Latvija

New Year’s Day

1. Ringing in the New Year, with all the festivities that come with it, usually starts in the evening of December 31^st. 
2. It is one of the most thrilling Latvian annual events. 
3. Usually people stay up until past midnight, exactly at midnight they toast each other with champagne, wishing everyone a happy New Year.

Easter

1. Easter holidays usually last three days: Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday
2. Lieldienas, “The Great Day”, “Great Days” – these are designations used in the folk songs for the spring equinox. 
3. In villages the Easter Morning begins with the calling and awaking of birds so they may protect the people from evil and sickness. People then hurry to wash their faces in a spring or a stream running eastwards. 
4. One of the most important Easter rituals is hanging the swing and swinging. When swinging at Easter, one must not stop the swing – it must stop on its own. Only when the swinging is gentle, will the flax field finish its blooming without being beaten by rain or wind. 
5. Eggs are coloured with onion skins, rye shoots, chamomile or hay cuttings. 
6. Eggs are knocked together to see which one survives the cracking, as according to an old belief, the one whose egg shell was stronger, will live longer. 
7. During Easter, eggs are rolled and eaten in great quantities, because in addition to round flatbreads and sprouted grains, they are primary Easter foods.

Mother’s Day (the second Sunday in May)

1. The essence of this family occasion lies in the view that mother represents the main pillar of a strong family.

Midsummer (June 22^nd)

1. All of the flowers collected at Midsummer (Jani) are known as Jani-herbs, and the day before Midsummer is often called a Herb Day. 
2. Herbs and roots collected during this time are attributed with a special healing power, which is useful for healing both people and livestock. 
3. Midsummer herbs are plaited in wreaths and included in all bouquets. 
4. Women and girls make wreaths for all celebrants to wear – women wear flower wreaths while men wear wreaths made of oak leaves or twigs. 
5. Places important in farmer’s life are decorated with Midsummer herbs. 
6. One of the most important herbs in Latvia is the mythical blooming fern, which, according to a legend, opens its magic golden flower only on Midsummer Eve. 
7. Midsummer Eve is a magic night when one may meet Mother Laima (Earth) herself and Dievins. 
8. For the midsummer celebrations the mistress of the house makes cheese and the master brews beer. All the celebrants are helped to them – with cheese and beer come the blessings of nature and God. 
9. The songs, dances, and rituals of Midsummer bring blessing to everything and everyone to whom songs are addressed. 
10. Ligotne-songs are Midsummer folk songs with a characteristic chorus part – ligo, ligo. Several thousand songs have been written about Saule (Sun), the sky son Janis, the host of each farmstead – “mother” and “father” of Midsummer, and the Janis children – the celebrants who go from farm to farm singing and bringing blessing with their songs. 
11. Jani-fires are lit before sunset on Herb evening and are kept going until sunrise on Jani-morning. 
12. The Jani-fire is lit at the top of a hill. At the top of a pole a barrel of tar is placed – pundeles, a wheel soaked in tar and wrapped in straw, or specially prepared straw lamps or torches. 
13. The Jani-fire purifies, promotes health and fertility, and drives away evil.

Fall celebration (September 23^rd)

1. By the celebrations of Mikeli all crops must be stored and the gardens harvested. 
2. After Mikeli the gates are open for winter. 
3. With the beginning of reaping the Rudenaji are celebrated, but at the conclusion of the reaping work, the most important assignment for the reapers is the driving or catching of Jumis. 
4. Jumis is the word with two meanings: two ears on one stalk are called like that, or two fruits or vegetables that have grown together are known as Jumis. In addition Jumis is believed to be a field spirit and embodiment of fertility. 
5. The last sheaf is plaited into a wreath or braid, taken home and given to mistress, who saves it until next sowing. 
6. As a special Jumis-food, a particular Jumis-loaf is baked. It is larger than usual bread loaf, and it is a great honor to eat this. 
7. Neighbors gather together to do work, and after that they feast with special responsorial singing, dancing and fertility rituals. 
8. When the harvest is completed the festival of Apjumibas is celebrated. 
9. Following Apjumibas and in some regions after Mikeli the quiet shadow period begins. At this time the shadows – spirits of dead – visit the farmsteads to look over the life of household and to bring blessings for course of future life and work. 
10. Special feasts are prepared in the threshing barns, saunas or the living room. All Souls’ Day 
11. On this day and the previous eve – “Candles day” – people visit cemeteries to remember deceased loved ones, lighting candles at the graves. 
12. A widespread tradition on All Souls’ Day is a visit to the Riga Military Cemetery. Everyone brings a candle, lit to honour the soldiers who fell for the cause of Latvia’s freedom.

Christmas

1. During Christmas rooms are decorated with three-dimensional straw or reed ornaments that are vernacularly known as lukturi, puzuri, krigi, putni. 
2. The best known Christmas tradition is mumming. 
3. The mummers are costumed and in different masks. The most common traditional masks are bears, horses, cranes, wolfs, goats, haystacks, tall women, small men, death, fortune-tellers, living corpses. Led by a “father”, the mummers travel from homestead to homestead or from village to village. 
4. The mummers bring home blessing, encourage fertility and drive any evil spirits away. 
5. Another characteristic Christmas tradition is the Yule log. This is explained as the symbolic collecting and burning of last year’s problems and misfortunes.