Latvians

8/10/2019 Latvians

1/28

8/10/2019 Latvians

2/28

8/10/2019 Latvians

3/28

In all, there are more than 1.5 million Latvians in the world. Around 90% of them livein Latvia, while others can be found in the USA, Russia, Australia, Canada, the UK andGermany, as well as Brazil, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia and Ireland. In fact, there ishardly a country in the world where Latvians havent made their presence known, sothat even if you never visit Latvia, you stand a good chance of meeting a Latviansomewhere else. This booklet is intended to helpyou get a better understanding of just what aLatvian is. Granted, each individual is uniqueunto himself, but we have attempted to highlightsome of the more notable characteristics that arecommon to most Latvians.

Latviansand the world

8/10/2019 Latvians

4/28

A Latvianshome and family

Historically, Latvians have preferred to live in single family homesteads, rather than in villages. Many of those who reside in Latvias rural areas still live this way. This Latviandesire for privacy at a comfortable distance from others may account for their reserved,self-sufficient and independent character. Even today, a Latvian values his family andhome above all else, and welcomes only close friends and relatives into this domesticinner sanctum. A Latvian may not have a large number of close friends,but those friendships that are established are more valuable than gold.Women play an especially important role in Latvian society. In thefamily, it is the woman who binds the family together and passes onfamily traditions. In Latvia today, women have assumed leading roles insociety, including that of state president. Latvian men, however, takepride in the fact that Latvian women are not only smart and caring, butalso extremely beautiful.

2

8/10/2019 Latvians

5/28

8/10/2019 Latvians

6/28

What a Latvianeats

4

Since ancient times, Latvian holidays have been characterized by festive celebrationswhere a seemingly endless abundance of food and spirits are consumed with greatenthusiasm. But even on ordinary days, a good meal is important to a Latvian. Traditional Latvian cuisine includes a variety of foods: rye bread, potatoes, sausages andmeat, fish, a variety of dairy products, beer and kvass. Breakfast commonly consists of sandwiches with cheese or sausage, along with tea or coffee. Lunch oftenincludes soup with vegetables and meat, as well as potatoes, along witha glass of kefrs or fruit juice. Less frequently, rice, buckwheat or pastamay accompany a meat dish. Latvians are passionately fond of traditionalrye bread, especially if it is home-baked, although a sweet-sour rye breadis also popular. In many Latvian families, pies, apple tarts and cheesecakesare baked to complete a meal.

8/10/2019 Latvians

7/28

8/10/2019 Latvians

8/28

Latviansand nature

6

Regardless of whether they live in cities or thecountryside, all Latvians display a deep reverence fornature: the land, sea, animals, and especially flowersand trees. Great oaks are especially beloved, while large trees of any kind are recordedand registered for special protection. This close relationship with great trees is rooted inancient, pre-Christian beliefs, traditions and folklore, from a time when Latvians wor-shipped a variety of nature deities and performed rituals beneath and around thesesacred trees. Latvians also have a very special affection for storks, and look upon a storksnest by ones home as a particular blessing for those who live there. These time-hon-oured traditions continue to live on in the thinking of contemporary Latvians, many of whom embrace a green philosophy toward life. It should come as no surprise that manyparts of Latvia are preserved in their natural state, untouched by human development.

8/10/2019 Latvians

9/28

8/10/2019 Latvians

10/28

8

Latviansand the great outdoors

A love of nature is part of the lifestyle of many Latvians. While many generations of Latvians have chosen to live and work in the countryside, even city dwellers prefer tospend their recreational time away from urban hustle and bustle. They spend weekendsand holidays by the sea, have picnics by a lake or river, or take walks through Latvias largeforests. This is especially true in the summer, when Latvians relax by sunbathing, swim-ming or fishing, or engage in more activesports such as bicycling or boating. Thanksto Latvias abundant wildlife, hunting isstill a popular sport among men. Whateverthe daytime activities, evenings often endaround a bonfire, where food is cooked,songs are sung and dreams are dreamt.

8/10/2019 Latvians

11/28

8/10/2019 Latvians

12/28

A Latvianand his land

10

Small family farms and homesteads are looked upon as the place where the Latvian soulis most at home. It is here where Latvian values and traditions developed and are main-tained. In Latvia, such farms are not known by street or road addresses, but by uniquenames, many of which date back centuries. For many Latvians, puttering in the familygarden is a substitute for excursions into nature. Tending gardens is a popular pastimeand even leads to competitions for the most beautiful or best kept garden. ElderlyLatvians spend a great deal of time in their fruit and vegetable plots, preparing stocksfor the winter: jams and fruit juices, as well as marinated and pickled vegetables, par-ticularly cucumbers and sauerkraut. The abundance of forests makes wild mushroomand berry picking a favourite activity for all generations of Latvians. From July toSeptember, Latvias forests are full of Latvians filling wicker baskets with wild strawber-ries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries and mushrooms.

8/10/2019 Latvians

13/28

8/10/2019 Latvians

14/28

Latviansand flowers

12

Latvians love their flowers and give them generouslyto honour people (men and women), places andevents. Tastes in flowers may vary, but there are someunwritten rules that guide Latvians in the tradition of giving flowers. When presentingflowers to another person, the bouquet must have an odd number of blossoms: three,five, seven or nine. But when placing flowers on a grave, an even numberis used. Flowers are given to express appreciation, to celebrate a birth,

anniversary, wedding, promotion or achievement, or simply to bring asmile to someones face. Since ancient times, flowers, oak leaf wreaths andother wild grass and floral arrangements have been used as decorationsduring festive occasions. Latvians decorate themselves, their homes, theirpets and livestockand today, even their cars.

8/10/2019 Latvians

15/28

8/10/2019 Latvians

16/28

Latvians,their songs and dances

14

If a people can be defined by one universal trait, thenfor Latvians it has to be the love of singing. Latvianssing all the time, anywhere, for any reason. They singon holidays, anniversaries, celebrations, weddings, graduations and sporting events.While Latvians will sing in any style, be it opera, pop, jazz or rock, they hold a specialplace in their hearts for the traditional Latvian folksongs known as dainas . Dainas can besung alone, in groups or in large choirs, and among the million or so that are known,

every topic of importance is touched upon. There is a daina for every occasion or mood,and even politicians dont hesitate to perform a favourite daina when the occasion callsfor it. During spectacular song festivals, tens of thousands of Latvians gather to sing inmassed choirs, dressed in traditional folk costumes that date back several centuries.

Many Latvians own personal folk costu-mes which they wear on special occa-sions such as song festivals, holidays and

celebrations. Singing is often accompa-nied by dancing, and many Latvians par-ticipate in folk dance groups, or simply join in when the spirit strikes them.

8/10/2019 Latvians

17/28

8/10/2019 Latvians

18/28

Latviansand their holidays

16

For Latvians, the four most popular holidays are Christmas, New Years Eve, Easter and Ji (summer solstice). Ji, which is celebrated on the eve of 24 June, is especially note-worthy. Most Latvians observe it in the countryside in the open air: people gather nearfarms, homesteads, in fields or forests, and light a huge bonfire at dusk on a hilltop,preferably near a great oak tree. Anyone flying over Latvia on the eve of Ji will see aspectacular light show, since the entire country is dotted with thousands of blazingbonfires. To prepare for the festival, special Ji foodscheese with caraway seeds and

bacon piesare prepared, and ample beer is provided. Girls decorate themselves withgarlands of wild flowers, while lads adorn their heads with wreaths of oak leaves.Although the singing of traditional Ji songs is increasingly being supplemented withrecorded music and stage performances, it seems that practically every Latvian knows atleast a few Ji songs with the characteristic lgo refrain. Those Ji merrymakers withsufficient endurance will stay up all night to greet the dawn of Ji Day, having spentmost of the night singing and dancing. More romantically inclined couples spend thenight together in the forest, searching for the mystical fern blossom.

8/10/2019 Latvians

19/28

18

8/10/2019 Latvians

20/28

Latviansand re

18

Perhaps its because of Latvias cooler NorthernEuropean climate, or simply because Latvians havepreserved many of their ancient traditions, but all inall, Latvians are very fond of fire. Fire plays a promi-nent role during the Summer Solstice festival of Ji,when the Latvian countryside is illuminated bythousands of bonfires. No Latvian holiday is

complete without candles, since they are viewed as an essential part of a festiveatmosphere. Candles are lit on birthday cakes, at funerals, in windows and duringgraduation ceremonies. At Christmas, many Latvians prefer to decorate their holidaytrees with real candles rather than multi-coloured electric lights. Candles are lit at the

table during wedding feasts, and carried by celebrants at the tra-ditional midnight wedding ritual of mioana. Candlesticks andcandelabras made of wood, ceramics or metal are also an impor-tant part of traditional Latvian art and craftwork.Latvians also enjoy fireworks displays, not only atlarge public events but also at private parties.

8/10/2019 Latvians

21/28

20

8/10/2019 Latvians

22/28

Latvians are not overtly demonstrative patriots,although they love their land and country deeply andtake great pride in their accomplishments in sportsand culture. The essence of being Latvian is encodedin several common symbols. Some symbols, such asthe flag and Freedom Monument in Rga, are associ-ated with the Latvian state and the freedom of the

Latvian people. For its part, the oak symbolizes strength, endurance, longevity and sur- vival. Therefore, the oak wreath, which is worn by men during the Ji celebration, or ispresented to athletes or veteran workers for special achievements, embodies all thesequalities. Floral wreaths for women also symbolize these traditional Latvian values. Forits part, the bonfire that brightens festive events symbolizes light and warmth. And,since 1991, it has symbolized the bonfires that lit the Days of the Barricades which ledto the restoration of Latvias independence. The rich array of symbols found in Latvianornamentation and decorative designalso carry a wide variety of meaningsfrom ancient times, symbolizing wisdom,strength, security and spiritual beliefs.

Latviansand their symbols

8/10/2019 Latvians

23/28

22

8/10/2019 Latvians

24/28

Latviansand their names

There are about a thousand Latvian personal names, and each day of the Latvian calendaralways highlights one or more of them, designating this as a namesday. On ones names-day, Latvians usually receive greetings, gifts and flowers, and should expect visits fromguests without invitation. The most popular mans name in Latvian is Jnis, followed byAndris, Juris, Edgars, Mris and Aivars. The most popular womens names are Anna,Kristne, Marija, Inese, Inga and Ilze. Fashions in personal names tend to change, so thatnew, modern names come into use, while old, long-forgotten names may reappear. Yet

some centuries-old names continue to stand the test of time: Krlis, Ilze, Pteris, Anna, Juris, etc. The majority of Latvian names are local variants of EuropeanChristian names, while many others have been borrowed from neigh-bouring peoples, and about ten percent are unique to the Latvians, forexample Irbe, Sniedze, Viesturs, Dzintars, Auseklis. Many of theseLatvian names represent animals or aspects of nature, such as amber,star, snow or a bird species. Visvaldis, for example, means all-ruler.About half of all Latvian surnames are of Latvian origin: Brzi,Kalni, Ozoli. Most surnames of Latvian origin refer to a particularobject: thus, Latvian prime ministers have included Mr Gailis(Rooster), Mr Krasts (Shore), Mr le (Slice). Less common are German,Swedish, and Polish surnames, although in recent years the number of Russian surnames has increased. In studying surnames, one can tracea familys roots to a particular parish.

The commonest Latvianpersonal names and surnames, 2005

Male Female Surnamesnames names

1 Jnis Anna Brzi2 Andris Kristne Kalni

3 Juris Inese Ozoli4 Edgars Inga Jansons5 Mris Ilze Ozols6 Aivars Lga Liepi7 Mrti Dace Krmi8 Pteris Anita Balodis9 Ivars Marija Egltis

10 Kaspars Ieva Zari11 Valdis Iveta Ptersons12 Uldis Dina Vtols13 Aigars Sandra Kavi14 Krlis Aija Krkli15 Aleksandrs Rita Vanags

8/10/2019 Latvians

25/28

24

8/10/2019 Latvians

26/28

Latviansand their language

The total number of Latvian speakers in the world exceeds 2 million, and for 1.4 millionof them it is their native language. Latvian belongs to the Indo-European language family,and together with Lithuanian forms the Baltic language group, related to, but separatefrom the Slavic and Germanic language groups. The Latvian language, like Lithuanian,retains many elements of Proto-Indo-European language both in terms of vocabulary andgrammar, and in this regard is of particular interest for linguists. Although contemporaryliterary Latvian is used in practically all walks of life across the entire country, spoken

Latvian often exhibits elements of various local dialects. Around 150 Latvian languagenewspapers are published, with a total circulation of 110million, along with 200 magazines and journals. Alsopublished in Latvian every year are about two thousandbooks with a total circulation of about 5 million.

8/10/2019 Latvians

27/28

Photo credits:

L.Balodis, A.Egltis, D.Kadaks, A.Korsaka, P.Korsaks,M.Kudrjavcevs, M.Kundzi, A.Meiers, V.Paeglis,I.Prdelis, J.Smainskis, A.Tone, J.Zalns, photoarchives of AS Diena and Lauku ceotjs. The Latvian Institute thanks all the Latvians whoshared their family albums with us.

Chief Editor:Raimonds Cerzis

Editor:Ieva Pgozne

English translation:V.Brzi,O.KalniISBN 9984-736-32-6

The Latvian Institute,Rga 2006

Text:Ojrs Kalni,Ilmrs Mes,Ieva Pgozne

Layout:Uldis Sosnovskis

8/10/2019 Latvians

28/28

For further information please contactthe Latvian Embassy or Consulate in your country or the Latvian Institute:

Latvijas institts, Kau iela 7, Rga, LV 1050, Latvia.

Phone: (+371) 6750-3663, Fax: (+371) 6750-3669E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.li.lv, www.latvia.lv

The Latvian Institute promotes knowledge about Latvia abroad.It produces publications in several languages on many aspects of Latvia.