Latvia

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by Thor, Aug 20, 2002.

  1. Thor "Pfft, Rebel scum!" Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    7,326
    Avatar, I was bored at work and started to wander what Latvia was like, care to share some details about your country?
     
  2. Guest Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  3. Captain_Crunch Club Ninja Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,186
    ex-warsaw pact eastern bloc satelitte state of the Soviet Union. Now democratic capitalist government. Its in asia...somewhere.
    (i was bored too, so i thought i would invade this private thread for you two.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

    ) sorry.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  4. Guest Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  5. Thor "Pfft, Rebel scum!" Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    7,326
    Its not in Asia. Its in Eastern Europe
     
  6. Guest Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  7. spookz Banned Banned

    Messages:
    6,390
    stuff that we cant get on national geographic or the newspapers tho

    so ......fads ,trends, top ten, hot actresses/singers/models, deviant latvian sexual practices, scandals,drugs etc
    also a link to a popular online latvian paper) english of course

    thank you

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  8. Captain_Crunch Club Ninja Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,186
    sorry, my mistake. Whatever was i thinking? i'm too tired, my brain is'nt functioning properly, i even said: eastern-bloc. sorry. :bugeye:

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  9. Thor "Pfft, Rebel scum!" Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    7,326
    Well, Avatar will make everything clear
     
  10. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    you'll have to be more specific

    choose your option

    >culture
    >history
    >economy
    >politics
    >nature
    >society
    >misc


    choose your pick
    I will list sub categories then or tell about whole
    -------------
    we also were a free democratic republic from 1918-1945 when russians took over
     
  11. spookz Banned Banned

    Messages:
    6,390
    cmon a dark secret please
     
  12. Captain_Crunch Club Ninja Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,186
    cool, tell me more.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

    you've got me interested now, i like learning about other countries.
     
  13. %BlueSoulRobot% Copyright! Copyright!! Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,294
    I know it's not on the list, but how about revealing some Country Secrets?

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  14. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    about our culture/society/history....specifics->_short overlook

    In ancient times , most latvians lived in seperate houses/farms with their family members slaves (slaves always were war prissoners, never latvians). Everyone lived far from each other and there was no feudal system.
    There were war lords who lived in their castles , but they also lived with their relatives and their warriors. There were no strangers hanging around. The servants and maids were a part of community , even slaves. At that time in Latvia there was more human rights than anywhere in Europe. If anybody required a protection , then he could build his house by the warrlords castle and pay a tax for protextion. (in natural resources mostly). There was no system of taking peaceful folk under their control, because as I noted warlords were like heads of their community and everyone had their duty. Warriors/men who lived with the warlord did all the agricultural works, their wives did the sewing etc- [in european feudal system, soldiers thought that it is under their honour to dig ground so they needed ppl to do their work for them- feed them]- so in Latvia (also Lithuania) warlords and soldiers didn't opress peaceful folk, because it wasn't needed, because they did all the work for themselves. Thus no governmental system formed. There were only "Krivi" - wise old men, who did the rare rituals needed to do before major battles [ the most well known is the horse of faith- they took a white horse and led it over a wooden branch. If the horse stepped over the branch with it's right leg, then the warlord will have success in his planned battle or any other strategy, major plans, if it stepped over the branch with it's left leg- then the warrlord should better stay home -I'm not sure about the legs/left.right/, I will verify that-] but " krivi "well mostly like advisors and lived in sacred forests (in sacred forests you couldn't chop wood, or hunt , or battle--- even until nowadays latvians have a very - duno how to say- sacred feelings about forests and most feel them like sanctuary........since russians came our culture has suffered much, but there are many who still honour the old traditions, values and give them to children- - I'll write a post about Ligo- our midsummers fest , that is being held to this day and is a national holiday and I can proudly tell that no less than 80% of latvians still fest them as it was in ancient times.) and didn't do almost any politics .
    Everyone lived for themselves - if intruders came, then warlords usually battled each for their own.
    Due to this our people have suffered a lot, because it was almost impossible to unite all warlords for one major strike- it made us more vunlnurable and unfortunately later led to our enslavement by Germans. It took them almost 200 years though from 1201.
    (but when we did unite- there was the great battle of Saule, where we destroyed all German crusaders that were in our country, but I'll return to it more deeply in another post if anybody wants)
    Even nowadays latvians like to be alone (a very specific and well seen charecteristic). We hardly make new friends, but when we do, then they're blood friends to life and death and we get terribly upset and angry if they turn against us.
    We also don't like our far relatives (thus is our nature), because we don't trust them and don't like other people company.
     
  15. Captain_Crunch Club Ninja Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,186
    more about politics, more about politics!

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!


    i'm off to bed now, tis very late and i'm tired. thank you avatar for enlightening us of your country. although i'm sure there is much more you can tell.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  16. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    I can tell about politics- yes
    I know a lot about our politics from inside, beause of my father- but I never liked them- mostly boring as all politics in all countries - IMHO
    but it's 2:49AM here, so more probable I will write about politics in the morning

    anyone else would like to know smthing specific?
     
  17. Joeman Eviiiiiiiil Clown Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,448
    some people think only Americans have monopoly in stupidity.....
     
  18. odin Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,098
    (but when we did unite- there was the great battle of Saule, where we destroyed all German crusaders that were in our country, but I'll return to it more deeply in another post if anybody wants)

    Sounds interesting Avatar!
     
  19. spookz Banned Banned

    Messages:
    6,390
    krivi - sounds druidic

    are you guys celtic?

    what about tartan and bagpipes? whats the connection?

    do you have any historical accounts or myths of migrations to the british isles?

    latvian names in tobago!

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    any oldtimers there still refer to latvia as livonia or is that considered heresy?

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    what about tribes? are there distinctions b/w peoples?

    your peoples achievements in the face of incredible adversity is amazing!

    thank you in advance!

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2002
  20. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    I'll reply to spookz now , because Odins question takes more time (in the morning Odin 4:15AM now)

    ==============
    krivi - sounds druidic
    ==============

    maybe- I don't know

    ==============
    are you guys celtic?
    ==============
    no - we're Balts- baltic

    ======================================
    what about tartan and bagpipes? whats the connection?
    =======================================
    not sure about that. Our bagpies differ from the Scotish ones. thei're smaller, made from skin and you can play it a lot longer than Scotish ones, because it doesn't take much air. Bagpies or duudas in latvian have been used around here as long as we have been here. a very ancient instrument. Maybe the Scots took it from us when they marched forward South.

    =======================================
    do you have any historical accounts or myths of migrations to the british isles
    =======================================
    no- no Balts are ever recorded to migrate to the British isles

    =======================================
    latvian names in tobago!
    =======================================
    didn't understand the question.
    it's an ancient colony of the Kurzemes princedom.
    established by Duke Jekabs in 18th century

    =======================================
    any oldtimers there still refer to latvia as livonia? (or is that a different place)
    ======================================
    quite funny - yes.
    there is african-latvian community there

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!


    latvian quire lol
    some latvians also live there
    Tobago sells cheap land for latvians who would like to settle there also. some have used the offer.
    =======================================
    what about tribes? are there distinctions b/w peoples?
    =======================================
    physical- no
    cultural- slightly

    there are traits of character still visable today.
    basically in latvia there are 3 "tribes" of Balts and one
    Finno-Ugric tribe. We don't live in tribes, but that what is visible till today (personal charectreistics, some rituals, different words)
    3 Baltic "tribes" in Latvia are Latgali, Zemgali, Kurshi/Liivi.
    the Finno-Ugric is Liibieshi [Livians in english](small ammount of people, have lived here since the ice age, when Balts came from (supposedly) Balkans to this area)

    in ancient times the Balt tribes which inhabited the territory of the present day Latvia were Selonians, Semgallians, Couronians, Latgallians.
    ===================================

    good night...
     
  21. odin Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,098
    spookz

    English people are Anglo Saxon,I think they came from the German tribes!

    This is very interesting Avatar
     
  22. NenarTronian Teenaged Transhumanist Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,083
    Hey Avatar and all interesteds,
    Latvia, i have questions about too! Its not often one gets first-hand information about obscure (no offense intended) countries like Latvia. For better or for worse, most people in the world know, or have some idea, about life in the USA (or Britain, France, any other highly urbanized place), but unless you take an interest in other countries, hardly anybody here knows about other places in the world.

    So, down to my questions. What do young Latvian-folk do for fun in your country? Skate, bike, smoke pot, climb mountains, play video games, what?

    Is there alot of crime where you live, and in Latvia in general?

    How does your school system work, how long do you have to go for?

    Whats the food like? I mean, whats a typical meal consist of, really?

    Hey thanks for the awesome info so far..Latvia sounds pretty damn cool.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  23. Captain_Crunch Club Ninja Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,186
    i just thought i would tell you all that i have now ignored Joeman as he makes these forums an unpleasant place with his constant attacking of me. To argue with him would just be lowering myself to his level but i'm better than that.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!


    Avatar - i'm eagerly waiting a responce

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!


    i have an easy question for you....how many hours is Latvia behind/infront of GMT because i cant find the time zone it is in?.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     

Share This Page