Ethnographical ensemble
Raipole

Festival Baltica-97 in Riga, Dzeguzkalns, 13 July 1997

      Name: Raipole
          meaning: toponym
          recommended transcription in English: Raipole
          approximate pronunciation in English: Raipuole
          Listen pronunciation in AU format (14 Kb)

      Created: 5 December 1975
      Location: Lurupi, Nirza parish, Ludza distr., Latgalia
      Leader: Jevgeņija Bogdanova
      Number of participants: 12, of them by age:
          from 25 to 44 years: 4
          from 45 to 64 years: 6
          older than 64 years: 2
      and by gender:
          males: 2
          females: 10
      Forms of activity: sing, play roundelays

      Description: Raipole - a cultural-historical region containing Nirza parish and partially - Rundani and Pildene parishes. As a legend has it, the name Raipole has been established so: Once local, Latgalian, peasants were mowing as some Russian soldiers passed. Soldiers marvel the beauty of the landscape and say: "Šąéńźīå ļīėå!" ("A paradise field!"). The peasants hear the unfamiliar words, they sound pleasant, they nickname this place Raipole.
    Once from my father's farmstead I heard the state-farm women singing during dinner time at our spring. An idea came to my head: to write down, to keep, to popularize! Adherents appeared.
    With our brigade leader we went from farm to farm and persuaded people able to sing, to dance or to play - come and rehearse! It did succeed. We sang, danced, the band (squeeze box, violin, zither, drum) played. It was on 5 December 1975 in Lurupi club. And on December 21 we acted in Riga, on television.
    Years have gone, our membership has changed, but the ensemble exist. We sing local songs, more than sixty in our repertoir. Our band, regrettably, does not exist, because all our old musicians deceased.
    We have repeatedly acted in Ludza, and also in Rezekne, Riga, Sigulda, Zilupe, Karsava, Vilani, on the Kurgan of friendship. We have participated in all arrangements of our parish.
    In 1996-1997 we have recorded a videofilm about christening, funeral, joint working, wedding and others songs. It was a large work and, as other people say, had been done quite well.

20'th anniversary of ensemble, November 1995

      Sound sample: Nikur nav tāi labi (There are no a better place) (1998)
One couplet in AU format (265 Kb)
Full song in MP3 format (356 Kb)

      Address:
          in Latvian: Jevgeņija Bogdanova, Jundas, Lūrupi, p/n Raipole, Ludzas raj., LV-5736, Latvija
          in English: Jevgenija Bogdanova, Jundas, Lurupi, p/o Raipole, Ludza distr., LV-5736, Latvia

      Date of presenting the information: 25 August 1998