Handmade Latvia’s ethnographic mittens for NATO summit guests

25.08.2006.

To give a warmly welcome to the guests of the meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Riga, the organizers are planning to present a pair of unique, handmade Latvian ethnographic mittens to the members of NATO delegations and media representatives.

Around 300 knitters, even men, from all regions of Latvia are busy knitting 4500 pairs of mittens. Each of them will be made with unique traditional Latvian ornaments, originating from four Latvia’s geographical regions - Vidzeme, Latgale, Kurzeme and Zemgale, some of them even being as old as ten centuries.

The knitters admit that the idea of NATO summit organizers has promoted revival of knitting traditions or as they call it “Renaissance of ethnographic ornaments”.  Being symbolic to Latvia’s history they will show the guests the richness of Latvia’s culture and diversity of its ethnographic ornaments. Organizers also hope that the memories of our guests from Riga will be encrypted in the mittens.

The detailed history of thousand year old Latvian ethnographic mittens, their ornaments and meanings can be also found at the NATO Riga Summit web page http://www.rigasummit.lv/en/?id=cats&nid=696.

Information:
Elīna Lazdāne
Head of the NATO Summit Latvia Press Centre
Phone: +371 7017764
E-mail: summitpress@mod.gov.lv