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Sveiki
from Latvia "Oaks and Lindens are considered
the national trees of Latvia. The oak and the linden tree are characteristic
elements of the Latvian landscape. Both trees are still widely used
for medical purposes. Medicinal infusions are made of linden blossoms
as well as oak bark. Latvian dainas (folk songs) often reflect ethical
and moral concepts of earlier times. Amongst other trees, these folk
songs most often mention the oak and linden tree." |
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"In traditional Latvian folk
beliefs and folklore the linden tree is looked upon as a female symbol,
but the oak - a male symbol. The nation's reverence for these trees,
which in earlier times were considered sacred, can be witnessed, for
example, in a landscape where, in the middle of a cultivated field there
still remains a lone large, sacred oak or linden tree".
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Two linden trees in Riga.
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Linda show us the leaves. An autumn coloured leaf. |
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"Elku liepa" the thickest linde in Baltic
states. Elku means something old and magic, something close to paganic
gods. It is 8,5 m thick, and about 350 years old."
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"The thickest Latvia oak is named "Kaives dizozols". It is situated near the village of Kaive and "dizozols" means great oak in latvian. It is without top already about 100 years old, when in 1920 years a stroke of lightning killed it. Now it is about 10 m thick and 700 years old."
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Oak tree "We travelled to the Riga border (about 1 hour by tram). We went to find one of the biggest oak trees in Riga (5,5 m)..."
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Beautiful dances in marvellous forests.
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Thank you to Tanja Gvozdeva, teachers
and students (from the Riga Pupil's palace) for these beautiful images.
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