Posted on September 21,
2013
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| BAUSKA MODELS |
There is a saying in the UK that you can wait
ages for a bus to come along and then three come at once – it must seem a bit
like that with this blog! I’ve neglected it a bit lately, so today I am
making up for lost time.
Last week I was at Bauska which is a corps south
of Riga near the border with Lithuania. I decided that my sermon would
highlight various ‘garments´featured in the Bible. In one of the English
versions of the Bible,
Peter talks about our putting on ‘the apron of
humility’ (1 Peter 5:5 GNB) so that was one of the garments which was featured.
It was clear from their response that the mainly female audience related to the
apron metaphor but even so, I was delighted to receive this photo during the
week. After the sermon, Major Beckett the officer there, threw out the
challenge to the ladies to bring their aprons along to the women’s meeting –
Home League as we call it in the Salvation Army – and this was the result.
So here are the ‘Bauska beauties’ in their
aprons. (I also spoke about ‘sack-cloth’ but notice that none of them turned up
thus attired!)
There is an interesting addition to the story,
and one which will doubtless get included in any sermon I preach again on this
text. One of the ladies, the second one in on the right of the picture,
is wearing the apron that she wore at her wedding. My information is that this
is a Latvian tradition, along with changing the rather gorgeous crowns that
single Latvian women wear for the rather drab (to my mind, and with apologies
to my Latvian friends) white headscarf which is a key part of the wedding
ceremony. I can only imagine that the apron and the headscarf represents the
new life of responsibility and service which the new wife is beginning. Quite
literally, it would seem, she puts on ‘the apron of humility’.
That said, I can’t think of many Latvian young
women of my acquaintance who would be too keen to keep up this tradition today!
Major Christine Bailey
Latvia – Regional Commander
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