1. Overcoming Prejudices
through Fairy Tales
COMENIUS MULTILATERAL
PROJECT
2012-2014

2. LETONIA – 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.

3. RIGA
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

4. THE 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.

5. THE 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

6. COINS AND BANKNOTES
THE LATS IS SUB-DIVIDED INTO 100 SANTĪMI (SANTĪMS)
• THE LATS/LATI IS THE
LATVIAN CURRENCY
• ON 1st JANUARY 2014
LATVIA WILL ENTER
THE EUROZONE

7. IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF LATVIA
KRIŠJĀNIS 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.

8. EDWARD 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 .

9. MARIJA 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".

10. THE FOLKLORE OF LATVIA
LATVIANS 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.

11. LATVIAN TRADITIONAL
COSTUME

12. ARTS AND CRAFTS,
TALENT AND LOVE
• BOTH PEOPLES HAVE
PRESERVED
TRADITIONAL ARTS
AND CRAFS
• NATIONAL SYMBOLS
CAN BE SEEN ON ALL
THE OBJECTS

13. PREJUDICES
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).....

14. STEREOTYPES
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.

15. STEREOTYPES

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

16. STEREOTYPES
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.

17. STEREOTYPES
ANOTHER 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 RUSSIANS
DO NOT SEEM TOO INTERESTED IN LEARNING LATVIAN, THE OFFICIAL
LANGUAGE OF THEIR COUNTRY.

18. STEREOTYPES
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!

19. STEREOTYPES

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.

20. 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!

21. LATVIA AND ROMANIA

22. LATVIA.....
.....ROMANIA

23. LETONIA & ROMÂNIA
TWO 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...

24. Overcoming Prejudices through Fairy Tales
COMENIUS Multilateral PROJECT
2012-2014
PROGRAMUL Lifelong Learning
This report does not necessarily represent the official
position of the European Union or the Romanian
Government