Riga - European Capital of Culture 2014 candidate

winter carnivalIn addition to a merry hustle and bustle,along with the scent of white snow,forests and fields, the approach of acolourful and loud group of maskedrevellers also brings blessings to eachhome and family. The “Winter Carnival”will be a fun series of events takingplace throughout the city territory. Theywill unite the carnivalesque traditionsof various nations with the characteristicsof a contemporary carnival.riga – force majeureNew Year’s festivities in Riga will ringin the year of the European Capital ofCulture.New Year’s Eve – it can safely be said thatthis holiday is celebrated by everyone. Thecollective ringing in of the New Year in theRiga city centre has become a stable tradition.A countdown of the last seconds ofthe passing year takes place and the NewYear is seen in with festive fireworks. Joyand merriment prevail; everyone joins inThe idea of a masquerade, based on ancientfertility rites, has historically been familiarto many nations. For the ancient Indo-European peoples, the New Year’s Eve wasat the beginning of what is now February,and within the Meteņi (Shrovetide) festivities,the ancient traditions of seeing off theold year have been retained. Like all thewinter holidays, it included going on mummery(ķekatas) and visits to neighbours. Afeast, gifts and giving presents to the mummersare also the ingredients of an ancientritual through which it was hoped to gainprosperity for the home, health for the people,and fertility for cattle and fields.Meteņi is the period in February before fasting,when meat is not eaten and food is muchplainer, therefore the table to mark this prefastingfestival is laid plentifully. The maskedprocessions begun on either Miķelis’ Dayin September or Mārtiņš Day in November,wind up on Meteņi, which for Latvians, alsomarks the mid-way point between the wintersolstice and the spring equinox. Usually,masks portray the spirits that their wearerswant to butter up or affect in some way.Mummers, the jolly assurers of fertility andblessings, make their last rounds from houseto house, spreading fertility in every farmsteadthey visit. The masks are the sameshared songs and dances. The culturalinstitutions of Riga will be open to its townspeopleand visitors, while events at differenttastes will offer a diversity of choices forgroups of friends or families over severaldays, on the basis of the themes outlinedin the European Year of Culture event programme.A videoconference with Riga’scooperation partners in various Europeancities will take place.If Riga is chosen to be the European Capitalof Culture 2014 promises to be a year filledwith surprising events, unexpected discoveriesand new experiences for everyone.traditional ones – the gypsy, the crane, thebear, the billy-goat, the poor man, the Jew,women dressed as men and men as women.The masks have one purpose – to ensurefertility with singing and dancing, and banishevil through magical goings-on.Maslenitsa is an ancient Orthodox holiday,celebrated seven days before the great fast,or Lent. For seven days, tambourines jangle,the sound of accordions can be heard andeveryone is dressed in colourful clothing.Market stalls sag under the weight of assorteddelicacies, while pancakes – the symbolof the sun – are especially honoured. Duringthe maslenitsa period, everyone should enjoythemselves, and daily visits to other housesor receiving guests in one’s own home are expected.To take advantage of the last days ofwinter, everyone must go sledding, ride carousels,play games, sing chastushkas (Russianfolk songs) and endlessly play the fool. Oneof the main types of entertainment is the masquerade,where everyone must be dressedup to be completely unrecognizable.What: Winter carnival.Where: Throughout the entire city.When: February 2014.Concept author and organiser:Riga’s ECC task group.For this reason, the New Year’s celebrationsmarking the beginning of the year 2014 willalso be special. A magnificent multimedialight and laser show will sketch the vision ofa future Riga – European Capital of Culture.What: Ringing in the New Year andprogramme events that last several days.Where: Throughout the entire city.When: December 31 st –January 2 nd 20014..Concept author: Riga’s ECC task groupCooperation partners: Riga City CouncilDepartment of Culture, Riga culturalinstitutions and hotels.gourmet paradise‘Where have we come from? Where arewe going? And what are we having forlunch?’ once asked the Austrian comedian,Josef Hader, regarding theseas the three most important questionspreying on the minds of contemporaryman. The growing selection of newtypes of food, services and range ofeating recommendations means wetake many individual decisions everyday. Therefore, a special challenge is todrop in on European countries troughthe ‘kitchen door’ and discover what isinteresting and practical in the culinarypropositions of different countries.The gastronomy festival is a celebration oftaste and a journey of discovery into thesecrets of the menus of different Europeancountries. During the festival, presentationsof food preparation traditions fromdifferent countries will be demonstratedin Riga’s restaurants and special menuswill be created. It is anticipated that chefswill be invited from different countries tocirque du soleil in riga?Riga is the only city in the Baltic Statesto have its own winter circus. Thepublic’s interest in the circus is unflaggingand spectators await new programmeswith great anticipation.Built more than 100 years ago (in 1888), theRiga Circus building stands today as it hasalways stood. Throughout its long life, circusperformances have continually been shownhere. Visits to the circus are one of the mostpopular types of family entertainment.The Cirque du soleil was created in 1984by a group of street artists from Quebec,promote a further exchange of experience.The closing of the festival is plannedas a sophisticated culinary experience forRiga’s inhabitants and guests. In KronvaldaPark (Kronvalda parks) near the CongressHouse (Kongresu nams), chefs will demonstratetheir skills and offer samples fortasting. The chefs will work in the open airand during the event, votes will be cast forthe most entertaining chef, the most originalserving method and of course, the besttastingfood. On stage, an auction of thechefs’ work will take place. There will alsobe a special category of food preparation –dishes from different nations prepared fromhealthy products locally grown in Latvia.An Organic Market will take place alongsidethe demonstrations of chefs’ skills.The Organic Market – whose initiatorand patron is Mārtiņš Rītiņš, Director ofRiga’s Vincents restaurant and presidentof Latvia’s Slow Food Association – in cooperationwith the Latvian Association ofBiological Agriculture, takes place everyyear in several places in Riga and hasearned growing interest from Riga’s inhabitants,especially devotees of healthy food.and its performances have been watchedby almost 40 million people in 90 citiesthroughout the world. But not yet in Riga.Why not in Riga?What/Where/When: To be announcedfollowing coordination.Concept author: Riga’s ECC task group.What: Culinary festival and campaigns inRiga’s restaurants.Where: Congress House square.When: June 2014.Concept author: Sarma Freiberga, MārtiņšRītiņš.Cooperation partners: Association ofHotels and Restaurants in Latvia, Chefs’Club, Latvia’s Slow Food Association,Latvian Association of BiologicalAgriculture, x-aģentūra.90 91