Latvia

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

  1. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    are you hungry?

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Saldskabmaize (sweet-sour rye bread)

    Ingredients: 4 kg finely ground rye flour, 2 litre water, 2 tablespoons caraway seeds, 4 slices rye bread or 50 gr yeast.
    (The dough can be made with the whey of farm or regular cheese. Nowadays, sometimes a few teaspoons of sugar, lemon or orange rinds are added to the dough).


    Start the work in the evening. Sift the flour, pour half of it into the dough trough and add boiling water. Mix thoroughly. When the dough has cooled to lukewarm, add crumbled rye bread or mix in soaked, mashed slices of rye bread. Mix the dough well, sprinkle it with flour, cover the trough and leave it in a warm place to turn sour. The next morning beat the dough thoroughly with a wooden stirrer, add caraway seeds and add 1/3 of the remaining flour. When the dough has completely risen, knead in the remaining flour. The dough is ready when it no longer stick to the hands. Sprinkle the dough with flour, cover it, leave it to rise. Heat the oven. When the oven is heated and the dough has risen, its surface cracked, form the loaves. In comparison to rye bread you should make smaller, longer, narrower, loaves. Smooth the surface, smear it with beer, whey, or water. The bread bakes for approximately one hour. Take the baked loaves out and smear them with water, in your palm, then cover them with a clean cloth.


    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Janu siers (Smooth solstice cheese)


    Ingredients: 1 kg farm cheese, 5 litre milk, 1000 gr butter, 3 eggs, salt, caraway seeds.

    Heat milk to boil, add crumbled farm cheese and heat until the mixture congeals into a cheesy mass and the whey separates. Pour the cheese mass into a double-layered piece of cheesecloth that has been soaked in cold water, and agitating the cloth, drain off the whey. Put into a pot: butter, drained cheese mass, stir in beaten eggs and salt, and stirring on a low flame, heat. The longer the cheese is stirred, the smother, harder, and shinier it gets. The cheese is poured into a moist cheesecloth which is then tied tightly to create a round. Place a board and something heavy on top to create a weight. Take out cooled cheese, dry. You can rub it with salt. To preserve longer, rub the cheese with melted butter.



    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Sklandu rauši (buns)


    Ingredients: 2 glasses roughly ground rye flour, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 glass water, salt.
    Filling: 1 glass boiled, mashed potatoes, 1 tablespoon butter or thick cream, 1 egg yolk, salt, caraway seeds. 1 glass boiled, grated carrots, 1 tablespoon butter or cream, 1 egg.
    Prepare a firm dough from flour, butter, salt, and water, roll it to a 5 mm thickness, cut out round patties with a diameter of about 10-20 cm. Place the patties on a greased pan, turn up their edges (1 cm high), press the edge in a wavy pattern.
    For the filling: add melted butter or cream, 1 egg yolk, salt, and caraway seeds to the potato mass. Mix the carrots with butter or cream, an egg, or, if the buns are meant to be sweet, add sugar or honey, a bit of flour, and nix well.
    Put a layer of the potato mass onto the dough patty, and then top it with the carrot mass. Bake until the dough is dry and the surface of the buns is bright orange.


    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Karaša (unrefined wheat flour patties)


    Ingredients: 1,5 kg unrefined wheat flour, 1 litre milk, buttermilk, or water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 glass boiled, mashed potatoes, 50 gr yeast, 100 gr sour cream or lard.

    Mix yeast with 1 teaspoon sugar, leave it in a warm spot to rise. Heat milk to 300 degrees Celsius. Stir into the war milk half of the flour, add salt, leavened yeast, beat dough well, sprinkle with flour and cover trough (or bowl) with clean cloth, and place in a warm spot. Add remaining flour and cream or melted lard to the risen dough. Knead the dough well so that it rebounds from the edges, hands or stirrer. Sprinkle dough with flour, cover, leave to rise. After the dough has risen, press it down and let it rise again. Make medium sized round dough patties. Smooth their surface with a wet hand or smear with melted butter or a beaten egg. Place the patties on a greased pan or bread peel sprinkled with flour, place in heated oven and bake. The same type of patties are made with barely- meal and usually covered with a farm cheese-caraway spread.


    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Zirnu pikas (pea balls)


    Ingredients: 1 kg peas, 300 gr potatoes, 300 gr smoked bacon, 2 onions, 200 gr poppy butter.

    Soak the peas (half a day and boil them until they're soft. Drain them and then mill them through a meatgrinding machine. Mash boiled potatoes. Dice bacon and onions finely, then fry. Mix peas, potatoes, onions, bacon, and poppy butter, check for saltiness, then form small, round balls, place in a clay bowl. Serve with curdled milk. You can prepare the balls without potatoes and poppies.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Skabputra (sour porridge)


    Ingredients: 1 litre water, 2 tablespoons barely groats, 1 glass curdled milk, 2 tablespoons sour cream.

    Rinse barely groats and add to boiling water, boil to semi-softness. Add curdled milk to porridge and stop boiling. Add sour cream to cooled porridge. If you want sour porridge, keep it in room temperature for 1-2 days and then serve with sour cream and add milk. Porridge can be made with buttermilk, or you can add to the porridge curdled milk that has been beaten to a homogenous consistency. Skabputra should be served well cooled.


    © The Latvian Institute, 1999
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2002
  2. Guest Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  3. spookz Banned Banned

    Messages:
    6,390
    what the...! no blood sausage??

    nicely done

    however i feel we are skirting around the real issues!

    tonight you need to get your ass to bingo.......with a camera
    snap the "electrifying performances by sensual exotic dancers"
    scan
    post

    then i think we can all agree that you have presented a well rounded, all-encompassing view of latvia!

    thanks in advance

    ps:cheers
     
  4. Guest Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  5. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    Ancient Latvian Calendar


    first- I have no digital camera- only analog, and the scanner is at my friends house.

    second- going to bingo is a bad idea- it's a place where people in suits with limos, beautiful chicks and their bodyguards (I have seen them smtimes - bodyguards) hang out - I won't fit in there

    third- I cant afford it

    fourth- I'll probably be thrown on street if security guards see me taking pictures around.
    the public there is not that would like to get on to pictures
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2002
  6. Guest Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  7. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    Latvia Today

    As the world enters a new millennium, the country of Latvia is entering one of the most promising periods of its history. In the year 2001, Latvia looked back on 10 years of renewed independence and forward to an increasingly prominent role in the new Europe that is emerging in the 21st century.

    Latvia today is renewing the old, creating the new and re-asserting a distinctive national presence on the European scene. The rest of the world is beginning to rediscover Latvia as well. It is discovering a country that has been a sovereign state since 1918, but a national state of mind for centuries. A country that survived two world wars and 50 years behind the Iron Curtain, even more committed to the principles of freedom, democracy and international co-operation. A country with a language, culture and attitude totally unique to its region – yet a national identity woven through with diverse historical influences. Latvia is a Baltic country, a Baltic Sea country, a European country. It is poised to be a NATO and EU country. And ready to take its place in the global community.

    Latvia is a country of 2.3 million people who are discovering what it means to live, work and play in an environment they can shape themselves. It is a place where schoolchildren and college students - the emerging generation of national, economic, social and cultural leaders - have a reason to be optimistic about their future. A future where Latvia is free to find its own place in the increasingly interconnected global community of the 21st century.

    A tradition of democracy

    The Republic of Latvia was established as a parliamentary democracy in 1918, and elected four Saeimas (parliaments) before the onset of World War II. It was a member of the League of Nations and enjoyed an economy and standard of living comparable at that time to Finland and Denmark.

    The Soviet Union occupied Latvia in 1940 and illegally annexed it to the USSR, where it remained, a Captive Nation and de facto Soviet Republic for 50 years. In 1990, while still under Soviet rule, the people of Latvia elected a majority of pro-independence deputies to what was then the Soviet parliamentary body, the Supreme Council of Latvia. On May 4, 1990 the Supreme Council voted to restore full independence following a transition period. The Soviet government in Moscow refused to recognise this declaration, and in 1991 on several occasions attempted to use force to overthrow the elected parliament and government and re-establish a pro-Moscow regime. Utilising massive peaceful demonstrations and passive resistance, the people of Latvia thwarted Moscow’s attempts.

    On March 3, 1991, 87 percent of all residents of Latvia participated in a referendum on independence, and 73 percent voted in the affirmative. Since ethnic Latvians represented just 53% of the total population at the time, this high favourable vote indicated that at least 33 percent of non-Latvians had voted with a majority of Latvians to restore independence.

    On August 21, 1991, following the collapse of Soviet Union, the Latvian Supreme Council adopted a resolution for the full restoration of Latvian independence. In late 1992 the Supreme Council proclaimed elections to the first post-independence Latvian parliament, which were held on June 5- 6, 1993. The elections led to the convening of the 5th Saeima, continuing a link with the parliamentary bodies of pre-war Latvia. The 5th Saeima elected Guntis Ulmanis President of the Republic of Latvia in 1994.

    Subsequent parliamentary elections have been held in 1996 (6th Saeima) and 1999 (7th Saeima). President Guntis Ulmanis was re-elected to a second (and constitutionally last) term in 1996; Dr. Vaira Vike-Freiberga was elected President by the 7th Saeima in June 1999. While the original constitution set the term of office for the president and parliament at three years, this was changed to four years for both in 1999.

    In Latvia’s parliamentary democracy, the President’s power is largely restricted to appointing a prime minister (who must be approved by the Saeima) and signing laws into power. The President can send legislation back to the Saeima for revision and amendment. Although both President Ulmanis and Vike-Feiberga have used this power, both have primarily used their offices to promote Latvia’s foreign policy objectives and have been active and influential in international diplomacy, particularly in promoting Latvia’s membership in NATO and the EU.

    Following independence, Latvia’s yearning for democracy, free speech and free enterprise rapidly extended beyond politics. Most state-run newspapers were either privatised or closed, and new, independent daily, weekly and monthly publications proliferated. Public television (LTV1 and LTV2) and radio (4 channels) were supplemented by new, independent TV and radio stations in a highly competitive media market. Latvia today has several independent TV channels and nearly a dozen private radio stations broadcasting nationally in Latvian, Russian and English.

    While the State educational system began a difficult period of reform and restructuring, over 30 private colleges, technical schools and secondary schools have been established since 1991, and the numbers continue to grow. The English literacy rate has reached 90%, as proficiency in other European languages also increased. While courses in business, management and information technology are attracting the largest number of new students, the arts and sciences remain extremely popular.

    Civic participation in democracy-building has blossomed, especially after the UNDP, The Soros Foundation of Latvia and the government of Denmark helped establish an NGO centre in Riga in 1996. Of the over 6,000 NGO’s that have been registered in Latvia in the last ten years, more than 800 actively make use of the NGO Centre’s resources in Riga and are engaged in ongoing projects and programs. To promote NGO activities in smaller cities and rural areas throughout Latvia, the Riga centre is now supplemented by 13 regional NGO support centres.

    While much still needs to be done to overcome a tragic Cold War legacy, the enthusiasm with which the people of Latvia have embraced democratic values and institutions is one of Latvia’s strongest assets in the 21st century.

    A free market economy and a stable currency

    Throughout its history, Latvia has always enjoyed the economic advantages of its strategic location on major trading routes between North and South, East and West. As Latvian governments moved quickly in the early 90s to restore a free market economy, encourage privatisation, stabilise the currency and diversify import and export flow, Latvia rapidly emerged as one of the economic success stories of post Cold War period.

    When the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development chose Riga, Latvia as the site for its annual meeting in 2000, Latvia was widely viewed as an advanced transition country.

    Latvia’s progress in price and trade liberalisation, small and large-scale privatisation and financial sector reform has resulted in an economy that has grown by an average of 3 percent yearly since 1994. Latvia’s national currency, the lat, was pegged informally to the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Right (SDR) in 1994, and has been one of the most stable currencies in the world since then.

    Like many countries in the region, the Latvian economy suffered setbacks during the Russian economic crisis in 1998. This came on the heels of a banking crisis that had begun in 1995. Yet both of these shocks served as a catalyst for further change and reform.

    Budget stringency and a gradual reorientation of exports to EU and other Western countries reduced Latvia’s trade dependency on Russia. Latvia’s rapid recovery enabled it to join the World Trade Organisation in 1999 - the first Baltic country to do so. Further reforms, foreign experience and the growth of other branches of the economy, spurred the recovery and development of the Latvian banking system.

    A new phase in Latvia’s economic transition was marked by an invitation to begin EU accession talks at the Helsinki EU Summit in December 1999. In developing a finance and banking system that corresponds to EU requirements, Latvia established a Finance and Capital Markets Commission in 2001 to monitor brokerages, insurers, credit institutions, investment funds, and private pension funds.

    As a result, the current financial system of Latvia corresponds to the requirements of a modern and developed EU economy, providing all the necessary financial instruments to operate in a global economy. Confidence in Latvia’s economy has attracted foreign banks, representing 60% of Latvia’s bank capital. The largest investors come from Nordic States, expanding Latvia’s role as an emerging new financial centre in the Baltic Sea region.

    With its prime location as a transit hub for east-west trade, Latvia has attracted considerable foreign investment. Three ports and corridors of motor transport with high cargo throughput serve strategic important directions, linking Central, Western and Northern Europe, Russia and CIS countries. With a specialised, high capacity railway corridor, and oil, oil products and natural gas pipelines, Latvia joins Russian energy sources and markets with Western customers.

    The Scandinavian and Baltic countries are important trade partners of Latvia, together constituting 30% of the total Latvia’s trade volume. The strengthening of the Latvian market economy and integration with the region has made important arrangements in foreign trade flows. EU share of foreign trade is 61% for export, 53% for import.

    One of the fastest growing sectors of the Latvian economy, however, has been in Information Technologies. Latvia’s innovative, integrated Information Systems cluster strategy has spurred growth in software development, IT consultation, hardware development and data transmissions solutions.

    Latvia’s GDP grew by 7.6 percent in 2001, which was more than any other EU candidate country. Inflation was under 3% for three years running. Unemployment in 2001 reached 7.7% . Growth was broad-based and driven by domestic demand, particularly investment. The structure of value- added has evolved, reducing agriculture’s share of the economy from 10% to 4%, while the service sector has grown from 56% to about 71%.

    As it moves into the 21st century, Latvia is clearly on a path to convergence with the EU.

    A foreign policy that looks West and East, North and South

    When Latvia joined the United Nations in 1991, it came as a country that recognised that its return to a global community carried with it new global responsibilities and challenges. It was an historic opportunity to close one chapter in world history, and open a new one based on international engagement, co-operation and common values.

    Latvia’s foreign policy priorities were clear from the outset and have remained constant during its first decade of restored independence. They include co-operation with strategic partners and countries in the Baltic Sea region, integration into a unified Europe and transatlantic security structures, and active engagement in international organisations.

    Developed in accordance with priorities that are defined in the foreign policy concept adopted by the Latvian parliament, Latvia’s foreign policy, like its economic policy, has been one of the success stories of the post-Cold War era.

    Since 1991, three parliaments and nine governments have shaped Latvia’s foreign policy to achieve two concrete goals - membership in NATO and the European Union. Simultaneously Latvia has sought to establish a constructive and co-operative relationship with its neighbour, Russia. Historically, Latvia has always had close cultural, economic and political ties with Western Europe and the Nordic States. In rebuilding an independent Latvian state, these EU and NATO countries have become Latvia’s closest political and economic partners. Special ties were also established with the United States, which had never recognised the legitimacy of Soviet rule in Latvia following World War II. Latvia’s diplomatic mission in the U.S., first established in 1922, continued to operate throughout 50 years of Soviet occupation, and became one of Latvia’s first embassies following the restoration of independence in 1991.

    The Soviet occupation had also left a legacy in Latvia which required special attention in Latvian- Russian relations. One of Latvia’s first major foreign policy achievements was the successful negotiation to remove Russian (formerly Soviet) troops from Latvian soil in 1994. Latvia’s integration into Europe included membership in the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Regionally, Latvia became an active member of the Council of Baltic Sea States, and formed special ties with Lithuania and Estonia through the Baltic Council of Ministers and the parliamentary Baltic Assembly. In 1998, Latvia joined Estonia and Lithuania in signing the US Baltic Charter with the United States.

    Latvia’s commitment to global co-operation meant membership in the World Trade Organisation, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Health Organisation, as well as many other international bodies.

    Latvia was among the first countries to step up to the threshold when both the EU and NATO opened their doors to new members. In 1999, Latvia was named an aspirant country at the April NATO Summit in Washington and invited to begin EU accession talks at the December EU Summit in Helsinki. In the first half of 2001, Latvia signalled its diplomatic maturity by assuming the presidency of the Council of Europe, during which time Armenia and Azerbaijan joined the Council.

    By the year 2001, Latvia had established over 35 diplomatic missions around the world, including embassies in most of the EU countries as well as China and Israel. As the world enters a new millennium, Latvia continues to expand its ties with the global community, looking North and South, East and West, committed to protecting its national interests through the strengthening of democracy, stability and co-operation the world over.

    Strengthening a transatlantic security system

    When Latvia restored its independence in 1991, many viewed this as the beginning of Latvia’s return to Europe. Latvia, however, has been an integral part of European political, economic and cultural structures for eight centuries. With the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War, Europe is returning to Latvia. For Latvia, membership in the European Union and NATO are not ends in themselves, but simply means to accomplish a greater goal – participation in a united Europe, whole and free.

    Latvia has sought membership in NATO in order to make its contribution to the formation of European security policy. In the development of Latvia’s security policies, Latvian governments have focused on regional co-operation and European integration, while building a special relationship with the United States in order to strengthen the transatlantic aspect of its security policy.

    For Latvia, membership in NATO means commitment to the basic principles of the North Atlantic Treaty, democracy, rule of law, political and economic stability as well as the development of the Latvian National Armed Forces according to NATO standards, optimising expenditures and resources. In 1991 Latvia participated in the inaugural meeting of the Northern Atlantic Co- operation Council (NACC), now the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). In 1994 Latvia signed the Partnership for Peace framework document and became an active PFP participant. In 1999, during the NATO summit in Washington, Latvia was named as a NATO aspirant country and became fully engaged in the Membership Action Plan (MAP) process.

    Latvia has understood that contributing to the security of Europe means more than military preparedness and interoperability. In keeping with other NATO members, Latvia has re- established democratic institutions, placed the Ministry of Defence under civilian control and developed a fully transparent defence budget. This budget has steadily increased to 1.75% of GDP in 2002 and will reach 2% in 2003.

    Since Latvia did not have a national defence force during the Soviet occupation, Latvia’s national defence system was built practically from scratch. The LNAF were established in 1991, and tailored to meet Latvia’s security needs and NATO standards.

    Latvia’s force structure plans were revised substantially in 2001 in order to ensure that future plans are realistic and affordable. NATO and its allies have accepted the new force structures. These plans aim at improving self-defence capabilities, interoperability with allied forces (reflecting the strategic goal of NATO membership), as well as those from neighbouring Estonia and Lithuania, of forces for peace support operations and, in the future, sharing the risks and burdens of article 5 operations. As a result, Latvian Land Forces have been active in NATO peace support operations and a key part of BALTBAT, the Baltic Battalion has served in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Latvian Navy has contributed to the development of the Baltic Squadron, with special emphasis on minesweeping, sea surveillance and coastal defence. The key objective of the Latvian Air Force is to develop air defence as well as air surveillance capabilities within the scope of BALTNET, and is already contributing to search-and-rescue missions in the Baltic Sea region.

    Even prior to NATO membership, Latvian forces have worked collectively with NATO forces to preserve peace, prevent war and enhance the security and stability of the transatlantic community. Latvian troops and specialised personnel have participated in all NATO-led operations in the Balkans, as well as other endeavours by the OSCE and WEU.

    Through MAP, PFP and peace support operations in the Balkans, Latvia’s armed forces have already established themselves as ready and reliable partners and allies throughout Europe. Latvia has contributed to stability and co-operation within region, by involvement in various initiatives, which include all countries around Baltic Sea, including Russia. Simultaneously, Latvia’s military has built confidence and support within Latvia. The Ministry of Defence, in co-operation with such non- governmental organisations as the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO) and the Latvian Transatlantic Youth Club (LTJK) has launched broad information dissemination and educational programs within Latvia. Members of the military have assisted local governments during disasters such as forest fires and floods.

    Latvia realises that no single country can be self-sufficient in ensuring its security. The 21st century has brought with it new threats to European, transatlantic and global security. Whether it is international terrorism or regional conflicts, Latvia is ready to do its share to promote stability and security.

    The goal of an integrated society

    The forefathers of the Latvian people first arrived in the Baltic region in the first half of 2000 B.C. In the 900s A.D. the ancient Balts began to establish specific tribal realms. The territory of modern Latvia was inhabited by four major tribal cultures – the Couronians, Latgallians, Selonians and Semigallians. In the 13th century Latvia was invaded by armed Germanic Crusaders, who founded Riga and established control over the indigenous people and territory. Over ensuing centuries, traders and invaders from Germany, Poland, Sweden and Russia established a presence in Latvia, alongside the local Latvian inhabitants.

    In the late 19th century Latvia was politically ruled by Russia and economically controlled by Baltic Germans, yet the majority of Latvia’s inhabitants – farmers, workers and fishermen – were ethnic Latvians, and descendants of the original Baltic tribes. The Latvian people finally established a Latvian state in 1918 with citizenship for all the residents, regardless of ethnicity. Between 1918 and 1939, ethnic Latvians comprised about 75% of the population; Russians, Jews, Germans, Poles, Lithuanians, Estonians and other minorities represented the remainder of the population.

    During World War II Latvia suffered three invasions and occupations. One hundred and twenty thousand Latvians were deported to Soviet concentration camps in Siberia, one hundred forty thousand fled to the West, and tens of thousands more disappeared or perished in the conflict. As a result of Hitler’s policies, the majority of Baltic Germans were resettled in Germany and ninety percent of the Jewish population was brutally annihilated during the Holocaust. Nearly one third of the ethnic Latvian population had been killed, deported or relocated. Latvia’s prosperous society had been decimated. The greatest toll was among the wealthy and educated – those who had shaped Latvia’s social, economic and intellectual life following WWI. During Soviet rule between 1944 and 1991, hundreds of thousands of Soviets were brought into Latvia, reducing the indigenous ethnic Latvian population to nearly 50%.

    With the restoration of Latvian independence in 1991, Latvia also re-established its original citizenship laws and policies. This enabled all former (pre-1940) citizens and their descendants to restore their citizenship, regardless of ethnicity. At that time, nearly 700,000 Soviet citizens resided in independent Latvia. When the Soviet Union ceased to exist in October 1991, they became stateless.

    A new law on citizenship was passed in 1994, making nearly all of the permanent residents of Latvia eligible for naturalisation. By 2002 over 50,000 eligible people had applied for and received Latvian citizenship.

    According to the Declaration on the Renewal of Independence of Latvia in 1990,
    "Citizens of the Republic of Latvia and citizens of other countries with permanent residence in the territories of Latvia are guaranteed the enjoyment of social, economic, and cultural rights, as well as political freedoms, in accordance with generally recognised norms of human rights. This clause applies fully to those citizens of the Soviet Union that express their interest to live in Latvia while not obtaining Latvian citizenship."

    Since 1991 Latvia has established State-funded minority schools serving 8 ethnic groups: Russian, Polish, Jewish, Ukrainian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Belarussian and Roma. These schools also serve as cultural centres. In 1991 the Latvian Government began to implement a bilingual education program, designed to provide ethnic minorities with an opportunity to learn Latvian, as well as their native tongues.

    In 2001 the 7th Saeima passed a law on Social Integration, designed in part, to encourage and promote the acquisition of Latvian citizenship among the non-citizen population. The program is intended to promote dialogue on integration issues, foster Latvian language training and increase understanding of Latvian culture and heritage among the minorities on the one hand, while promoting the understanding of the cultural heritage of minorities among Latvians, on the other. The aim of integration is to have a consolidated civic society with common values.

    There are nearly 1.4 million native speakers of Latvian in Latvia, and 140,00 abroad. As one of 250 major languages in world (spoken by more than a million people), the Latvian language is also one of the oldest. It was established as a State language in order to preserve this unique cultural heritage. Nevertheless, English and Russian are widely spoken throughout Latvia, and the knowledge of other languages is rapidly increasing, enabling Latvia to retain its special national identity, while moving toward fuller integration with Europe and the globalised world at large.

    An ancient culture in a dynamic European setting

    The contemporary Latvian poet Imants Ziedonis has described culture as something "which is, lives, wants to live and flourish". In Latvia, this spiritual desire to live and flourish developed a distinctive national identity over a period of 3,000 years.

    Like other cultures, Latvians developed traditions, customs, decorative designs and a world view that were uniquely their own, closely tied to the Northern European land and nature that they depended on for survival. Ironically, the period when the Latvian language and culture began to coalesce, was also the period when it faced its greatest threat, for the 13th century marked the beginning of a series of foreign incursions, invasions and occupations. German, Swedish and Polish warriors and traders brought European culture to Latvia, at times threatening the existence of the Latvian culture, at times strengthening it through adversity, and eventually co-existing along side it.

    Latvian culture was both preserved and manifested in folklore that displayed the collective wisdom and beliefs of the Latvians’ ancient tribal ancestors. A uniquely Latvian cultural phenomenon, folk songs, or dainas, date back well over a thousand years. Rich with tradition, literature and symbolism, the dainas serve as an oral record of Latvian culture. Their subjects encompass the entire course of human life, from childbirth, youth, marriage and work, to old age and death. By the 19th century, more than 1.2 million texts and 30,000 melodies were identified. In the 21st century, these songs continue to live as an essential part of Latvian contemporary holiday celebrations and social life.

    This powerful tradition of song played a central role in Latvia’s National Awakening in the second half of the 19th century and led to the first Latvian Song Festival in 1873. The Song Festival, involving massed choirs of tens of thousands of participants was a central focus of national identity during Latvia’s years of independence from 1918 until 1940, survived through the Soviet occupation, and spearheaded Latvia’s "singing revolution" in the late 1980s.

    Latvian traditions still play a central role in the Latvian identity today. This uniquely "Latvian" culture is woven through its literature, music, theatre and the visual arts. Yet, the legacy of foreign rule has also given Latvia a second, European culture. As a distinctive Latvian identity emerged during the National Awakening in the 19th century, so did an appreciation for the achievements of other cultures. Latvians enthusiastically embraced all the classical arts – literature, painting, theatre, symphonic music, architecture, opera, ballet and film. Latvia’s National Opera – the "White House" of Riga - was one of the first buildings to be renovated after the restoration of independence in 1991 and is the centrepiece of a flourishing cultural life.

    Latvia’s home-grown, world class opera singers, such as Inese Galante, Sonora Vaice, Egils Silins and Elina Garance, today perform in opera houses throughout Europe. Peteris Vasks is considered one of the finest contemporary composers in the world, while Riga-born violinist Gidons Kremers and his Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra won a Grammy in 2002. Violinist Baiba Skride took First Prize in the Queen Elizabeth International Music Competition in Brussels in 2001 and is considered one of the most outstanding young violinists in all of Europe.

    The rapid renovation of Riga’s centre has revealed hundreds of examples of distinctive Jugendstil architecture, leading some to assert that Riga may be the Jugendstil capital of Europe. Interestingly enough, over 60% of the buildings displaying this very European Art Nouveau style of the turn-of- the-century, were designed by Latvian architects. In the 1920s and 1930s Latvian painters, known as the “Riga group” also established an international following.

    A hundred years ago Riga was known as the “Paris of the North”. As it enters the 21st century, Riga has blossomed as a creative centre for the arts once again. Local and visiting art exhibits and the opera, theatre and ballet, compete with night clubs and discos that rock with jazz, blues and the latest electronic fusions of hip hop and dance music. After ten years of independence, Riga is now called “The Second City that Never Sleeps”, and “The Hottest City in the North”.

    The vibrancy of cultural life in Latvia is a product of talented artists, performers and writers that honed and developed their skills in cities and regions throughout Latvia. Many continue to live and work in their home towns or rural settings, blending the influences of traditional roots with the modern, cosmopolitan influences of the nation’s capital. This spiritual desire to live and flourish as Latvians, as Europeans, and as the shapers of the 21st century, is a phenomenon that continues to shape Latvia’s multi-faceted, dynamic culture.

    © Text: Ojars Kalnins
     
  8. spookz Banned Banned

    Messages:
    6,390

    c'mon kiddo
    just jokin around!
     
  9. NenarTronian Teenaged Transhumanist Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,083
    The food posts were GREAT, Avatar

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    In fact i had to go and take a snack break because of how much it stirred the apetite.

    The peaballs sound GREAT. As does all of the traditional foods, really. They all seem very hearty, tasty... you know.

    Oh yeah. You didn't mention any meat that much, save for the cows at calving and the pig ear or tail. Did you just overlook the meats or is meat a rarity in the average home or what?
     
  10. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    You know what? - me too

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!


    Luckly I had some Janu siers in the fridge

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    actually we have not much unique traditional meat foods
    they are practically called the same, but they taste a lot different than in other countries. Different ways making them. The same sausages. A lot of food is still being made as it was centuries ago and because of that it's more natural and tasty.

    as fore the traditional/unique - then it's really more non-meat- yes , true

    the meat foods what we've got are mostly well known to other nordic and eastern countries/cultures, but it's simply not being made as it was there
     
  11. NenarTronian Teenaged Transhumanist Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,083
    Oh, okay.

    You had Solstice cheese left over from the celebration? Or is it a food made all during the summer? Tell ya what sounds realllllly good, them birch drinks. The birch juice, birch beer..champagne. Yum

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  12. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    I haven't really tried birch champagne, but juice is tasty

    that cheese can be bought in springs, summers, atumns- it's very often used in home and beer parties.
    Latvians are used to have that cheese as a beer snack
     
  13. NenarTronian Teenaged Transhumanist Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,083
    Hm. In America, cheese is more of a pot snack

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Once again, thanks for all the great information regarding your country Avatar, is seems wonderful.
     
  14. pooyak Premium Member Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    100
    History of Latvia


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The first human settlements in Latvia date back to the time just after the last glacier period, approximately 10,000 BC, but archaeologists have found traces of even older human culture. Nomadic tribes came into these territiries after the last glacier period, during the great migration from the Southwest. This culture had its origin from the mid-stone age human settlements in Ahrensburg in the region of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. This early European culture was the leading until approximately 3000 BC, when other nations from the East are the ancestors of Finns, Estonians and Livs (a very small nation living in the northwestern part of Latvia, now an ethnic minoruty).
    In approximately 2000 BC, Baltic tribes came into Latvia, and are regarded as the ancestors of present day Latvians and Lithuanians. These tribes, coming from the South, assimilated to the nations already living on Latvian territory. The Baltic tribes first appear in written records of the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus, in approximately 100 BC. He reffered to these nations as farmers living on the coasts of the amber sea. During this period, the inhabitants split up into several tribes (this process had happened earlier with Germans). Since then we differentiate the Baltic tribes into Latgalian, Zemgalian, Kurzemian on Latvian territory and prussian and Lithuanian in the territories further to the south. In Viking times, west of the Riga bay, lived the Kurshi, who were well known in the Baltic Sea region. They traded with neighboring Scandinavian nations, but the trade was frequently attacked and robbed on both sides. Since the main trade road from the Scandinavian region to Byzantium went through Kurzeme, a rich trade culture developed. An important exported product was amber jewelry, which is found in large quantites on the coasts of the Baltic Sea. Great changes in the Baltic history accurred during the 13th century, when Christianity was introduced to the Baltics. The Pope initiated a crusade to the Baltics, whcich was considered to be equal before God as the crusade to Jerusalem.
    Soon after the first crusade had started, in became apparent that economic motivations were far more important than the missionary duties. they immediately tried to politically subjugate local inhabitants. The crusades ended in a war which lasted for almost 100 years. After the victory of the Germanic order, the subjugated land was given the name "Livonia". Alongside the state of the Germanic order, small medieval town-states formed, usually headed by a bishop. Conflicts between the Germanic order and the economically autonomous town-states accurred for centuries. the founding of cities like Riga, Cesis, Ventspils and Kuldiga became important in the context of European trade, and joined the Hansa league in the 15th century. In historical documents, these towns appear under their old german names. the ruling classes from the very beginning were Germans; the middle class, mainly artisans and farmers, were Latvians. This ethnic border remained unchanged, and a Baltic person, disregarding his social status, was unable to become a German. however, in the territory of Prussia, where farmers had the possibility of becoming Germans. This is why the Baltic nations, contrary to the Prussian population, did not lose their ethnic identity. The price paid for the preservation of national identity was high: The German inhabitants, during the 15th anf 16th centuries, managed to raise themselves to the status of feudal lords and the local inhabitants became their serfs. Due to this situation and the constant fights between the order state and the independent trade towns, reformation was widely acclaimed in Latvia.
    In 1554, The Master of the Order, Walter von Plettenberg, fearing larger uprisings, declared Protestantism the state religion, which weakend the defense capabilities of the medieval order state and allowed the Russians to loot vast territories of Latvia. To prevent Russian rule, local aristocrats, except in Kurzeme and Riga gave up their power to the Lithuanian-Polish state in 1561, for reasons of military protection. the remains of the Protestant state were secularized, and Catholicism was proclaimed the state religion. Due to this division of the Latvian territory, the Kurzeme duchy was formed on the west side of the Daugava River, and existed from 1561 to 1795. The remainder of Latvia came, as already mentioned, under Lithuanian-Polish rule. The privileges of the German lords were preserved on both banks of the Daugava, and the Latvian serfs became even more dependent on their lords. the 17th century brought new changes with the "Dominium maris Baltici", and the fight between Poland and Sweden for the rule of the Baltics. The war mainly took place in the territory of present day Latvia. As a result of the Swedish-Polish war, the northern part of the country (Vidzeme or Livland) and Riga passed unto Sweden rule.
    In 1621, the Swedish king Gustav Adolf II marched into Riga, and this day is referred to as the beginning of the so called "good Swedish times". The Swedish rule continued until the 18th century abd brought essential political and cultural changes. Due to liberal Swedish law, the rights of the German feudal lords were limited. the farmers of Vidzeme had the right to lodge their complaints directly to the Swedish king as the farmers' stratum in Sweden had their representation in the Swedish parliament, and thus the despotism of the aristocrats was restricted. during this time, schools for peasants were established in the contryside, the first books in Latvian were printed and the first translation of the Bible into the Latvian language was done. the entrepreneurial spirit was also awakening in Kurzeme during this time. the remaining privileges of the aristocracy still allowed for cheap production and caused rapid economic improvements. the times when Duke Jacob (1642-1682) ruled were the times of prosperity for Kurzeme. During this period, several branches of industry developed, mainly ship-building and metallurgy. Duke Jacob even succeeded in creating colonies overseas - the island of Tobago near the shores of Latin America and a part of present-day Gambia. Latgale (Imfflantia) was kept under Polish rule, and during the 17th century the German aristocracy was assimilated by Poles. In contrast to Kurzeme and Vidzeme, where Protestantism rooted, in Latgale, both cultural and political Catholicism gained an importance that has lasted to the present day.
    The 18th century brought another great war. In 1700, the army of Czarist Russia confronted sweden for the sole purpose of conquering the ice-free harbors of the Baltic sea. the Nordic War brought the greatest sufferings to the native Latvian population and lasted for 21 years. The devastating effects of these wars can still be seen in many castle ruins around Latvia. During the war, various plague epidemics diminished the population of Latvia, and several regions became unpopulated. as a result of this war, in 1710 the Northern provinces of the country - Vidzeme and Riga, came under Russian rule. This was profitable mainly to the local Baltic German aristocrats because the privileges they lost under Swedish rule were restores by the Russian Czar.
    The was still little difference between the rights of a Latvian farmer and Roman slave. This miserable state of Latvian farmers brought a wave of indignation among the German Enlighteners. Johann Gottfried Herder, who worked for several years as a teacher at the Dome school, sharply criticized the human rights violations. G.Merkel, in his book "Latvians, in Livonia, at the end of the age of Enlightenment", pointed out that a nation is doomed to extinction if it has to live in the outdated political system of feudalism. As a result of the second division of Poland in 1772, Latgale was joined to the Czarist Russia, and in 1795, as a result of third division of Poland, Kurzeme suffered the same fate. After the third division of Poland, Czarist Russia had rule over almost all fo the baltic states, including estonia and part of Lithuania. The German aristocrats didn't try to hinder the new Czarist power because, as it was mentioned above, the incorporation of Latvia into Russia gave certain guarantees that they wouldn't lose their privileges.
    The population of Latvia in the 18th century was neither politicallynor culturally able to express its own identity, because every utterance in this direction was suppressed
    by the feudalistic regime. This is why the formation of the Latvian nation didn't start until the beginning of the 19th century when, for the first time, Latvians had the possibility to enter the Baltic university in Dorpat (Tartu), Estonia. The educational language was German. The most famous graduates of this university, contributing greatly to the formation of national self-awareness, were Krishjanis Valdemars, Juris Alunans, and Atis Kronvalds. The intellectuals wanted to be equal with the Germans in political as well as cultural respects. In the civic society. especially in towns, the wish to live in a free, independent state and not in a country ruled by foreigners, was voiced more and more often. Th national self-awareness that started to form in the mid-19th century and the rapid spread of the ideas of the social democrats (whose Latvian Social Democratic Labor Party was founded in 1904) caused a nacional uprising in 1 905. This revolution had the character of a general liberation movement. It was an attempt to get rid of both Russians rule and the German aristocrats, but it was brutally oppressed by the Russian army.
    The was not the last attempt of the Latvians to gain independence. Not until the end of World War I, the collapse of Czarist empire, and the fall of the Second German Reich, was it possible to lay the foundation for a latvian state. On the 18th of November, 1918, the Democratic Block, a coalition of latvian parties, decided to form the latvian National Council, which declared the independence of latvia within its historical borders. After the declaration of independence, the fight ag ainst Bolshevist troops, as well as against German and Russian monarchists, lasted for two years. After the liberation war, in April 1920, the first liberal elections took place. The passing of the Constitution (Satversme) in 1922, (and the forming of the Constituent Assembly) was the foundation for a free democratic and parliamentary state we encounter at present. in 1921 Latvia became a member of the league of nation. Dur ing the period between the two World wars, latvia achived certain economic success, especially in agriculture, thnks to the land reforms carried out by the state, and the property rights reforms namely, privatization.
    It is also interesting to note that none of the countries involved in World war I paid any reparation to war-ravaged latvia. During this period of independence, cultural changes were obvious: at the beginning of the 1930's, 0.3 percen t of the Latvian inhabitants were studying at Universities, which was the highest number in Europe at the time. This period also saw the appearance of numerous new literary works, and the living standard was comparable to therest of Europe. Although latvia made great efforts in the fields of culture and economy, its political situation was not very stable. The cause of the instability was numerous small parties represented in the parliament, which didn't facilitate continuous political work. In addition, Latvia could not escape the influence of the world economic depression. on the background of the overall economic depression, the dissatisfaction of the population grew. Taking advantage of the circumstances, the prime minister of the time, Karlis Ulmanis, dissolved the parliament. This was the beginning of a totalitarian regime in Latvia, headed by Karlis Ulmanis. This regime differed from the fascist regimes of the time and gained wide support from the people. Ulmanis was very popular among the farmers and the army, and gathered all the nationally oriented forces. The Ulmanis regime did not carry out any "ethnic cleansing" as the fascist regimes of Germany and Italy did. Ulmanis is even now highly esteemed by many people in Latvia as an outstanding head of the state. Latvia chose a neutral line in its foreign policies, trying to exist between the superpowers. The plan of forming a military and economic union together with Estonia and Lithuania failed. The protocols of the Hitler-Stalin pact, signed in 1939, determined Latvia to be a sphere of interest of the Soviet Union.
    A month after the protocols were signed, the Soviet Union forces Latvia to give up its political neutrality, threatening to use military force. The Soviets demanded permission to place its armed forces in the territory of Latvia - in Liepaja and Ventspils. The ultimatum. though, was not the end of the sovereignty of the Latvia state yet. On July 16, 1940, another ultimatum of the Soviet Union demanded the permission of the Latvian goverment to allow further stationing of the Soviet troops in Latvia. A new goverment, loyal to Moscow, was formed. The reaction of the international community to Latvian people's rights violation was minimal, which is why Ulmanis, knowing the military superiority of the Soviet Union, and trying to avoid bloodshed, accepted the ultimatum. He ordered the army, ready to fight, to halt military actions. On June 17, 1940, Soviet Army troops accupied Latvia. The Soviet Union formed a puppet goverment in Latvia, which instantly declared Latvia a Soviet Republic. the annexation scenario of all three Baltic states was the same. Immediately after the occupation, the Stalin regime started the holocaust - during the first year of the occupation 35.000 people were murdered and thousands were deported to the northern regions of the Soviet Union. It is not surprising that this year has been given the name of "the horrible year". These mass murders and deportations easily explain why the German army was greeted with joy. the nation hoped to remove the Soviet terror and to reestablish their independent state. But latvia remained occupied and was part of the region, called "Ostland" in Nazi slang. The majority of Latvian Jews were killed in the Salaspils concentration camp or shot in the forest of Rumbula. The Nazi terror of ethnic extinction for the Latvian nation was not as horrid as the Soviet deportations, but nethertheless Worls War II was the most tragic page in the history of Latvia. The able men were recruited to fight in the German Army as well as in the Red Army. They were made to fight each other, instead of fighting together for the common cause of Latvia's future. Kurzeme was the region that suffered the most. During the last days of the war, the Latvian and the German armies were fighting against the Russian army in so called "kettle of Kurzeme". These fights went on until the total defeat of Germany, on May 8, 1945. More than 80 percent of Latvian intellectuals fled across Kurzeme to escape to the West. A guerrilla movement, called "the green resistance", continued until 1957 in the forests of Kurzeme. Dundaga was an important center of the resistance, which extended to many towns, and was widely supported by the people. There was also support from Western countries; for example, there were radio communications with Sweden. The hope that the Allied forces would liberate the occupied land was alive until late 60's. Though the end of World War II put an end to the violation of human rights, the situation in Latvia, in this respect, worsened. From 1945 to 1949 more than 100.000 people were deported from Latvia to Siberia. The exact number of the deported and the murdered has not yet been established, as the Stalinist archives even today are not fully accessible. Approximately 35 percent of the Latvian population perished in the war, were deported to Siberia, or fled Latvia into exile. Though the annexation of Latvia was never officially recognized by the international community, during the talks of the Allies and Soviet Union in Teheran (1944) and Jalta (1945) the issue was never touched upon.
    In the mid 1950's, the beginning of Stalin's plans industrialization took place. Big Soviet style industrial enterprises were built in latvia. The ideology of "home soveticus" was implemented, and workers from other republics were sent to latvia. the historically formed cultures were doomed to extinction and a new uniform Soviet culture was envisaged. All possible repressions were common everyday occurrences. in 1940, Latvians made up 75 percent of the total population. Now the number was 52 percent, and as latvia was a front state to the West, a lot of the foreign population has been, in one way or another, connected with military aspects. The kruschev period brought the so called "period of thaw", and in the 1950's, many Latvians returned from Siberia to their fatherland. this was a time of revival for the Latvian culture. When attempts to gain more ondependence for the Latvian Socialist Republic became obvious, under the rule of Kruschev, a new wave of deportations followed in 1959.
    Brezhnev's goverment continued building the totalitarian regime started by Kruschev, and this had a new typical feature: intensified activities of the KGB, the secret service of the Soviet Union. An all-embracing system of spying and persecution was created. For example, those who, attended church services on Christmas were recorded, and then persecuted, either at workplace ar at school, and called religious fanatics. regardless of this, churches were full, and if we try to imagine a small town where everyone knows everyone else, we can also imagine the social status of a KGB spy. A state of absolute control was created, but its authorities were hated by everyone - there was no way to escape or resist. During the Breshnev regime, the economy deteriorated, and finally, itbecame absolutely oblious that the planned economy was an inefficient system. During this period, the building of new, gigantic plants accelerated. more and more workers from other republics of the Soviet Union were sent to Latvia. one of the reasons behind this was the creation of interdependence of the Soviet republics. the industrial plants mainly processed raw materials imported from other Soviet republics, with the help of the imported work force. many culturally important places in Latvia were destroyed during this period. For example, the "Staburags" cliff, a place of mythological importance, was flooded when a dam for a hydroelectric station was built.
    Disregarding all the decay, latvians still followed their cultural tradition, thus, the festival of Songs was still organized. Theater and literature became a forum for sarcastic public thought. When Gorbatchev's reforms began, it became easiler to express one's views, and the first anti-Soviet political organizations were formed. On August 23, 1987, the first demonstration in front of the Freedom Monument took place, and people voiced demands to annual the Stalin-Hitler pact. In its essence, this was a demand to restore the independence of the Latvian state. Two years later, on August 23, 1989 the world view on the issue of the Baltic states was strongly influenced by the formation of a live chain around the Baltic states, that reminded the world of the anniversary of Stalin-Hitler pact. In spring 1990, the first relatively free elections were organized, in which 2/3 of the population voted for the Popular Front, which demanded the independence of Latvia. Immediately after the elections, the independence of Latvia was declared. to preserve its power, the Soviet Union answered with military force. In January 1991, Soviet tanks moved in the direction of Riga, and barricades were built in the streets of Riga to stop them. These were the days where the Soviet army shot at civilians. Thanks to the pressure of the world community, they were forced to retreat. The parliament of Latvia officially declared its independence in August 1991, during the coup d'etat in Moscow, whose organizers declared a state of emergency in the Baltic states. After the failure of the coup and the international pressure, Russia finally recognize the independence of Latvia.

    source from somewhere from google.ca
     
  15. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    it tastes different , than your usual cheese
     
  16. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    The Identity of Latvian National Culture

    The Identity of Latvian National Culture
    (Fragments from the essay "The Borders of Borderless Winds")
    Imants Ziedonis, Latvian poet



    Namable or Unnamable Identity?

    There is a problem whether national cultural identity can be named if, with good reason, it has been said that national identity mostly is irrational, metaphysical and elusive.
    I am a poet and am well aware that poems neither yield to translation into prose, nor can they be grasped in any review in their entirety. At the same time, what happens between two lovers on a honeymoon can be expressed in no love poem. Nor the feelings of a believer at the moment when God reveals Himself. That is the presence of the Big One, the sate of irreducibility, the riddle of existence – you name it. And yet love has its own schools and teachings, and they can and have been expressed.

    Between East and West.

    Latvians live along the line of confrontation between East and West, occupying a space diffuse in the political, demographic and philosophical sense; a space where the assessment and evaluation of our nation by the participants tends to be quite diplomatically evasive. One could choose to trust this evasiveness or not to do so.
    Our historic experience has taught us caution, because the Latvian nation has been placed in a critical demographic situation. The deportations of hundreds of thousands of innocent people to Siberia during the years of Soviet assimilation, the escape of the wealthiest Latvians to the West, the destruction of all the prosperous farms through forcible collectivization, the eradication of the best young people through conscription in the occupation armies: all this virtually destroyed the Latvian middle class. Of course, it was all done in a purposeful way and, paradoxically, "a systematic annihilation of the identity of the Latvian state and nation was begun at a time when the rest of the world celebrated the victory over Nazism; thus the Latvian land and people were victimized by both the Nazi and the Communist regimes." That is how former president of Latvia, Mr.Guntis Ulmanis, has put it. He also reminds us that no other country lost almost 40% of its population during World War II; no other European country has seven cities where, as a result of post-war russification, the indigenous population has become a minority. New demographic forces swiftly and freely moved into this rarefied space. For the most part, these are Russophile forces that hope to transform Latvia into a Russian satellite. All this should be kept in mind when we talk about Latvian cultural identity. Culture, understood as a quality of national self- confidence, can achieve safety only in a politically guaranteed space.
    But Latvian culture today is not a culture of complaint, despite the fact that the world is undergoing a process of market erosion of national values. This erosion is caused by objective factors: the increasingly ephemeral understanding of life; a heightened sense of entropy; amplified pluralism, boundless relativism and anarchy, as well as sectarianism in man’s search for God. In Latvia, all these factors have been intensified by the philosophical unpreparedness (after long years of Soviet disorientation), attending our encounter with the intense and free flow of new information.

    Idiosyncrasy. The closed and open circles of culture

    A nation’s potential for survival is determined by its material, social and spiritual welfare. When the first two prevail, our capacity for civility is manifest. As we emphasize the latter two, it is culture we are talking about. Within the fields of civilization and culture a nation possesses values of a more genuine, inherent, idiosyncratic and original nature, as well as those of a more integrated, internationalized, reflexive character. Provisionally we can speak of at least two layers of circles of values: those that are unique and idiosyncratic, and those that have arisen as a result of international dialogue. One could call these "values of monologue" and "values of dialogue", respectively.
    Contrary to common misconceptions, the more idiosyncratic values of a culture are not always found in its most archaic features. One sign of Latvian idiosyncrasy is the white stork. People respect this bird, they offer help in its search for suitable nesting places, and the possibility that someone might hunt or kill a stork is inconceivable. One cannot imagine the Latvian landscape without stork nests in trees, on top of posts, water towers and even the chimneys of abandoned houses. The fact that this bird chooses to live in Latvia (with the greatest density of stork nests in Europe) can only be explained by the biological and scenic variety of Latvian landscape and by the healthy state of its ecology. At a time when the environment of European countries becomes ever more homogenous and barren this wise bird has found in Latvia the most advantageous conditions for its well being. It does not mean, however, that the white stork has been a permanent fixture of Latvian landscape. Among Latvian folksongs, noted bearers of an almost encyclopedic record of our people’s life ways, there are few where the name of the stork is mentioned alongside that of other birds. This means that the density of stork nests, as a sign of Latvian identity, is a phenomenon of recent history.
    Another idiosyncratic Latvian symbol is our national here, Lacplesis (Lacplesis). Originating in the archetypal world of fairy- tales, he was actualized and honored as our “main hero” only in the last century when the writer Andrejs Pumpurs, responding to geopolitical necessity, sought to advance the cause of Latvian liberty by publishing his epic poem of the same name. Lacplesis, son of a man and a female bear, is a figure from the ancient totemic world. He is joined by Kurbads, the Mare’s Son, who may be an ancient remnant of the globally recognizable centaur myth. In the mythical sense, he is better rooted than Lacplesis, seemingly more acceptable today than Lacplesis, who as one who kills living creatures, is perhaps an ecologically dubious individual. Such aggression is rare in Latvian folklore, where man appears tolerant, pantheistic, a harmonious and caring part of nature. Why did the nation suddenly need a hero with the grasp and strength of a marine soldier? After all, folksongs touch upon themes of war and warriors only with reluctance; the harshest characterization of warriors is reserved for a few quatrains:

    Winds blow over the hill
    Churning water in the lake;
    My brother rides off to war
    Locking his heart up in stone.

    Latvia lacks those heroic epics, replete with bloody battles and cruelties, that are common among many other nations. There is no glorification of revenge. So where arose this need for a larger than life athlete, a warrior who can hold his own and even claim victory in the cruelest of battles? My answer is simple. Lacplesis was born from our sense of being geopolitically endangered. Andrejs Pumpurs, as a young poet and officer in the Russian-Turkish war, witnessed the scope and cruelty of the battles. He produced his epic poem "in world likeness", complete with a hero to symbolize the national defense force, an embodiment of national self-confidence and strength. In the 19th century, ideas of national romanticism swept across Central and Eastern Europe. The stronger and wiser among the activists of enlightenment, as counterparts to the great world heroes, put forth their own. In Latvia, suffocating for centuries under colonial yoke, national self-confidence had matured to the point that it could mobilize forces necessary for its national survival. And as both East and West posed twin threats of assimilation to this newly self-confident nation, wunderkind Lacplesis sprung forth. From that point on this figure grew in tandem with the fight for national survival.

    Cultural Identity means Living

    Identity means "sameness". Comparison needs two sides. And the two sides are represented by our present, our present being and our understanding of that being, our convention, our agreement. Our cultural identity is found only in that which is, lives, wants to live and flourish. It exists and will continue to exist without our attempt to define it. Yet it will flourish and become richer if the intellectuals and, first of all, the social scientists and humanitarians, from their point of vantage, are capable of seeing how the two circles of culture overlap: the limited local culture and the free flowing pan-culture of indeterminate boundaries. That will only be possible if the wise induce, deduce, integrate, appeal, tend and transcend; if they dislocate, encyst and insist, pragmatize and finance; if they do not drink or eat themselves to death. Moreover, if they find the names for all these processes, values, models and methods for communication.
    I would like to refer to the quotation from Rainis:

    "Encased in a fragile shell,
    Our soul joins the eternity of the world…
    The soul does not know its own greatness.
    But time will come
    And it will know also the unknown."

    To get information about this Latvian unknown, this Latvian X, one should start with what can be seen and acquired; with what can be given and taken, felt and enjoyed. One should start with the livable. Cultural identity is living. That simple. It could be the traditions that wholly or in part are still living today, or the application of inherited things and shapes, symbols and rites in everyday life. It could be mythical, metaphysical formulae for which the modern man feels some atavistic or saving future need. It could also be the tested values of classical art or the contemporary creativity of contemporary personalities: cultural identity exists only so far as it refers to the present.
    The main point of this article is that both local and pan-European cultural politics should do everything possible to demonstrate the cultural idiosyncrasies of each nation visibly, in the quality of mutual exchange and to our mutual benefit. A beautiful, visible example can be found in the buildings by the famous Latvian-American architect Gunars Birkerts. When asked if he felt something Latvian in himself, in his way of thinking and activities, he replied: "I have always felt I am a Latvian architect… But it is not a feeling I myself could identify. Others have named it ‘the Baltic flow’. The destiny of an architect is to know his own history and culture and his personal genetic and ethnic origin."
    This essay is not a systematic study but rather a set of proposals. I point to a number of singular values, apart from the ones mentioned above (Lacplesis’ ability to subsist and defend culture in a politically dual environment; the affectionate diminutive in folksongs; the national power of concentration in a song festival hymnic chorus; small scale, ecological tourism in a land of storks), that are present in Latvia (and only there) and that are capable of enriching European society.
    Among these one could mention the great number of landscape variations in one square kilometer of Latvian land; the Midsummer night’s festival, Jani, with its unique melodies and fertility rites already absent in the Dionysian festivals of other nations. Another is the Latvian custom of drinking birch sap in spring and making beverages from it to be consumed in the months of summer heat. Yet another is book publishing: the huge editions of poetry books (up to 35 000 copies for a nation of 1.5 million) and the great number of choirs among which about a dozen have won top prizes at international festivals. From the 18th century on, world construction specialists have been aware of Pinus rigensis, the unique Latvian pine whose wood is considered superior for construction. One has to mention the Latvju Dainas, eight thick volumes of Latvian folksongs – laconic quatrains that, among many other things, contain essential formulae for building one’s character, formulae that are useful still – and perhaps particularly – today. One of these appears to advise us to build personality on four cornerstones: vigor, wisdom, beauty and strength; no personality is complete or harmonious if at least one of these components is missing; they should all be present simultaneously and impervious to any outside influences. Latvju Dainas is probably the only collection of ancient epic fragments that has not been translated into world languages and submitted to international research, a collection that is unique in its Snaskritic timelessness and presentation of encyclopedic information in a surprisingly modern way.
    Last but not least, there is the Latvian language, one of the last two leaves on the Baltic Language branch that has retained its ancient ties with Sanskrit and deep, philosophically harmonious word meanings. For example, consider the word razenais, used to denote "a man of culture". Razenais has a whole range of meanings: "strong, fertile, well-to-do, rich, effective, controlled, persistent…" Razenais is a principle of guidance, empathy and assistance. The formula "a political nation" is meaningless if it does not incorporate the riches offered by the notion of "an ethnic nation". Politics is less than politic without an understanding of human values; a nation is less national if it does not see and respect its inherent ethnic origins. This ethnic initiation in no way contradicts the great futurist objectives: gene engineering, floating cities, three dimensional television, electronic daycare, genetic code or voice as a replacement of fingerprints, a global information network, etc., etc.
    It is commonly agreed that Riga is a convincing Jugendstil (Art nouveau) city. As the 800th anniversary of Riga’s founding draws nearer, it has become a favorite conference subject, as has the so-called "green architecture" in Latvia, its parks, roadsides, country lanes and landscapes surrounding country estates, or the phenomenon of Latvian song festivals that take place on an unprecedented scale (choirs of up to twenty thousand singers under the guidance of world class conductors).
    The list of cultural idiosyncrasies does not end here. The aforementioned are just a few of the more visible ones. The whole range is quite impressive but it is – yes, confined, in the same sense that a gulf attracts surfers from around the globe. It is as confined as an ocean stream that nevertheless bears its own unique name. It can be likened to an ocean breeze on the line where the earth meets the sea: never the same at the time of sunset and sunrise. Why should we always assume that all that we have has been brought by impressive winds from faraway shores? There are winds originating in Latvia that can be felt elsewhere. Winds are born in Latvia as well. And we live within the limits of our peculiarities. Even if they are the limits of limitless winds.
     
  17. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    LATVIAN HERITAGE SITES

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!




    Ethnographic Open-Air Museum in Riga

    Latvian heritage sites include individual territories, places, buildings and objects, and are a part of the world’s cultural historical heritage. As cultural monuments they are united by their individual values, be they historical, scientific, artistic or other. Their maintenance serves the interests not only of our country and people, but the interests of world cultural and historical heritage preservation.

    Within the Republic of Latvia, which has an area of 64 589 km sq., and a population of 2 422 946 inhabitants, there are 8325 protected heritage sites. The greater part of these sites are architectural monuments - 3412 architectural sites, 2514 archaeological sites, 2251 artistic sites. However there are only 105 historical sites, and 38 urban building sites. The inclusion of the historic centre of Riga (which includes buildings in the old city and art nouveau area) in the UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage list in 1997 is attestation to the significance of Latvian heritage sites.

    Latvia has one of the longest histories of heritage protection in Europe. Its origins can be attributed to the historic period in the 1600s when the Vidzeme region was under Swedish rule. Therefore the Swedish king’s Karl 11th’s decree concerning special state protection for heritage sites also applied to Vidzeme. Even though there was significant awareness and registration of heritage sites during the next few centuries, it was only after the foundation of the independent Republic of Latvia after WWI, that a special state institution was created - the Heritage Board and a law was passed concerning protection of heritage sites. When Latvian independence was reinstated in 1991, protection and use of heritage sites was fulfilled by the national cultural heritage inspection, in conformity with the Law concerning protection of cultural heritage sites passed in 1992. Today there are approximately 30 laws and resolutions that are linked to various aspects concerning protection of heritage sites. Heritage sights are included in a special list of protected sights, giving them specific legal status. Heritage sites include a number of various site groups - archaeological, architectural, buildings, art and historic. Archaeological sites are witness to the culture and history of the inhabitants of Latvia who lived in previous centuries and millenniums. The most visually attractive of these are Latvia’s castle mounds, which number more than 450. Latvia’s most majestic castle mounds, which are fortified by a number of ramparts, and moats, and around which substantial settlements had developed, are to be found at Talsi, Kazdanga, Tervete, Mezotne, Daugmale, Aizkraukle (Aizkraukle castle mound - a typical castle mound of the ancient Latvians ) , and Jersika. They serve to remind us of the prehistory that is still an important aspect of the development of our identity. The reconstructed Araišu ezerpils village construction (700s to 800s) is a unique archaeological site, as are the three so called velna laivas (devil’s boats), in northern Kurzeme - stone piles formed in the shape of a boat, which were used as burial sites at the end of the bronze era, rarely found on the east coast of the Baltic Sea.

    Latvian architectural sites serve to delight even the uninformed in this sphere. In Latvia there are more than 75 Middle Age castle ruins that remind us of the harsh and difficult life in this period, whereas the elegant, refined, or reserved estates and castles of the new age arouse wonder. Architectural sites are represented by all styles, starting from the Romanesque Ikškile church, and the gothic St.Simon’s church in Valmiera and St.John’s church, to the countless modern style buildings of this century in all Latvian towns and cities. In Latvia the Baroque buildings are the most magnificent - the Rundale and Jelgava castles, the Reitern and Dannenstern houses in Riga. No less impressive is castle in Eleja built in the Classicism style, the Arsenal complex in Riga, the magnificent Daugavpils fort. The renewal of the Riga town square has begun with the reconstruction of the Renaissance era Blackheads' building, which will allow you to get a feel for the old, but ravaged face of old Riga. Parks are also included as architectural sites, and there are many of them in Latvia - Broad parks surrounding new era estates and castles, for instance, in Aluksne, as well as Riga’s green zone - Vermanu garden, Viestura garden and others, too many to mention.

    Latvia’s heritage sights also include many art objects, however the greater parts of them are to be found in Latvia’s museums. They include sculptures and paintings as well as applied art objects (items of church worship, chandeliers, railings) and decorative elements (an outstanding example are the stained glass windows of the Riga Dome church, crafted at the end of the previous century). Many art objects are situated in churches - with their magnificent splendour they adorn the altars of catholic churches in Aglona, Kraslava and Dagda and are reminiscent of the Baroque culture of Southern Europe. In Kurzeme the most notable cultural values of the 1600s to 1700s created the Ventspils Sefrens school of wood carving (their most significant achievement being the altar of St.Anne’s church in Liepaja, crafted in 1697). The oldest stone sculptures in Latvia are located in the courtyard of the Riga castle - they are sculptures of St.Mary and the Livonian order by maestro Walter von Plettenberg, sculpted in 1515. Memorial sculptures in Latvia’s cemeteries are nostalgically sad, but at times monumentally grand, for instance, at the Riga Meza, and Raina cemeteries, where statues crafted by Latvian classic sculptors can be seen.

    City building heritage sites take up the largest area. They include the centres of the oldest Middle Age buildings in Latvia in Cesis, Bauska, Ventspils, Kuldiga, and Aizpute, as well as the wood and stone construction of the new age. In Tukums, Kandava and Jekabpils. The Jurmala summer holiday region, and the Mezaparks region in Riga are original architectural heritage sites dating from the previous century and the beginning of this century. The Ligatne paper factory and village in Vidzeme, and the Kosrags and Sikrags villages in northern Kurzeme are unique heritage sites reflecting the everyday working life of country folk. Different, but no less impressive, is the Daugavpils fortress.

    Historic heritage sites - they are places that have been significant in Latvian history, and the creation of the Latvian nation. Latvia has not escaped the ravages of war this century, and as a result one can find war cemeteries from WWI and WWII with the graves of Russian, Soviet, and German soldiers, as well as the rest places of the freedom fighters of 1919-1921. The oldest war memorial in Latvia dates from 1701 on Lucavsala island where 400 Russian soldiers are buried, however the remainder of the cemetery dates from the 1900s.There are also graves of Estonian soldiers in Cesis and Rujiena, Polish soldiers in Daugavpils, and Finnish soldiers in Tukums, from WWI and the fight for Latvian independence. The places from which Latvians were forcibly deported to Soviet concentration camps, 1940-1941 and 1949, emit a tragic atmosphere. Today nearly every train station in Latvia features a memorial stone or plaque in memory of the victims of this tragic event.

    Latvia has 8 culturally historical territories, whose cultural heritage is closely associated with unique nature sites and scenery. Such is the picturesque Abava valley in Kurzeme, and the Daugava valley between Plavinas and Skriveri. And of course one must mention the Turaida museum and reservation in the ancient river valley of the most beautiful river in Latvia - the Gauja.

    Really, there are many diverse heritage sites in Latvia. And their value is not only in their cultural and historical meaning, they are an important part of our everyday life and part of our consciousness. To mention but a few - the symbol of Latvian independence and unity - the Freedom monument in Riga, or the monumentally great Riga Bralu kapi (The Brother Cemetery) which serves to remind us of the difficult fight for independence in which much blood was spilt, the Lacplesis statue sculpted by K.Jansons for the soldiers who liberated Jelgava, or the statue of Latgales Mara, which has become the symbol of Latvia’s most singular region, Latgale. Monuments - Latvia’s history and culture, Latvia’s symbol in the past, present and future.

    Text: Andris Sne, the State Inspection Authority for the Protection of Cultural Monuments
     
  18. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    LATVIAN CITIES AND TOWNS

    LATVIAN CITIES AND TOWNS
    (Latvian cities throughout the centuries)


    Today, 77 towns and cities are located in the relatively small Republic of Latvia. Latvian cities have undergone diverse changes throughout the centuries. Some of them, like Straupe, Rauna, and Koknese have lost their former glory and status, however, the city of Daugavpils has changed its location. Latvian cities have developed and grown around trade and traffic routes, nowadays, more so around significant manufacturing facilities, (Olaine, Aizkraukle). Some former cities have been swallowed up by their larger expanding neighbours, for instance, Gostini has joined Plavinas, Krustpils has joined Jekabpils, Griva has joined Daugavpils.
    The development of Latvian cities commenced in the 900s- 1100s, as it did in the rest of Northern Europe. During this time wide settlements developed, particularly in significant farming and trading centres, more often near a harbour. These are considered to be the earliest Latvian cities, some of which had areas of up to 15 hectares, (at the castle mounds of Daugmale, Jersika, and Mezotne). The development of these cities was cut short by the invasion of the crusaders in the 1200s, the development of new political and social organisations, and the introduction of a new culture.
    The 1200’s were a time when the foundation of the oldest still existing city, Riga, took place. It acquired city status in 1201. In the Middle Ages city status was granted to 11 inhabited settlements. Of these, 8 were also members of the most significant Northern European trading organisation - the Hanseatic League. 24 new cities were founded in the centuries that followed till 1918. This period of time was characterised by countless wars and power changeovers. With the creation of an independent Republic of Latvia the number of cities doubled. City status was granted to 30 inhabited places in a period of 20 years. During the 50-year period of annexation to the USSR only 4 new cities were established. After the renewal of independence in 1991, however, city status was granted to 21 inhabited areas.
    Today the life of each Latvian city revolves around its own local government, according to the legislation concerning local government passed in 1991. Latvian cities are differentiated by their status: 7 cities of the Republic, (Riga, Daugavpils, Liepaja, Jelgava, Ventspils, Jurmala and Rezekne), and regional towns.

    Inhabitants and Economy

    Today the larger part of Latvia’s population resides in city areas- that is 1 675 000 inhabitants or approximately 68 % of the population. Latvian cities differ greatly in size. 21 cities have a population of over 10 000, the largest of these being Riga (population 815 800), Daugavpils (population 117 500), and Liepaja (population 96 270). However the smallest Latvian towns are Durbe (population 460), Subate (population 1019) and Piltene (population 1226).
    The nation’s largest and most famous manufacturing concerns like the stock companies "Aldaris", "Laima" and others are concentrated in the cities. Latvia’s largest manufacturing centres are in Riga, Ventspils and Daugavpils. There are 3 significant harbours - in Riga, Ventspils and in Liepaja. Through these harbours there is movement of Latvian export and import, as well as a large portion of Russian- European transit.

    Cultural Life in Latvian Cities

    Riga is the capital of Latvia, and has been visited in previous centuries by many politicians and monarchs. Also many famous scientists and artists such as the enlightened philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder, and the composer Richard Wagner. Today there are professional theatres in Riga, Liepaja, Valmiera, and Daugavpils. Every regional town has a museum, and in Riga the museums number more than 50 - the museum of History and Shipping founded in 1773, being the oldest in the Baltic.
    Internationally recognised festivals regularly take place in Riga, the film festival "Arsenals" (in Riga), the Middle Ages music festival (in Riga and Bauska), and the ballet festival (in Riga). Latvian choirs and folk dance troupes take part in a song and dance festival every 4 years, and have achieved a high level of recognition at Scandinavian song and dance festivals. Jurmala is a favourite holiday-place in Latvia, well known for its health resorts, which are slowly regaining their former status.

    Cultural Heritage in Latvian Cities

    Even though there are architectural similarities amongst Latvian cities, each has its own unique charm. Archaeological monuments in some cities are testimony to their former importance. Majestic and attractive castle mounds can be found in Limbazi, Aluksne, and Saldus, in Grobina, a unique Scandinavian cemetery and castle mound (600s-700s). The Middle Ages had introduced stonewalling to Latvian architecture. The first stone wall building to be built in Latvia was the Ikskile church, in 1185, which still exists today on a small island in the river Daugava. The most important element of the Middle Age town was the castle of its noblemen. Many Latvian towns of the Middle Ages featured stone castles, however the only surviving reconstructed examples remain in Riga and in Jekabpils. Ongoing reconstruction of Middle Age castles is taking place in Cesis, Turaida and Bauska. Smaller remains are to be found in Dobele, Limbazi, Valmiera, Rezekne and Ludza.
    The most impressive baroque castle is to be found in Jelgava, designed and built by Rastrelli. The 200 or so art nouveau structures in Riga are of exceptional importance to the architecture of this century and it is with good reason that Riga can be called the art nouveau capital of the world.
    It is structures from the last 100- 200 years that mostly survive in Latvian cities, including churches whose beginnings can be attributed to the Middle Ages. Works of famous artists adorn Latvian churches, for instance, the altar painting by J.K.Dorn from Koenigsberg (painted 1742-1758) in the Liepaja Holy Trinity church. The architecture of Latvia’s small towns is singularly beautiful, formed by its one and two store structures, soviet apartment blocks, and city centres. More than 20 town centres are protected by law as part of Latvian national heritage, and in 1997 the historical centre of Riga was included in the UNESCO heritage list of the world’s most important cultural and natural sites.

    Riga - The Capital

    Riga, the oldest city in Latvia, has developed into an important economic, political and cultural centre since the Middle Ages. When the formation of an independent Latvian Republic occurred in 1918, Riga became the capital. Today more than half of Latvia’s population lives in Riga, as well as the country’s largest manufacturing concerns, as well as central government and administration boards. Amongst the 50 museums to be found in Riga the oldest and largest are the Museum of History and Shipping, the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Museum of Latvian History, the National Art Gallery, and the Latvian Ethnographic open-air-museum. The National Opera and Latvia’s most professional theatres are also situated in Riga.
    Riga’s 800-year history has left its mark on the face of the city, where Middle Age dwellings and church towers coexist with art nouveau and eclectic architecture. Riga’s park land boulevard zone and the wooden buildings of the Pardaugava region emit a unique charm. The value of Riga’s cultural and historical significance has been verified by the fact that its old city centre has been included in UNESCO’S list of the world’s most important cultural and natural sites.

    Ventspils - Harbour in the Baltic Sea

    Ventspils is one of the oldest cities in Latvia, first mentioned in documents in 1378. In its very beginnings Ventspils was a harbour city as it also is today. It is one of Latvia’s most important harbours through which passes a great deal of shipping transit. In 1996 Ventspils gained free port status. In 1997, due to intensification of education in regional areas, the Ventspils University was founded, including Economics, Business Management and Translation faculties. The old city centre of Ventspils, with its Middle Age castle and romantic small town buildings, has recently undergone a facelift, and compliments the dynamic city it is today.

    Aluksne - the Pearl of Northern Vidzeme

    Aluksne is the highest geographically situated town in Latvia - about 200 metres above sea level. Archaeological findings in the settlement on Cepurite island in lake Aluksne, are proof of the area being inhabited in the Stone Ages. Aluksne was first mentioned in historical documents in 1285, but it gained town status only in 1920. The Latgalian Temple Hill, the Livonian castle ruins, and the manor house (1700 - 1800) and Jauna Pils (New Castle), are testimony to its centuries long history. The Aluksne castle gardens are notable for their artistic value and the complex scenic plan. Church minister Ernest Glueck, who first translated the Bible into the Latvian language, lived and worked in Aluksne. Oak trees that he planted 300 years ago near the church still grow there today, and nearby is the Ernest Glueck Bible Museum, the only one of its kind in Europe.

    Sabile – "Switzerland" in the Heart of Kurzeme

    Sabile is situated in the ancient Abava river valley. It is called the "Switzerland" of Kurzeme because of its scenic beauty. The fact that the ancient river valley has been included in UNESCO’S list of the world’s 100 most unique and endangered sites is testimony to its significance.
    Sabile developed around a castle of the Livonian Order in the 1300s. It was only granted town status in 1917. Vineyards, which were cultivated in Sabile in the Middle Ages, have been renewed today. The place where they grow, Sabiles Vinakalns, has been mentioned in the Guiness Book of Records as the most Northern vineyard in the world, (Sabile is situated on the 57th latitude).
    The Pedvale open-air museum is near Sabile, where modern art installations are organically incorporated into the beauty of the surrounding natural scenery.

    Text: Andris Sne, the State Inspection Authority for the Protection of Cultural Monuments
     
  19. Thor "Pfft, Rebel scum!" Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    7,326
    WOW, I was just expecting your answer to be 'Ah, its good here' and that was the end of it. Kudos. Its very interesting. So much history in so little time.
     
  20. Captain_Crunch Club Ninja Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,186
    i've got a very short attention span about 5sec. . .... oh, look, a birdie. "he he eh heheh," *gets up and runs away from computer trying to catch bird*.
     
  21. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    hey- I'm posting if smones interested- if noone is - I'll stop it



    I'll have to create a website about Latvia smday maybe
     
  22. Avatar smoking revolver Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    19,083
    LATVIAN NATIONAL COSTUMES

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!


    [SIZE=SMALL]Reconstruction of the Latvian costumes
    from the 11-13th century.[/SIZE]

    What is a National Costume?

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    National costumes are an integral part of Latvia’s heritage. The ones that have survived up to the present are the costumes worn on festive occasions They have been handed down from generation to generation as colourful adornments and treasured heirlooms. Ordinary garments have been less well preserved. A national costume includes everything that its owner has made for wearing in various seasons and on various occasions.

    In contemporary usage, the term “national costume” refers to the apparel of the indigenous inhabitants of Latvia - the Balts and Livs. These original inhabitants were country folk-farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen. Their apparel is an important part of Latvia’s cultural heritage and a valuable source for historical studies. Along with the costumes themselves, information about their construction and ornamentation has survived from antiquity. The power of tradition ensured that a generation would continue to think, act, and believe as its predecessors had done.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    The Development of National Costumes

    Previous generations seemed to attach more importance to things than we do. Garments worn on festive occasions lasted for several lifetimes because each generation was proud to wear the beautiful adornments-brooches, woollen shawls, patterned belts, and head-coverings inherited from its ancestors; at the same time, it was free to add modern accessories. Undoubtedly, every garment had its own unknown history and legends, but at least we can be certain that each piece, because of its individual maker and wearer, was unique. While preserving and continuing the traditions of a region, each wearer created his or her own distinctive costume.

    Women’s Costume

    Formed by the thirteenth century, the main parts of a woman’s costume consisted of a skirt and a long-sleeved, tunic-shaped linen shirt, which was a unisex garment worn alone or with other pieces. The shirt and skirt were sewn from a square fabric without the aid of a pattern.

    Skirt. Before the nineteenth century, there is evidence of a skirt which was not sewn but which was simply a piece of fabric wrapped around the body and secured with a belt. The Livs wore skirts that extended above the waist. They consisted of two pieces of fabric-one for the front, one for the back-which were fastened at the shoulders (later, sewn together) and cinched with a woven belt. The two-piece skirt was the precursor of the skirt with a sewn upper part, and from the wrap- around skirt developed a sewn skirt with pleats or gathers.

    Sash.
    The basic function of the sash, or josta, was to secure the skirt, as well as to girdle the waist, in order to allow freedom of movement. Incidentally, only women wore patterned sashes; it is believed that the designs are related to traditions of fertility cults. In Liv regions during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, patterned sashes were not worn because there the apron served the same fertility-related function. The length of the sash varied; long sashes of three meters or more were wrapped around the waist several times.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Shawl. In all regions an essential part of the national costume was the woollen shawl, or villaine, a rectangular or square fabric draped around the shoulders. Possibly, this piece was the oldest part of the costume. It served a dual purpose: embroidered or otherwise adorned, it accented a costume worn on festive occasions; plain or checked, it kept the wearer warm.

    Summer shawls were made of linen. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, festive shawls were chiefly white or sometimes blue. In earlier centuries, they were predominantly dark blue with bronze ornamentation. The function of a festive shawl was to adorn and protect the wearer, as if isolating her from the outside world. Occasionally, multiple shawls, skirts, and head coverings were worn, perhaps to show off the owner’s prosperity.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Head Covering.
    For at least a thousand years, the head covering served to signify the wearer’s marital status. The symbolic covering for a maiden was a wreath or crown (vainags). In Liv regions, a ribbon served the same purpose. It was unseemly for a married woman to go out bareheaded. On festive occasions, married women used to wear a head-cloth, a practice that continued throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During this period, various types of women’s hats were worn. For daily wear, married and unmarried women favoured homespun linen or woollen scarves. At the end of the 18th century, commercially manufactured silk scarves became a fashionable part of the national costume; they were worn on the head, over a hat, or around the shoulders. In the making of the head covering, various manufactured materials were used-glass beads, lace, and fabric.

    Men’s Costume

    The men’s costume was more influenced by city fashions than was the women’s costume. While the tunic-style shirt remained unchanged, the trousers and jacket, though homespun, began in the eighteenth century to reflect city fashions.

    Military uniforms also influenced the style of the men’s costume, especially in details such as lapels and embroidery. Women usually sewed their own costumes, but men often enlisted the aid of a tailor. Jackets and trousers for daily wear were usually made of grey homespun material; white fabric was used for festive occasions. A belt was worn with the long jacket. A woven belt was characteristic of eastern regions; leather, metal, or leather with metal was typical of western (Kurzeme) regions. Until the mid-nineteenth century, trousers came to below the knee, and woven stockings came up to the knee. Long trousers became popular in the latter part of the century. The most popular head-dress was the broad-brimmed hat made of felt and adorned with a ribbon. The summer hat was made of straw.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!




    Footwear

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    The chief footwear for men and women was pastalas, a simple footwear made of a single piece of leather and tied with laces. It served for daily and festive wear. In cold weather, several pairs of stockings were worn. In earlier times-and up to the twentieth century-feet were ordinarily wrapped in footcloths. Festive occasions called for shoes or boots, which indicated the owner’s prosperity

    Ornaments

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!



    Costumes for festive occasions were adorned with embroidered, woven, or knitted designs to make them visually impressive, distinctive, and unique. Geometric designs are characteristic of Latvian folk art; they consist of separate elements combined in a unified composition. It is possible that the intricate patterns are a form of writing, a way of communicating a concept or a wish. In the Latvian language, the same word is used to denote writing and ornamentation. Sometimes a design, or raksts, consists of ever-changing patterns. Traditional ornaments and decorative designs have been preserved chiefly in national costumes.

    Colours

    Colours played an important role in costume adornments. White and grey predominated because costumes were made of natural fabrics, such as linen and wool. In ancient times, yarn was coloured with natural dyes, chiefly from indigenous plants. The designs on mittens, shawls, and sashes were created from combinations of four colours-red, blue, green, and yellow. These colours occurred in various shades and proportions in every part of the costume that was made of wool. Possibly, the strict observance of traditions regarding colour was related to concepts in magic.

    White, with its magical associations, holds a special place in Latvian folklore. The word itself is synonymous with purity, goodness, and enlightenment. White was deemed fitting for festive garments.

    Latvians, like other Eastern European nations, use red in their national costumes. Red has always been associated with fire, blood, life. Red cotton threads decorated linen garments, such as aprons, head-coverings, and shirts.

    Black, which was regarded as the colour of the gentry, was not characteristic of national costumes. The use of black in farmers’ garments began in the second half of the nineteenth century, and then only in combination with other colours in striped skirts or patterned mittens.

    Regional Differences

    Each region of Latvia developed its own distinctive traditions regarding costumes. Tied as they were to their homes and lands, farmers were acquainted only with their immediate vicinity but were ignorant of the traditions and practices or more distant villages. Everything necessary for fashioning the national costumes according to regional traditions was found at home. As long as these traditions were observed, the national costumes retained their distinctive designs. Home-made costumes for daily wear preserved traditional features longer than did festive costumes, which were more susceptible to influences from the city. Exceptions were some regions in Kurzeme-Nica, Rucava, and Alsunga--where festive costumes remained unchanged until the mid-twentieth century, though ordinary garments were store bought. Traditions governing national costumes are still alive in these regions.

    National Costumes Today

    Having lost their utility in daily life, national costumes are mainly valued museum pieces. However, even today some parts of society are eager to revive the use of national costumes as a way of affirming their national identity or adding a distinctive touch to holidays and special occasions. One such occasion is the Song and Dance Festival, where national costumes are worn not only by the singers and dances but also by the audience. The wearing of national costumes creates a feeling of unity among those present and affirms a link to the past. Together with the songs and dances, national costumes demonstrate Latvia’s cultural heritage to the world.

    Things tend to last only as long as someone needs them. Nowadays there is still a need for national costumes. Orders for individuals and organisations are filled by artisans at studios of applied arts. Young people in trade schools or home economics schools are learning to make national costumes. Displayed as a diploma work, a handmade national costume can take years to construct as its maker masters weaving, embroidery, and other essential skills. By fashioning one’s own costume, the maker becomes acquainted with one’s family history because the pattern for the costume is chosen from the region or district of one’s ancestors.


    Designs characteristic in national costumes are reflected in professional works of art, as well as in everyday objects. These ethnic accents help to distinguish Latvians from other nationalities.

    Although the traditions associated with national costumes are part of history, the desire of each generation to be creative and individualistic in one’s apparel is still alive today.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!




    ----------------------------------------
    Sources of Additional Information
    In English:
    Latvian National Costumes, Vol. 1: Vidzeme.- Riga, Museum of History of Latvia, 1995.
    Latvian National Costumes, Vol. 2: Kurzeme.- Riga, Museum of History of Latvia, 1997.
    Latvian National Costumes, Vol. 3: Zemgale, Augszeme, Latgale.- In preparation.
    In French:
    Ornement Letton, 3 vols.- Paris, 1990.

    Written by: Ilze Zingite (The Museum of History of Latvia)
     
  23. Thor "Pfft, Rebel scum!" Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    7,326
    No, keep posting. I'm enjoying learning about this.

    Well, you have the content for a site on Latvia at least
     

Share This Page