Interview 4 - Arianna Cernoguzova

 Name: Raisa Cernoguzova

Year: 1963

Country: Latvian 

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

During Christmas our family would cook a lot of food, such as traditional food like meat jelly and homemade sausage which we would make out of freshly minced meat and bake in the oven. We also went carolling or as we called it "Koliadky". People would give us sweets for this. 

My siblings and I also had a tradition of gathering around the radio and listening to stories. This before we had electricity and TV so it was a special moment for us whenever we got to do it and it was one of our sources of entertainment. 

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

Whenever I have to wash jam jars now I remember how when I was little I was always forced to wash them because I had the smallest hands and could reach inside them. I'd have to do this chore often as every year our family made fresh jam out of berries and fresh fruit, we would also pickle cabbage and cucumbers in huge barrels for the winter. My favourite jam was apple jam. We also used to make our own fresh bread and it was always huge loaves. 

I also remember loving lying down on our huge stove. It was a traditional Russian stove called a pechka, and they usually had a spot for a bed on top which would be heated up from the fire below so it was very warm to lie down on. 

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

I loved rye grain porridge in sugar water

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

I loved reading a lot, especially books about the war. When I was 8 years old we got electricity and our family bought a TV. Again, I mostly watched movies about the war as it was the most popular genre at the time but I liked them. 

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

I loved dancing. We had a record player and I used to love putting on vinyls and dancing to them. I mostly danced to folk music. One of my favourite songs was about a black cat and it was considered modern at the time.

Fashion wise, I remember when I was 16 platform sandals were popular as well as knee high boots. Bell sleeved shirts were also becoming popular. 

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

I would mostly play football, skipping rope with friends and I used to help my parents in the garden. During I liked skiing and ice skating, and sledging of hills. Me and my friends would also sometimes use our backpacks as a sledge and slide down the hill behind our school. 

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

In Latvia we have wooden bathhouses called "Banyas", and one year me ad my brother decided to start a campfire near one to try to cook potatoes, but we almost set thee bathhouse on fire by accident.