Year 2018 - “Year of Honorary Families”
The role of family has changed over time, however, it is not possible to overvalue its importance. Especially in Latvia where strong and large families have developed historically. Everyone who has tried to investigate his or her family tree may ascertain that about a hundred years ago ten and even more children were traditionally brought up in Latvian families.
Latvian geniuses who have founded Latvian national self-confidence and facilitated Latvian statehood have grown up in large families themselves – as for example Krišjānis Barons, Krišjānis Valdemārs, Kārlis Skalbe, Jānis Čakste and Kārlis Ulmanis.
A country is not able to exist without people! Therefore, this year, when we are celebrating Latvia’s centenary it is even more important to remember and honour families, especially large families who have given and will give substantial contribution to ensuring the national growth.
Upon celebrating the foundation anniversary of Latvia, it has been offered to announce 2018 as the year of “Honorary Families” when it is planned to express gratitude and emphasize the contribution of all large Latvian families – those whose children have already grown up, and those who give their special contribution regarding the current tense demographic situation by bringing up more children.
A strong family is based on stable relationship. The relationship and its quality are largerly dependent on the society in which a copuple lives. Therefore, it is important to break the negative stereotypes and generally strengthen the idea of marriage, family and children as values in society and individually in each member of the society. Then large families will also develop!
The time for children – the future of the Latvian society directly depends on its children. Children are not only necessary for physical existence (population) of any country, but they are also a precondition for growth of the country because our children will build, develop and manage this country in the future. At the same time, we may not forget the daily life – how much we as the society and each of us dedicate and find time for children already now. Therefore the “time for children” should be found now.
By developing Latvia as the most family-friendly country and gradually starting to implement “Demographic Recovery Programme of the Society “Māras solis”, the year 2018 is announced as “Year of Honorary Families” by organizing a wide programme for honouring large families within the framework of Latvia’s centenary events.