Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts (Latvia), Grodno State Museum of the History of Religion (Belarus) and Panevezys Local Lore Museum (Lithuania) joint virtual exhibition – ethnic diversity.   Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts Old Believers’s community in Preili Preili, like the rest of Latgale territory, has developed in the last four centuries as a multicultural and multi-confessional settlement. Historically, the largest ethnic groups that settled next to Latvians in the area of Preiļi were Russians (Old Believers) and Jews. The arrival of Old Believers into the territory of Latvia was determined by the split in the Orthodox Church in Russia caused by the reform of church ceremonies in 1653. As a result, Old Believers who did not accept the innovations introduced by Patriarch Nikon were severely persecuted and many were forced to flee to the outskirts of Russia or even leave their homeland. Some of them from the second half of the 17th century settled in Latgale, which at that time was part of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. Old Believers’ settlements were also established in the vicinity of Preiļi – in 1729, an Old Believer congregation was founded 5 km from Preiļi in Moskvina, while in Preiļi the Old Believers’ congregation was founded in 1906. Preserving the traditions of their ancestors and a strong Christian faith, the Old Believers lived alongside other inhabitants of Latgale in harmony, engaged in agriculture, handicrafts, timber rafting. In the cities worked in construction, engaged in trade. Until nowadays, Old Believers have managed to preserve their faith and cultural values, which are still nurtured and passed on to younger generations. The Preiļi Museum of History and Applied Arts holds evidence of the cultural and historical heritage of Old Believers, which includes everyday and religious objects, photographs and memoirs. In cooperation with the Old Believer community and its representatives, exhibitions are organized.     Made as a wedding blouse by Javdokija Semjonova (1902–1997) in 1920’s in Vainova parish of Rezekne district. Sewn from pieces of blue and red cotton cloth embroidered in a cross-stitch and connected by crochet bands of white cotton. Sleeve ends crocheted. The object was donated to the museum by maker’s daughter Pelageja Hrapunova. The blouse can be seen in the exposition of the Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts “Museum Stories for Latvia”.     Beginning of the 20th century. Used by Vassa Loginova (1901–1990), a member of the Moskvina Old Believers Church. Obtained during the expedition “Old Believers’ Cultural Heritage” organized by Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts in 2009. In the old Russian tradition, lestovka symbolizes the stairs from earth to heaven. Made of intertwined brown leather threads – steps. The pendants are made up of four leather-covered paper triangles that symbolize the number of gospels.   Middle of the 20th century. Preili Old Believers Church was built in the 1920s, however, it burned down and the congregation restored it from 1928 to 1938. The church was located on Raina Boulevard, in the territory of the nowadays Preili Hospital complex. During the construction of the new hospital building in 1961, the Preiļi District Council decided to demolish the church, leaving only the gate without the cross. After Latvia regained its independence, in 1992-1996 the Preili Old Believers congregtion built a new church elsewhere in the city. In 2018, the gate was restored at the historic site of the church on Raina Boulevard.   Hrodna State Museum of the History of Religion National minorities The multinational character of the Grodno region was developing over the centuries. Geographical location and historical events significantly influenced the ethnic diversity of the inhabitants of the city and the region. Today, large ethnic groups in the Grodno region are the Belarusians, Poles, Russians, Lithuanians, Tatars, and Jews. In addition to them, a significant contribution to the economic and cultural development of the region was made by the Germans, Ukrainians, Latvians, Armenians, French and representatives of other peoples. A lot of cultural heritage sites associated with the activities of various nationalities have survived. In the case of some peoples, the preservation of their ethnic identity was also facilitated by the fact that they historically practiced a religion different from the majority of the population did. The funds of the Grodno State Museum of the History of Religion contain many items related to the history and culture of various ethnic groups living in the city and the region.     Talliet (or tallit) is a kind of special religious clothing of the Jewish believers, which is used during the prayer. Talliet has the shape of a rectangle and somewhat resembles a coverlet. It is worn in a special way. With the help of this element of the wardrobe the believer plunges into a state of prayer and as if closes himself off from the outside world, focusing on communication with God. The talliet presented here was made from woolen fabric in Belarus in the second half of the 20th century. There is information that special factories for the manufacture of talliets and other items of Jewish clothing appeared on our lands at the end of the 18th – first half of the 19th century. The Jewish population has retained a strong ethnic identity and a special way of life thanks to Judaism, one of the most ancient religions on Earth. Jewish communities on the territory of Belarus appeared in the 14th century. Communities in Grodno and Brest were among the first to appear.     The Tatars were invited by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt to the lands of modern Belarus in the 14th century. They retained their identity mainly because they were adherents of the Islamic faith. Over time, the Tatars lost their native language and began to speak Belarusian and some other languages ​​in everyday communication. In addition, living together with representatives of other peoples contributed to the interpenetration of traditions and the creation of special cultural phenomena such as handwritten books, household items and religious cult. Among them, … Continue reading Virtual exhibition “Ethnic diversity”