Interview 1 - Arianna Cernoguzova

Name: Aksana Cernoguzova 

Year: 1981

Country: Latvian/Russian

1. Did you have any family or cultural traditions growing up

Yes, in our culture we celebrate Christmas on New Years Eve. Some things we would do to celebrate would involve putting a grape into a glass of champagne, and making a wish while we drank it just as the clock hit 12 midnight. It was said that this would make your wish come true.

Easter was also different for us. We celebrate Easter according to the Orthodox calendar. We would decorate hard boiled eggs for Easter, and on Easter morning we would knock the eggs off each other as a competition to see whose cracks first. We then ate the eggs with special bread we baked for Easter.

2. Was there an activity or object in your childhood that you would associate specifically with your culture growing up?

An activity would include another celebration called Ligo which was specifically a Latvian traditional celebration. It is similar to bonfire night in other culture. We would weave flower wreaths/chains and jump over bonfires with friends. 

Another memorable activity/tradition in Latvian schools was 'the last bell', which was when girls would dress up in a special uniform for their graduation from primary school. This special uniform would resemble another special uniform worn by girls on their first day in first class of primary school. It symbolises how they grew from first class to ninth class.

3. Did you have a favourite dish from your culture growing up?

 Yes, kartoshka. This is a dessert that resembles the shape of a potato, where it gets its name from.(kartoshka in russian translates to potato). It's made from leftover sponge cake, cream, cocoa powder and condensed milk.

4. Was there any media (such as cartoons or movies) from your country that had an impact on your childhood?

My favourite movie was "Children of Captain Grant" however the most memorable piece of media I remember from the time was "Goodnight Children". It was a TV show that ran before bedtime every work day. It had puppets who would first talk to each other and to the audience before showing a daily cartoon to help children unwind for bedtime.

Another memorable piece of media was "Guests in a Story" which would play every Sunday and it was a show which would show old Russian fantasy/folklore inspired films.

5. What kind of things were popular during your childhood? (Pop culture, hobbies, etc.)

Girls enjoyed sewing their own clothes while boys enjoyed woodwork. Pop culture wise - we had a show which would play every New Years Eve and would have popular singers sing popular songs from that year.

6.Were there any popular activities you would partake in with friends that you associate specifically with your culture?

We had a lot of outdoor games however the one I remember myself and a lot of other kids playing a lot was a game we all called the "elastic band game". This involved two people holding a huge elastic band or material open with their legs while counting up to ten, and at the same time a third person would jump in and out of the elastic band while having to do a different movement for each different number.

7.Can you retell a memorable experience you had as a child which you associate with your culture?

 There was a very important test in school day, however the night before there was a huge snowstorm so the school buses weren't running in the morning. Instead of giving up I forced not only myself, but some of my other class mates to walk 6km in snow up to our waists to get to school. This happened when I was 14 years old.