Latvian families gather in Finland for summer camp

More than 100 people from Finland, Latvia, Sweden, Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates took part in a Latvian summer family camp in Loimaa, Finland, LSM reported.

Carpet washing, a long-standing Finnish tradition that also brings people together, was among the activities at the camp. Participants washed all the carpets at Loimaa Folk School with soap.

Teenagers also held a poetry workshop, where they created and printed a zine, a small self-published magazine, inspired by poems by contemporary authors.

Parents of older children attended a lecture on understanding children’s behaviour, while teenagers received advice on dealing with disobedient parents.

A cucumber-pickling workshop attracted participants of all ages. Organiser Ilze Liepiņa Naula said 100 kilograms of cucumbers had been used, with each participant able to pickle cucumbers for one, two or three days in their own jar.

The programme also included drawing, music and sports, as well as activities focused on nature. Participants observed bats at night and explored the forest and river during the day.

Biologist Māris Grunskis showed the children aquatic insects, spiders and snails, including a dragonfly larva. He explained that dragonflies spend one to two years living in water as larvae before becoming flying insects.

The younger generation also learned games that had been popular when their parents were young, including dodgeball, salt pillar and hopscotch. The games helped participants form new friendships.

“I met a girl from Abu Dhabi, and we became friends,” said camp participant Ģertrūde Meldere from Finland.

She said the camp gave her the chance to meet new friends, play music with new people and speak Latvian. She said she normally spoke Latvian only with her mother and not as much as she did at the camp.