In the Burtnieku parish library on February 16 at At 15.00, we invite those interested to the “Stories of Names and Surnames”.
We have both a name and a surname, but does each have a story? In name stories, we can hear both very old, archetypal motifs when a child is named after celestial bodies, light phenomena or deities, we can see persistent family traditions when newborns are given the names of grandparents, but to the same extent we can observe a popular and influential public worker in a certain cultural area, the influence of famous actors, athletes or movie characters in choosing a name. Therefore, stories of family names and surnames are an excellent opportunity to promote the maintenance and transmission of storytelling traditions, thus preserving not only the ability to tell stories as part of cultural heritage, but also promoting the cohesion of the local community.
The event is the second activity of the LIVIND international pilot project “Landscape of identity: stories of names and surnames as part of the cultural space of the community” in Valmiera region. The Association of Latvian Storytellers, in cooperation with the Valmiera library, will organize five events in the region until the end of May, the first of which was held at the Rūjiena folk school at the beginning of January. In the following months, those interested will have the opportunity to join similar storytelling events in Mazsalac, Sed and Valmiera:
• March 7 at 13.00 at Burtnieku Auseklia elementary school (pupils and teachers participate);
• March 15 at 15.00 in Mazsalac city library;
• April 13 at 15.00 in the Seda city library;
• The time and place of the event in Valmiera will still be specified.
Although storytelling is a social and cultural activity that takes place in person, the preservation of these stories is an essential part of the transmission of intangible cultural heritage. A person’s name is a very strong sign of identity that reflects the ideas of the community and cultural space about luck, a good life, because “giving a name” is the first honor of life, and its ritual process is connected with the reception of a newborn into the family and wishes for a good life in the rite of crosses, as well as with the desire to give a name that protects its wearer.
By preserving the stories of the motivation for naming each individual, we get an idea of community values and their changes over time, of different approaches in the context of different ethnic cultures, and of what unites these differences. Documenting stories is a way of making the individual stories of a relatively small number of people available to the wider public, as well as preserving them for future generations. The availability of stories in a single collection ensures not only their preservation, but can serve as an incentive for others to tell their own stories, thus promoting the storytelling tradition.
The main focus of the project is on the stories of the first and last name. The initiator of the project is the Association of Latvian Storytellers in cooperation with the Valmiera Library, and its focus is on stories and storytelling as part of the living intangible cultural heritage. The goal of the project is to stimulate participation in the awareness and enrichment of one’s cultural space by promoting dialogue among community members using a story as a tool.
