20-06-1995
Latvian church Dievturi is the revival of Latvian ancient religion. In 1926 C. E., Dievturi church was registered as a religious community. Until 1940, Dievturi activities were wide: They celebrated Solstices and other Latvian seasons festivals, organized familial traditions in Latvian style. Dievturi church popularized the Latvian style of life and thinking, issued many books, and so on...
In 1940, Russian occupation closed down Dievturi church and their leader E. Brastins was killed in a Russian prison in 1942.
After World War II, Dievturi church could exist only in exile. Only in 1989 - when soviet empire was collapsing - Dievturi church was re-established and registered as a religious community again.
Today, Latvian church Dievturi consists of 5 parishes with members all over Latvia and in other countries. At present, Dievturi church continues the activities which were begun before WW II. Dievturi organizes and celebrates Solstices and other festivals according to Latvian ancestor's traditions. Dievturi organizes summer camps, issues books, news booklets, popularizes folklore in all forms, investigates history and carries out other activities.
Dievturi Church cooperates with Lithuanians old religion revival, a spiritual and folklore movement Romuva and with other pagan movements.
Word "Dievturi" in translation from Latvian means: "Persons who hold God's laws" or "Persons who live according to God's Laws". "God's Laws" are basic principles of existence in accordance with which must be all in the Universe. Latvian ancestors - Balts - knew very well those principles. They discovered them in Nature's observations, because Latvian religion is Nature's religion. Dievturi Church is of the opinion that man is only a component of Nature, not God of Nature. Because men must live in harmony with Nature, men must care for it, protect it and respect it. These principles is the basis of Balts' religion, life and thinking style. Those principles today are found in many sources.
One part of those sources have come from centuries through the nation's memory and were given from one generation to other orally. In such way, folk songs (for about 1,2 millions), legends, beliefs, proverbs, folk-tales, and so on... have been preserved. Those sources were started to put down on paper seriously only in XIX century.
The other part of sources is historical and cultural monuments of Latvian ancestors: sacred places, castle hills, megalith stone's piles, sign writing and so on... The most part of these were created mainly in times before the christian invasion in Baltic in the 13th century. One of the main task of Dievturi is to realize, to investigate and to keep in order maintain those monuments. This work is important for all Nordlandic religions and nations who are interested in Indo-European's roots finding and realizing.
Dievturi Church does not negate others religions and understandings of God but they think that every religion must be in its own place: Hinduism in India, Islam in arab countries, Judaism in Israel, and so on...
Dievturi Church is interested in contacts with all persons, movements and religions with similar ideas and activities.
Valters Grivins
Talavas Dievturu parish is an independent member of Latvia's Dievturi Church. We are registered as a religious community in 1991. Like all other Dievturi parishes we revive and continue the ancient religion of Balts - Latvians' and Lithuanians' ancestors. Our parish has good contacts with all other Dievturu parishes in Latvia and with Dievturi movements in Canada and in Germany.
We also are looking for contacting, information exchange, cooperation with all persons, movements, religions etc., which have similar ideas and activities. We have particular interests in Northern Europe, therefore we think that only in common effort Northern folks can revive their own life and thinking style, their original religions... In this direct first achievement is our friendship and collaboration with Lithuanians' Romuva.
Our parish is named after one of the states of Latvian ancestors - "Talava". Location of Talava was in the North-East of present Latvia, with the center near town Valmiera. Talavas Dievturi' parish unite all persons, living today in the ancient Talava territory who are interested in revival of the old religion and world outlook. Of course, Latvians from other regions of Latvia are welcomed in our parish if they don't have Dievturi movement in their own living place.
Talavas Dievturi parish center is in town Valmiera. Therefore our activities are connected mainly with Valmiera and neighborhood. Regularly we celebrate eight Latvian main season festivals - summer and winter Solstices, spring and autumn equinox and other four which mark season change. We also celebrate family festivals - namings, weddings, funeral ceremonies, according to our ancestors traditions.
These activities are common to all Dievturi parishes but our parish puts emphasis on other activities as well. That includes Balts' historical and cultural monuments' realization, investigation and keeping in order, their maintenance. We have in our management Balts' holy place called "Grebi", whereabouts of which is for about 30 km from Valmiera. There is our ancestors' sacred hills and castle mound, there is also stone museum or "Church of Mara", formation of which we started in 1991. It consists mainly of sacred stones which we take from destroyed sacred places, megalith stone piles, etc. In 1991 we started also to maintain all the territory of protected complex (4,1 ha) and it is a regular work. In future we have plans to reconstruct Balts' wooden castle on the castle mound and to reconstruct the holy place on sacred hill.
Besides work in "Grebi" we go regularly is research expeditions in which we search for new monuments (Sacred stones, sign writings, sacred hills or places. etc.) and investigate the known ones. We inform society about our work by newspaper articles (it is hard to do because often many publishers isn't interested in Dievturi' activities popularization). Our parish leader Ojars Ozolins published a book about the life of ancient Talava and its place in the cosmic expanse ( for the present book is in Latvian only). Book is miracled not only Talavas inhabitants, but all Balts' world outlook and cosmology. It's telling about sign writing, holy places' arrangement, etc. O. Ozolins in co-operation with film studio "Kaupo" have taken film "'The way of Sun". It is a documentary film where are seen Balts' holy places, their world model, cosmology. Book and film are in Latvian, but we hope at some time or other to translate those into English.
Talavas Dievturi Parish have also other activities and future plans. We're interested in giving more information about us and our work to persons interested in that from North European countries because we plan to issue a newsletter in English. If we will have possible, we'll issue also other literature booklets, books, etc.
Any contribution is welcomed for quicker fulfilling of this work. If you're interested in helping us, or in contacts with us, write me and I'll be happy to answer you personally.
Valters Grivins, P. N. Koceni, Valmieras Raj, LV- 4220, Latvia
"BR" address: Romuva - Vivulskio 27-4 LT - 2009 Vilnius Lithuania
Note: this page is a mirror maintained by bratwurst@vinland.org.
The original document is at
http://www.ifispan.waw.pl/research/paganism/dievturi.htm