, cucumbers and dill. Organisers said more than three metric tonnes of kefir, a fermented milk drink, will be used during the festival.

Visitors from Lithuania and other countries joined a special “Pink Break” lunch, where people sat at long tables and ate the soup together. One tourist, Connor Holmes from the United Kingdom, said he came after finding the festival online and thinking it sounded wonderfully silly. He even made pink knight armour and carried a spoon instead of a sword.

The city also held parades on land and along the Neris River, with people dressing as cucumbers, eggs and beets.

How did this story make you feel?

SMART Prep | Quick Question 210786

A group of students from Te Kura O Moana spent Saturday morning cleaning up South Bay beach. By lunchtime, they had filled six rubbish bags with plastic bottles, food wrappers, and broken fishing line. The organiser, Mrs Patel, said the rubbish could harm seabirds and other wildlife. One student, Maia, said the clean-up was the best school activity she had ever done. Another student said the beach looked much tidier afterwards. Local residents thanked the group for helping to keep the bay clean.

Which sentence from the passage is an opinion?

  

Did You Know?

What special color did the Vilnius Pink Soup Fest turn the city?
The festival turned Vilnius bright pink as people celebrated cold beet soup!

Vocabulary

Click on the words in the article. See if you can find them all.
  • festival A special event with fun activities and celebrations. The music festival had lots of fun games and concerts.
  • kefir A drink made from fermented milk that is tangy and healthy. I like to drink kefir for breakfast because it's good for my tummy.
  • parade A public celebration where people walk together, often with music. The parade had colorful floats and happy music.
  • Thinking Question

    How do you think people felt eating soup together at long tables?