#zemgale

Recycled.lv Ethnography Formed by Anna Aizsilniece and Photographed by Ilze Vanaga

"The aim of this collection is to inspire people to utilise existing resources in a creative way, while retaining their national identity.

The collection Ethnography is created to celebrate the significance, strength and toleration of nature and a being of a primeval woman. It is a calling for women in Latvia and around the world to return to the Mother Earth. To spread the roots deep in the ground in order to be able to bloom and blossom, protect and love. To draw wisdom and strength from the nation's roots.

The source material for the collection is classical linen and woollen clothes which have been created into garments that reflect proportions, colours and feeling of latvian national costumes. By altering clothes their identity has been changed. Trousers have become skirts or shirts, jackets have transformed into shawls, belts – into crowns. Details from bicycles and Soviet time electric appliances as well as coins of our recently changed currency have been used to create accessories and adornments.

Lai sāktu lejupielādi, tagad ievadiet savu mobilā tālruņa numuru.

(..) Š.g. maijā pabeigts darbs pie lielākā saules parka Zemgalē. Projekta ietvaros uzņēmumam SIA “M.P. Socks” uz zemes un jumta uzstādīti 708 saules paneļi, ar kopējo sistēmas jaudu 262 kW. Saules paneļi gada laikā saražos 258 000 kWh zaļās elektroenerģijas, kas ir ~ 32% no ražotnes gada kopējā elektroenerģijas patēriņa. 

Gatavojoties bezpilota transportlīdzekļu izmēģinājumiem Zemgalē, sadarbībā ar projekta vadošo partneri no Somijas un iesaistītajām valsts institūcijām apzināti iespējamie maršruti, kuros Jelgavā un Aizkrauklē varētu veikt izmēģinājuma braucienus.

Ok, so first of all, most of Latvian traditional outfits as we know them were established in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Those are the ones worn today. As for those from earlier ( 7th - 16th century), they are often referred to as ‘‘archaeological’‘, meaning they are reconstructions, based on bits and pieces that have been found during excavations.

They were/are typically worn during celebrations as well as important moments of human life - baptising, wedding, funeral etc.

The best time and place to see all of them these days is during the Dziesmu Svētki ( Latvian Song Festival ), as they are traditionally worn by the participants.

The difference between a wife’s and unmarried girl’s outfit will be that girls wear a crown until they get married. After wedding they start wearing a bonnet or a headkerchief hiding their hair.

(The pictures are from katramavutautasterpu.lv, the links from senaklets.lv )Just keep in mind these are basic ones and there might be different variations of them in different areas of the region…

Latgale.

Women’s traditional costume:

North

South

Men’s traditional costume

(this was listed as ‘‘Southern’‘ but they’re pretty much similar everywhere )

Here are some more

Zemgale

Women’s traditional costume

some more

Men’s

Vidzeme:

Women [x] [x] [x]

women and men

I’d also like to mention Lievārdes Josta/Lielvarde Belt ( because it’s a part of the traditional costume that literally every Latvian knows ). Here’s a fragment

 People have been wondering for years whether the ornament means something more than just an ornament. Far as I know, we haven’t actually come to any agreement yet :P

Another thing are the colourful mittens with ornaments. There are working mittens ( meant for everyday work in winters ) and mittens for celebrations ( I really don’t know how to translate ‘‘godi’‘ correctly :P ). They can also be given as a gift in cases of wedding, childbirth, baptism etc. - those wouldn’t be worn but rather kept as a family relic and could be handed down to the next generations. A woman was expected to bring along 300 - 500 pairs of mittens and gloves ( the catch is there couldn’t be 2 pairs with the same ornament ) in her dowry when she got married - and a large part of those would be given away to the people attending the wedding!

Hi!So, an hour of intense web searching later ( because I assume you need them in English? ), here are a few links ( most are short reads ):

Let’s start with some really basic insight. ( it’s a PDF, and for some reason takes really long to download :/ )

Traditional food:

Latvian food specialities

Worth enjoying

This here contains a list of foods that are normally found everywhere in LV

Black/rye bread is very important in terms of food in all regions, can’t ever go wrong with that one. Bread in general is important part of traditional Latvian cuisine.

Zemgale:

Cultural centre - Jelgava

Most notable for castles, manors, castle mounds, palaces, Rundāle ( museum ) and Jelgava (museum and university ) palaces are probably most known.Known as the granary of whole Latvia.

Culture and food

Culture

Vidzeme:

Ok, for some reason I cannot find much on either??? If someone knows more, feel free to add.

Cultural centre - Cēsis

Mostly culture

Culture and food ( again PDF, I recommend downloading, for some reason they take a long time to open :/ )

Latgale:

Cultural centre - Rēzekne

Has been exposed to varieties of cultures historically, most notable would be Russian and Polish.Has the largest Russian population in LV, but people there have found a way to coexist there better than in, let’s say, Riga.Kapusvētki ( google translates it as ‘’grave festival’’, my mother once called it ‘’dead peoples’ festival’’… ) is a thing. Well, it’s a thing in whole of Latvia, but a very important part of culture in Latgale, particularly rural Latgale. It’s basically a day once a year when the parish gathers at the cemetery to remember their deceased relatives and ancestors, and the priest consecrates the burial ground ( it can involve a lot of walking around the cemetery, if it’s large enough. I’ve personally been to two - one took  30 minutes, the other would have taken 2 hours if the priest had not had to be at a funeral in 20 minutes, so he just did the short version), after which you have a bite to eat, something to drink, and head back to your home for bigger celebration.(religion is a massive thing there, okay)Has own language (with its own alphabet) that has dialects in itself ( my grandmother is from Northern Latgale, she might even say the language spoken in Eastern part ain’t Latgalian at all :P ). For a few years now, they’ve been trying to have it as an official language of state.

Culture and food

Food

Pottery/ceramics in Latgale is worth mentioning among different traditions, it’s one of the most vivid signs of traditional culture of Latvia. not just Latgale alone. Pretty pictures on google [x]