Transcript Traditional Christmas in Latvia

Traditional Christmas in
Latvia
Merry Christmas!
Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus or Merry
Christmas!
• In Latvia, Christmas begins with the
Advent season. Advent wreaths can be
seen everywhere as Latvians busily
shop for Christmas presents for family
and friends
Merry Christmas!
• Christmas is celebrated all Latvia. Most
Latvians go to churchs on Christmas
Eve rather than on Christmas Day
Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus!
• Families also come together for most
important Christmas meal on
Christmas Eve
• The special meal is cook brown beans
with bacon sauce, small pies, cabbage
and sausage
Merry Christmas!
• Gingerbread is baked at almost every
home
Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus!
• Families give each other presents after
the meal
• In order to get a present, you have to
say short poem standing beside the
Christmas tree
Merry Christmas!
• Santa Claus /Ziemassvētku Vecītis in
Latvian – Father Christmas/ comes to
the children on Christmas Eve
Earlier was so
• In Latvia the Christmas celebration is
know as Ziemassvētki or winter
festival. The festival is a direct
descendent of ancient winter solstice
celebrations. Central element to
Ziemassvetki is the log burning which
involves groups of people dragging a
log around the house during the day,
burning the log all night singing ritual
songs and drinking beer
Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus!
• The earliest mention of a decorated
Christmas tree in Latvia is found is found in
legal documents from the city of Riga. In
1510 it is stated that members of the local
merchant guild carried a Firtree decorated
with artificial roses to the marketplace. They
danced around it and then set it on fire. The
reasoning behind this has been lost to
history, though it may have been associated
with the ancient tradition of the Yule Log
Merry Christmas!
• On Christmas Eve the family gathers around the tree
and sings traditional Christmas carols. Traditional
foods served during this time include pork, pig's
snout, pig's feet, beans, whole grains, peas and a
variety of breads and rolls. Each food has a
meaning: e.g. eat a pea you'll cry one day less; eat a
bean one day you will mature; eat a pig's snout you
will write a great deal; eat a dumpling there will be
many sunny days. Later, Father Christmas may visit.
He is a stern looking man dressed in gray and has a
long white beard. He brings gifts for the good
children and for the bad ones he gives them stickswitches
Decorations
• The straw ornaments are made out of
material found in the fields. There are also
several cross shapes made from the tops of
wheat. The straw ornaments are made into
geometric shapes from simple to more
complex designs
• The garlands are made from cranberry,
apples and pinecones
• The tree was originally decorated with lit
candles though today electrified candles are
used
Traditional decorations photo
gallery
Merry Christmas!