Today is Līgo, one of the most special days of the year here in Latvia. This year we decided to celebrate it a little differently. We packed the car, gathered the kids, and set off on a journey across almost the entire country to visit our godson (krustdēls, as we say in Latvia). The drive … More A Līgo Journey to the Baltic Sea
The 100th day of the year has its own quiet rule in Latvian garden — peas go into the soil. No discussions, no overthinking, no checking the forecast for the tenth time. No matter what, the peas are going in. Some years the ground is still a bit cold, some years it’s perfectly ready. It … More Peas Go In on the 100th Day
There is a tradition I grew up with — Latvian, I think (though I wouldn’t be surprised if it exists in other countries too): on New Year’s Eve, the table should hold twelve dishes. I clearly remember my grandmother telling me that even salt and pepper count. Back then, Latvia was poor. Under Soviet rule, … More Twelve Dishes on the New Year’s Table
Every autumn, our family gathers for the potato harvest, a beloved Latvian tradition. This year, after a half day of hard work, we enjoyed dinner, a sauna, and a relaxing soak in the hot tub and cold pond. The girls worked hard and had fun, but the day took a bittersweet turn when we discovered … More Autumn Potato Harvest Tradition and a Tiny Surprise
From wiki: The Latvian Song and Dance Festival (Latvian Vispārējie latviešu Dziesmu un Deju svētki) is one of the largest amateur choral events in the world and an important event in Latvian culture and social life. It is also a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The All-Latvian Song and Dance Festival have been held since 1873, normally every five years. During … More Latvian Song and Dance Festival
Someone made a big surprise and visited us on Latvia’s 99 birthday! Thank you, brother! We had a lovely time together. I made Anthill cake, cause it easy to make and don’t need an oven. I printed Latvia contour and assembled the cake to look like Latvia. Everyone liked it and it wasn’t that hard! Anthills … More Celebrating Latvia’s 99 Birthday
—wikipedia Mārtiņi or Mārtiņdiena is an ancient Latvian winter welcoming holiday when the time of pieguļa and shepherding came to an end. According to a solar calendar, Mārtiņdiena marks the midpoint between the autumnal equinox (Miķeļi) and winter solstice (Ziemassvētki), and is celebrated in the middle of November. Mārtiņi ended Veļu laiks (Time of the Dead) and started Ledus laiks … More 10th of November – “Mārtiņdiena”
Traditional Latvian kitchen isn’t complete without caraway seeds. Rainy summer day. I and my granny are sitting in the old firewood shed. We are sitting on the table cloth. In front of us is a big pile of dried caraway plant whisk. We are taking them one by one into our hands. Rub the umbel … More Caraway seeds and my granny
I wrote about Līgo and Jāņi in one of my previous blog posts. I wanted to make Jāņu siers (cheese), floral head wreath and spend time together with friends. And we did it! Unfortunately, my photos from Līgo are too big for our mobile network. Somehow WordPress app doesn’t want to upload them. ;( I hope to … More Līgo / Jāņi celebration