Overcoming Prejudices Overcoming Prejudices through Fairy Talesthrough Fairy Tales

COMENIUS MULTILATERAL COMENIUS MULTILATERAL PROJECT PROJECT

20122012-2014-2014

LETONIA – LATVIA – LATVIJALETONIA – LATVIA – LATVIJA

THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA/ LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA • SITUATED IN THE BALTIC REGION OF NORTHERN EUROPE• OVER 2 MILLION INHABITANTS AND A TERRITORY OF 64,589 KM2.• BORDERED BY THE BALTIC SEA, ESTONIA, THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, BELARUS AND LITHUANIA. • ITS CAPITAL AND THE LARGEST CITY IS RIGA• THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IS LATVIAN.

RIGARIGA

THE LARGEST CITY OF THE BALTIC STATE

AN IMPORTANT SEAPORT AND A MAJOR INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL, CULTURAL AND FINANCIAL CENTRE OF THE BALTIC SEA REGION

LIES ON THE GULF OF RIGA, AT THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER DAUGAVA

THE LATVIAN FLAGTHE LATVIAN FLAG

ONE OF THE OLDEST FLAGS IN THE WORLD.

THE LATVIAN TRIBES HAD USED IT IN BATTLES SINCE THE 13TH CENTURY. THE MAROON IS THE BLOOD SHED BY A WOUNDED TRIBE LEADER AND THE WHITE REPRESENTS THE CLOTH USED TO WRAP HIS WOUNDS.

THE COLOURS SYMBOLIZE THE LATVIANS’ LOVE OF FREEDOM AND THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES FOR LIBERTY.

THE LATVIAN COAT OF ARMSTHE LATVIAN COAT OF ARMS

• THE SUN (MIDDLE) IS THE LATVIAN NATIONAL STATEHOOD• THE THREE STARS (ABOVE) REFER TO THE THREE HISTORICAL DISTRICTS: VIDZEME, LATGALE – EASTERN LATVIA (THE GRIFFIN) AND COMBINED COURLAND-SEMIGALIA – WESTERN LATVIA (THE LION ).• THE GREEN OAK BRANCHES – A NATIONAL SYMBOL• THE RED-WHITE-RED RIBBON IS THE LATVIAN FLAG

COINS ANDCOINS AND BANKNOTES BANKNOTES

• THE LATS/LATI IS THE LATVIAN CURRENCY

• ON 1st JANUARY 2014 LATVIA WILL ENTER THE EUROZONE

THE LATS IS SUB-DIVIDED INTO 100 SANTĪMI  (SANTĪMS)

IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF LATVIA IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF LATVIA KRIŠJĀNIS BARONSKRIŠJĀNIS BARONS

IMPORTANT WRITER AND EDITOR KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF THE DAINAS (DAINU TĒVS);

HIS PORTRAIT APPEARS ON THE 100-LAT BANKNOTE - THE ONLY HUMAN FACE OF A LIVING PERSON ON MODERN LATVIAN CURRENCY.

BARONS’WORK WAS INSCRIBED ON UNESCO’S MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER IN 2001.

EDWARD LEEDSKALNINEDWARD LEEDSKALNIN

HE WAS AN ECCENTRIC LATVIAN EMIGRANT TO THE UNITED STATES AND AMATEUR SCULPTOR WHO SINGLE-HANDEDLY BUILT THE MONUMENT KNOWN AS THE CORAL CASTLE IN FLORIDA. HE WAS ALSO KNOWN FOR HIS UNUSUAL THEORIES ON MAGNETISM .

MARIJA NAUMOVAMARIJA NAUMOVA

LATVIAN SINGER – STAGE NAME MARIE N;

SINGS POP MUSIC, JAZZ AND MUSICAL THEATRE;

HAS RECORDED SEVERAL ALBUMS WITH SONGS IN LATVIAN, FRENCH, ENGLISH, RUSSIAN AND PORTUGUESE

IN 2002 SHE WON THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST FOR LATVIA WITH HER SONG "I WANNA".

THE FOLKLORE OF LATVIATHE FOLKLORE OF LATVIALATVIANS HAVE THE RICH HERITAGE OF TRADITIONAL FOLKLORE, ESPECIALLY FOLK SONGS.

DATING BACK OVER A THOUSAND YEARS, MORE THAN 1,2 MILLION TEXTS AND 30,000 MELODIES OF FOLK SONGS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED.

LATVIAN TRADITIONAL LATVIAN TRADITIONAL COSTUMECOSTUME

ARTS AND CRAFTS,

TALENT AND LOVE

• BOTH PEOPLES HAVE PRESERVED TRADITIONAL ARTS AND CRAFS

• NATIONAL SYMBOLS CAN BE SEEN ON ALL THE OBJECTS

PREJUDICESPREJUDICES

GENERALLY, THERE ARE NOT MANY PREJUDICES AGAINST LATVIA AND THE LATVIANS.

ROMANIANS HAVE VERY FEW PREJUDICES AGAINST THE LATVIAN PEOPLE. IN FACT, WE WERE ABLE TO FIND ONLY ONE: ROMANIANS THINK THAT THE LETTS ARE OF RUSSIAN ORIGIN, WHICH IS NOT SO!

• THE TRUTH IS THAT THE LETTS ARE UNIQUE AND THEIR TRUE SELF CAN BE FOUND HIDDEN IN THEIR HEARTS...

• THEY RESEMBLE THE BEAUTIFUL AND MYSTERIOUS AMBER (DZINTARS).....

STEREOTYPESSTEREOTYPES

THERE ARE STEREOTYPES ABOUT THE LATVIAN PEOPLE AND ABOUT LATVIA BUT NOT ALL OF THEM ARE NEGATIVE.

ACTUALLY, MOST OF THEM ARE POSITIVE. FOR EXAMPLE:

IT IS SAID THAT THE PEOPLE –MEN AND WOMEN– ARE TALL AND SLIM, BLONDE AND ATTRACTIVE.

STEREOTYPESSTEREOTYPES

IT IS ALSO SAID THAT THE LATVIANS SPEAK THREE LANGUAGES: LATVIAN, ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN.

- MORE AND MORE YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN ENGLISH

- OLDER PEOPLE SPEAK RUSSIAN

STEREOTYPESSTEREOTYPES

THE ESTONIANS CALL THE LATVIANS "HORSE HEADS" OR SAY THAT THEY HAVE SIX TOES.

THE HORSE HEAD EXPRESSION SEEMS TO BE DERIVED FROM THE SHAPE OF LATVIA ON THE MAP.

THE SIX FINGERS SIGNIFY THAT THE LATVIANS ALWAYS WANT TO BE SPECIAL AND DIFFERENT FROM EVERYBODY ELSE.  

• DUE TO THEIR RICH HISTORIC HERITAGE, TRADITIONS, BELIEFS AND LEGENDS, THE LATVIANS ARE REALLY UNIQUE PEOPLE.

STEREOTYPESSTEREOTYPESANOTHER STEREOTYPE IS THAT THE LATVIANS DO NOT LIKE THE RUSSIANS AND THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE.

• WHAT THE LATVIANS DO NOT LIKE IS THE FACT THAT THE RUSSIANSDO NOT SEEM TOO INTERESTED IN LEARNING LATVIAN, THE OFFICIALLANGUAGE OF THEIR COUNTRY.

STEREOTYPESSTEREOTYPES

A WELL-KNOWN STEREOTYPE IS THAT LATVIA IS THE COUNTRY THAT SINGS.

• THE LATVIANS LOVE MUSIC AND THEY ARE QUITE TALENTED SINGERS AND THE VARIETY OF THE MUSIC FESTIVALS IS ASTONISHING!

STEREOTYPESSTEREOTYPES

THE LATVIANS LOVE THEIR FOLK MUSIC AND THEY CELEBRATE SUMMER IN AN AMAZING FESTIVAL CALLED JANI

• THIS IS RELATED TO ANOTHER STEREOTYPE: THE LATVIANS ARE MORE EXPRESSIVE AND MORE PASSIONATE THAN OTHER BALTIC COUNTRIES.

PREJUDICES, STEREOTYPES....

THE BAD NEWS IS THAT THESE IDEAS AND OTHERS QUITE LIKE THEM STILL EXIST......THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THEY CAN BE CHANGED!

IT IS UP TO US TO SEEK FOR THE TRUTH AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER AND THUS FIGHT AGAINST ALL

PREJUDICES AND STEREOTYPES!

LATVIA AND ROMANIALATVIA AND ROMANIA

LATVIA..... LATVIA..... .....ROMANIA .....ROMANIA

LETONIA & ROMÂNIALETONIA & ROMÂNIATWO BEAUTIFUL COUNTRIES AND TWO WONDERFUL HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS..... SANDY BEACHES....ON THE BALTIC SEA OR ON THE BLACK SEA COAST... NATIONAL PARKS, UNIQUE LANDSCAPES.... WARM, HOSPITABLE AND COMMUNICATIVE PEOPLE...

Overcoming Prejudices through Fairy TalesOvercoming Prejudices through Fairy Tales

This report does not necessarily represent the official position of the European Union or the Romanian

Government

COMENIUS Multilateral PROJECT 2012-2014

PROGRAMUL Lifelong Learning