Where and what is 'Malenia'? Find out this weekend!

It all sounds like fun, but if you are thinking "What the heck is Malenia, I've never heard of it," you are far from alone. According to the Latvian National Encyclopedia, Malenia ('Malēnija' in Latvian) is an area of north-eastern Vidzeme where the Maleni people speak a dialect variant of Latgalian. It "covers almost the entire Alūksne municipality (except for Liepna parish), the eastern part of Gulbene municipality and the northeastern part of the current Smiltene municipality (the former rural territory of Ape municipality). It is the Maleni speech that is the central concept that connects the beliefs, lifestyle, environment and history of Malēnija." "The dialects spoken in Malenia differ from those spoken in Latgale, although they are all considered deep Latgalian dialects... There are many features that distinguish Malenia from Latgalian speakers," explains dialect researcher Dace Markus on the Latvian Radio programme "Cultural Rondo". She emphasizes that if you ask Maleni people whether they speak Latgalian, the answer will be a resounding "No". Dialect researcher Dace Markus, who is herself Maleni, told where Maleni is located, what is characteristic of the Maleni dialect, and whether the borders of the former cultural and historical regions are still reflected in the language spoken today. Meanwhile, the organizers of the Maleni gathering, Alūksne Culture Center Deputy Director for Cultural Management Sanita Eglīte, and Jaunlaicene Manor Museum Director Kristīne Kuropatkina reveal more about the festival program. Former President of Latvia Egils Levits initiated the creation of the Latvian Historical Lands Bill, and the law came into force in 2021. Malenia was included on the map attached to the Latvian Historical Lands Act, and in 2024 its name was officially approved by the Latvian Language Expert Commission. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to define the boundaries of the areas where a particular dialect is spoken, Markus points out. The names of settlements and districts and their boundaries have changed. Nowadays, people also change their places of residence more often, moving the dialect characteristic of a particular area to another place. "I recently invited speakers of different parishes, different dialects, who live in Alūksne – in other words, in the same city – to a meeting. There were both jokes and arguments [about] who speaks Malenian more correctly and who is more Malenian," says Markus. The researcher points out that each dialect has its own characteristics and Malenians can be recognized anywhere in the world by their distinctly broken intonation. Falling and broken intonation are also characteristic of the Latgalian language, but in Malenian speech it sounds even more pronounced, explains Markus. "[The Malenian dialect is also influenced by] the fact that Malenia is closer to Estonia. We have many more borrowings from the Estonian language, especially from the Veri dialect characteristic of Southern Estonia. In Latgale, of course, the Slavic influence is stronger," says Markus, emphasizing the deep differences in the Latgalian dialects of Vidzeme and Latgale. This weekend, July 24th and 25th, the "World Malenian Festival" will take place for the fourth time. The event takes place in Jaunlaicene only once every four years, so this is the ideal opportunity to get to know the mysterious Malēnians, their culture, traditions and unique sense of humour, as well as taste Profitroļi, which despite its name should not be mistaken for profiteroles. "Fifteen years ago, while thinking about how to improve the Alūksne region's festivals, the "World Malenian Festival" was born... and we invite everyone, from any part of the world, to become a Malēnian, so come along," says one of the organizers of the gathering, Sanita Eglīte, deputy director of the Alūksne Culture Centre for cultural management. 'A Malenian can do everything from both ends' This year's holiday slogan is "Whatever works, works both ways," and the idea is explained by Kristīne Kuropatkina, head of the Jaunlaicene Manor Museum: "A Malēnian knows how to do everything from both ends. If it doesn't work out from one end, then he does it from the other, and from the very beginning, a Malēnian is confident that everything will definitely work out." Kuropatkina reveals that the Jaunlaicene Manor Museum has an exhibition "The World of the Malenian", where you can learn about the wisdom of Malenian life, traditions, and words and phrases characteristic of the Malenian dialect. The museum also explains the tradition of the Malenian card game "Puns", and the first 'Olympics' of this good-natured game will take place at the fourth World Malenian Festival. "A Book of Honour will also be opened, in which we register all Malenian residents who come to the festival - both those who have roots in Malenia and those who do not." "During the holidays, we consider everyone to be Malenians, and those who register in the Book of Honour also receive special Malenian visas, which allow them to enter Malenia from both ends and allow them to be Malenians on any other day, not just during the holidays," says Sanita Eglīte. The full programme of the fourth "World Malenian Festival" can be found here.