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 – childhoof. Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts  What do the rich, the poor, the boy and the girl have in common? The correct answer is childhood. No matter where and when a person’s first steps begin, the child’s main goal is to become a member of society by fully integrating into it. The collection of the Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts contains many testimonies of this process, as well as various toys as well as school supplies. The only doll of archaeologist Antonija Vilcāne. Middle of the 20th century Antonija Vilcāne, a famous researcher of the Jersika castle mound and a Latvian archaeologist from Preiļi, did not play with dolls as a child, and her older brother’s toy cars seemed to her much more interesting. In the 1960s, paper dolls were very popular in Latvian schools and also A. Vilcāne loved to draw new dresses, repaint etc. The dolls desired by all the girls – “Aina” and “Baiba” – very expensive and only few could afford them. On her 16th birthday A. Vilcāne asked for a present – a doll. This first doll was very much loved and decorated as much as she could, for example, with homemade beads from apple seeds, or by borrowing a brooch shining in the dark from her mother. When Antonija went to secondary school in Preili and later to the University in Riga, the doll stayed on the bookshelf at home. Later it was donated to the Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts. Jānis Streičs’ Alphabet book. 1937   It was through the alphabet book that the children became acquainted with the language, learned how it works, how sounds turn into letters, then into words – creating a beautiful and flowing language. To make learning easier, the learning material was supplemented with pictures of the words to be taught, most of which were common nouns that the child had already become acquainted with, but at the end of the alphabet book there were some easy-to-read pieces to reinforce the knowledge. The collection of the Preiļi Museum contains an alphabet book published in the Latgalian language in the 1937, from which the famous Latvian film director Jānis Streičs born in 1936 in Preili parish learned to read. Mazpulks organisation of Rudzāti parish, 1930’s. Photograph. Participants of the Mazpulks organisation nr. 766 of Rudzāti parish Daugavpils County. Second from the left on the last row – the owner of the badges Juris Pintāns (1919-2008). The chest badge of the uniform of a participant of Mazpulks organisation. The number badge of Rudzāti parish Mazpulks organisation nr. 766. The badge of the uniform hat of a participant of Mazpulki. At the beginning of the 20th century non-governmental and civic education associations, clubs and organizations for children and young people began to form in all countries of the world. The scout and girl guides movements are more widely known, but local analogues were founded in many countries around the world. The author of the idea of ​​Latvian Mazpulks organisation is Latvian politician and head of an authoritarian regime from 1934 Kārlis Ulmanis, and he borrowed the idea from rural youth organizations in the USA. The beginning of the Mazpulks organisation is considered to be the year 1929, when the word “Mazpulks” is mentioned for the first time in writing, using the model, the main core values – Heart, Head, Health, Hands, and even visual representation in the form of a four-leaf clover leaf ​​of the American youth organisation “4H”. The aim of the organization was to promote the faster integration of young people into society by teaching them a variety of practical skills: housekeeping, crafts, technologies, creating and cultivating experimental fields, cultivating physical and artistic activities. Thus, by cultivating the idea of ​​working in agriculture and household, growing various plants and animals, seeing achievements and material benefits, a person grows, develops and becomes strong in body and spirit. Hrodna State Museum of the History of Religion The collections of the Grodno State Museum of the History of Religion contain many items that were used for children or were meant for them. These are clothes, books, paintings, and toys. Some of them are presented in this virtual exhibition. Сhristening gown, France, 1900. Flax, Valenciennes lace; «English» embroidery For centuries, the christening gown was the first item of clothing for babies in Christian countries. Usually, it was a long and wide shirt, the cutout of which made it easy to put on and take it off, and at the same time it enabled to open the hands and feet of the child for chrismation during the ritual. Most christening gowns were of white color, which symbolized the spiritual purity of the newborn. It was believed that during his baptism, Jesus Christ was also dressed in a white straight gown. In later times, christening gowns were decorated in a special way to emphasize the importance and solemnity of baptism. Among the aristocracy and wealthy townspeople, christening gowns were kept throughout a person’s life as a family heirloom. But in poor families, due to the relatively high cost, these items still passed from older children to younger ones. Usually, the christening gown was not worn, but in case of illness, when other known means did not help, the child was often dressed in it, thereby emphasizing that his life was in the hands of God. If the baby died, which happened, unfortunately, quite often in those days, the christening gown became a funeral garment for it. The presented item, which was used in urban environment and was quite typical for that time, is richly decorated with “English sewing”, a special technique that combines features of white thread embroidery, cutwork and needle lace. Despite the name, this technique appeared in the Czech Republic and was used for a long time in the … Continue reading Virtual exhibition “Childhood”