Padure revives machine threshing traditions with restored equipment

Padure in Kuldiga Municipality has revived the tradition of communal machine threshing with old equipment, traditional crafts and games, LSM reported, citing TV Kurzeme.

The parish’s largest celebration, called “Jautrā mašīntalka”, featured the sound of a threshing machine, clouds of grain dust and demonstrations of old crafts.

The “Imanta” threshing machine once processed grain at “Vārpas” in Rumba Parish. After a long period out of use, it was brought to Padure residents and restored. It continues to attract interest.

“Those who were more skilled climbed up to the feed opening because it was more dangerous work. It has been said that someone once even lost an arm there. You had to know what you were doing: you could not feed in too much, or the belt would come off,” event visitor Arnis Celmiņš said.

The idea for holding the event came from a three-storey manor barn with a mansard roof, built in the 18th century. The article says it is the only remaining building of its kind in Latvia. Local historian Alise Volanska and like-minded residents launched the initiative more than 10 years ago.

The barn’s storage bins are filled with old household objects collected by Padure residents. Many are connected with growing grain and making bread.

“Machine threshing was, first of all, hard, exhausting, dirty and dusty work. While the machine travelled from farm to farm, the last threshing sessions usually took place in October. But once the work was finished, there was always a party with plenty of food. Sometimes it was not completed in one day and continued the next. People sometimes spent the night together there, in the stable, cowshed, shed or hay. That is why there is a saying that things are as merry as at a machine threshing gathering,” Volanska said.

The event also featured foods and traditional flavours associated with Kurzeme, including sour porridge, famine pancakes and koča.