TRADITIONS LATVIA

Latvian traditional culture is the heritage from ancient times where old and longstanding traditions coexist with newer traditions

Celebrating Birthday It is celebrated every year, and in this ritual only invited guests take part: relatives, friends and acquaintances. During the day the hero of day receives the flowers and the presents. In the banquet he might have a decorated seat.

Celebrating Birthday The ritual cake is decorated with the number of candles corresponding to the anniversary. Candles have to be blown out. Another tradition is to raise the chair of the person as many times as his/her age is.

Name Day  The name day celebration is an annual celebration according to the calendar, where every day of the year one ore more persons’ names are indicated.  The bearers of the name indicated in the calendar receive flowers, congratulations and presents, yet there is an unwritten law that guests can come uninvited to the name day party.

Midsummer celebration-Jāņi All of the herbs and flowers collected at Midsummer (Jāņi) are known as Jāņi-herbs. During this time the collected herbs and roots are attributed special healing power.

Midsummer celebration-Jāņi Midsummer celebrations cannot be imagined without Jāņi- fires, which are lit before sunset and kept going until sunrise. Cheese and beer is given to all guests. People sing līgo-songs.

Midsummer celebration-Jāņi

Christmas During Christmas rooms are decorated In our time Latvians bake gingerbread cookies and decorate a firtree with lighted candles.

Christmas Christmas tradition is mumming. The mummers are costumed and in different masks. The most common traditional masks are bears, horses, cranes, wolves, goats, haystacks, tall women, small men, death, fortune-tellers, and living corpses.

Christmas Another Christmas tradition is dragging the log. This is explained as the symbolic collecting and burning of last year's problems and misfortunes. An integral part of Christmas is a generous banquet, whose most characteristic food includes a pig's head. Other traditional foods are peas, beans, saurekraut and pies.

Christmas

Easter Latvians colour eggs by boiling them in onion skins and tying different materials around the eggs before boiling which will make patterns on them.

Easter  A tried and true tradition in any Latvian household even these days is fighting or banging with the Easter eggs. Each person takes an Easter egg in their hand and thinks of a wish. Then they hit the tops of the eggs against each other. The person whose egg doesn’t crack will get his or her wish first. There are also egg rolling contests.  Something which is honorable at Easter is finding a place to hang a swing and hanging the swing.

Song and Dance Festival Since 1873 the Latvian National Song and Dance Festival has taken place. The amateur groups from all around Latvia come together every four years in Riga, in order to join their voices in a powerful chorus and dance folk dances.

Song and Dance Festival Foreigners have admitted – only here at the song festival can one fully see the wonderful and powerful soul of Latvia.

NATIONAL COSTUMES During festivals and concerts Latvians wear their national costumes which is also a part of our traditions.

RYE BREAD Latvian rye bread is symbol of Latvia which is given to our guests, which we take with us when we visit our friends in other countries. If you are in Latvia you must try it. Baking bread is a special ritual full of magic and superstitions.

Fishing Festival For several decades, it has been possible to head to the ancient seaside fishermen villages for the Fishing Festival, when visitors can enjoy seafood, pay tribute to Neptune, eat, drink, sing, dance and be merry.fishermen villages