Scholarly record

FESTIVITIES AS VIEWED BY THE CITIZENS OF LATGALE: EVALUATION OF THE CONTEMPORARY SITUATION

Oksana Kovzele

Abstract

Important changes affecting different areas of human life are taking place due to the globalization processes, thus the issue of cultural memory has become especially topical. Festivities as one of the most consistent forms of spiritual culture and the guarantee for a long existence of a nation as a whole are transforming significantly in circumstances of the contemporary post-industrial society. Not only the forms, functions and content of the festivities are changing, but also peopleВ’s attitude towards festivities, their views and knowledge about the culture and meaning of the festivities. In festivities the spiritual and social search of the age, the changeability of the relationships between the individual and the society are revealed, thus they are identified as a seal of fixation of the changes taking place in the society and a way of integration. The aim of the research is to find out the views on festivities, their meanings and functions existing in contemporary society and to what extent such demographic indicators as gender, age, ethnicity, education level, place of residence determine them. The research is based on a survey conducted in Latgale, the southeast region of Latvia, during a three months period, where respondents of different ages and social groups were asked to fill in an extended survey. The research performance indicators: 467 surveys filled in by the citizens of Latgale. The research methods: survey, quantitative and qualitative processing of the data.

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