On August 2, 2020, the project team of Turiba University visited Alsunga, the capital of the Suiti Cultural space. We participated at the regional ethnographic fair ‘Suitu tirgus’ where we disseminated the project.
This is an ethnographic fair that clearly shows the habits and lifestyle of the Suits. It is typically described by the portal ‘Lauku tīkls’ wherein it is written that ‘Six days a week, the Suiti enjoy peace, listen to the chirping of birds, roam the gardens and farms, greet the streets and wave through car windows. Sunday arrives, and suddenly Alsunga throws off its dusty work clothes, puts on its colourful costume, and turns into a noisy city. The Suiti Market, which features a variety of local crafts and early-morning home-made delicacies, runs every Sunday from spring to autumn. Every Sunday, when they come to the market, these home-made products, known to all the locals of Alsunga, suddenly appear together and tempt both locals and visitors with sklandraus, cakes, soups, handicrafts, artwork, shirt printing and masterclasses. In the market, you can not only eat and linger at one table but also buy delicacies for the whole week, provide gifts for relatives or pamper yourself’ (http://www.laukutikls.lv/nozares/lauku-telpa-uznemejdarbiba/raksti/majrazotaju-un-amatnieku-tirgus-alsunga).
This is a typical description of the atmosphere at the fair. We were given an opportunity to disseminate our project at this regionally significant event both to sellers and customers. We had a stand there and we also distributed the project leaflets. Moreover, we had a separate meeting with the local history and art teachers who told us some interesting facts concerning the life of the Suiti. And on top of that, we could experience this unique culture and traditions ourselves! We estimate that around 100-120 people showed real interest in our project.
Prof. Ineta Luka
Turiba University
Project coordinator
