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WE. CELEBRATIONS. THE STATE A Sociological Study of How National Holidays are Celebrated RIGA 2008 We.Celebrations.The State 2007/2008 This document was prepared with the financial support of the European Union. The Baltic Institute of Social Sciences is fully responsible for the content of the publication, and nothing herein shall be taken to represent the views of the European Union. Academic editor: Dr.sc.soc. Brigita Zepa Authors: Brigita Zepa, Evija Kļave, Oksana Žabko, Līga Krastiņa, Iveta Bebriša, Zane Jansone, Lelde Vaivode, Liene Beriņa Project directors: Inese Šūpule, Evija Kļave Empirical materials for the study prepared by: Inese Šūpule, Evija Kļave, Oksana Žabko, Līga Krastiņa, Iveta Bebriša, Indra Strautiņa, Lelde Vaivode, Liene Beriņa, Ilze Ieviņa, Viesturs Vēveris, Elgars Felcis, Dainis Grīnvalds Translation: Kārlis Streips © Baltic Institute of Social Sciences, 2008 ISBN 978-9984-9940-3-1 © Baltic Institute of Social Sciences, 2008 2 We.Celebrations.The State 2007/2008 Content Introduction.................................................................................................................. 4 Conclusions and recommendations ..................................................................... 6 Celebrating state holidays: practice and research in different countries........................................................................................................................ 20 The investment of state holidays in a sense of community in society............................................................................................................................. 23 Celebration of state holidays in Latvia in 2007 ............................................... 28 1. Celebrations from the perspective of observers........................... 28 2. The discourse of the holiday in public addresses......................... 60 3. Views about holiday objects and proceedings – results of express surveys.................................................................................... 73 4. The views of local rezidents about state holidays and the 78 way in which they are customarily celebrated.......................... 5. Celebration of state holidays in schools........................................... 109 6. Holiday discourse in the mass media................................................ 120 7. Strategies for organising state holidays........................................... 164 References ...................................................................................................................... 196 Description of the research ........................................................................................ 198 © Baltic Institute of Social Sciences, 2008 3 We.Celebrations.The State 2007/2008 Introduction The well known American sociologist Amitai Etzioni is one of very few researchers to have focused on the sociological examination of celebrations. One of his books is called “We Are What We Celebrate”. This is a suggestive phrase which encourages us to look at holidays and how they are celebrated from different aspects. On the one hand, holidays and celebrations have something important to say about the relevant society. In the context of national holidays, these are issues about a sense of community with the state and its population, about loyalty and the various manifestations of patriotism. On the other hand, the visions, planning, organisation and celebration of holidays can offer ways of shaping the aforementioned properties among members of the public. Researchers in Latvia have done very little work in the area of holidays, except for research focused on the Latvian Song Festival.1 When it comes to national holidays and how they are celebrated, however, there has been no specific research. Specialists have not focused on the celebration of national holidays as a factor which promotes civic understanding and national identity. There are many arguments in the scholarly literature about how public celebrations and rituals affect the emergence of common value in a society, how they strengthen emotional links. We know of traditions in many countries which relate to the celebration of important holidays. This is true in the United States, Canada, India, Norway and many other countries where national holidays are seen as a very important way of forming the sense of a civic community. The aim of this study is to offer a thorough analysis of how national holidays are celebrated and to reveal the way in which this promotes unity in society. We also seek to reveal those things which limit joy about holidays. What is it about our celebrations which drives some people away, facilitating greater alienation vis-à-vis the country and its government? The study will serve as an informative framework for the establishment of conceptual justifications and scenarios for holidays. At the centre of the study is research about how four state holidays were celebrated in 2007. These were May 1, which is alternatively known as Labour Day, as the date when the Latvian Constitutional Convention was assembled in the early days of independence after World War I, and the date on which, in 2004, Latvia joined the European Union; May 4, the date on which the Soviet Latvian parliament declared the reestablishment of Latvian independence in 1990; November 11, which is known as Lāčplēša Day and is Latvia’s version of Veteran’s Day; and November 18, the date on which the Republic of Latvia was established in 1918. Researchers observed the way in which these holidays were celebrated. Surveys were conducted among local residents, experts were interviewed, and focus groups were set up. Particular attention was focused on how holidays are celebrated in schools. Observations were made, and teachers, principals and students were interviewed. 1 The most important of these studies focused on how the Song Festival influences the emergence of national identity. Certain aspects of national holidays are reviewed in studies focused on ethnic integration and tolerance. See, e.g., Zepa, B., E. Kļave, et al (2004) „Cittautiešu jauniešu integrācija Latvijas sabiedrībā izglītības reformas kontekstā” (Integration of Non-Latvian Young People Into Latvia’s Society in the Context of Education Reform), Baltic Institute of Social Sciences. See also Zepa, B., L. Krastiņa, et al (2004) „Etniskā tolerance un Latvijas sabiedrības integrācija” (Ethnic Tolerance and Integration in Latvian Society), Baltic Institute of Social Sciences. © Baltic Institute of Social Sciences, 2008 4 We.Celebrations.The State 2007/2008 This document consists of an introduction and seven chapters. The introductory section offers a brief review of how holidays are celebrated and of the research traditions that have been brought to bear here. There are also conclusions and recommendations that have emerged from the research work. The first section of the result analysis, “Celebrations From the Perspective of an Observer”, considers the events which are part of holidays, focusing on organisational successes and failures, as well as the reaction of participants to what is happening. The second section, “Holiday Discourse in Public Speech”, uses discourse analysis to discover the most important aspects of such discourse, focusing, too, on the schemes of argumentation that are used in such speech. The third section, “Public Opinion About Holiday Proceedings”, looks at the views of local residents vis-à-vis holidays in May and November and the things that happen during those holidays. Post-holiday surveys were conducted for this purpose. The fourth section is “Local Residents on National Holidays and Customs of Celebration Therein”, considers the way in which local residents interpret national holidays, also analysing the celebrations which are habitual during those holidays. The fifth section, “Celebrating National Holidays at School”, focuses on the participants (students, teachers), as well as the events and objects of the holiday (preparations, events, speeches, performances, etc.). The sixth section, “Holiday Discourse in the Mass Media” analyses the way in which national holidays and related celebrations are reflected in Latvia’s leading Latvian and Russian language newspapers, Internet portals and television channels. Finally, the seventh section is “Strategies for Organising National Holidays and an Evaluation of Same”. Here the authors focus on the views of experts as to how holidays are organised, how they have been celebrated, and what their future prospects might be. © Baltic Institute of Social Sciences, 2008 5 We.Celebrations.The State 2007/2008 Conclusions and Recommendations This research makes it possible to review preparations for national holidays and the celebration of such holidays as three important components of political processes: Investment – process – result. The foundation for the investment consists of the resources and organisational processes that are needed to prepare for the holiday. The process is made up of the events of the holiday themselves – ceremonial speeches, ceremonies, concerts, and many other events, some with the participation of the audience. The result is made up of the feelings and emotions which participants glean from the holiday (Figure 1). The research shows that celebrations of national holidays, the amount of time spent in organising the celebrations, and the resources and artistic solutions that are put to use reflect the personal sense of organisers vis-à-vis the purpose of the celebrations

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