Page 62 - The Baltic Capitals & St. Petersburg

National Holidays: Latvia

In addition to the holidays listed below, 06/23 Midsummer Eve
Latvia celebrates a number of national
06/24 Midsummer Day
holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such
L^ 0L^_P] ?Z ʭYO Z`_ TQ dZ` bTWW MP _]LaPWTYR 11/18 Republic of Latvia Proclamation Day
during these holidays, please visit www.
timeanddate.com/holidays. 12/24 Christmas Eve
01/01 New Year’s Day 12/25 Christmas Day

05/01 Labor Day 12/26 Second Day of Christmas
05/04 Independence Restoration Day 12/31 New Year’s Eve

Historical Overview of Latvia
Early History

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did not arrive in the region until roughly 2000 BCE. Unlike the early Estonians, who were a
Finno-Ugric people, the early Latvians were a Balt people that migrated north from Belarus.
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and the Latvians.) In the Classical Age Latvia became known for its amber, and soon was at
the heart of a vast Amber Road, a trade route that spread to Greece and Rome.

By 1000 AD the Latvians had developed into four distinct tribes— Selonians, the Latgals, the
Semigallians, and the Cours—each with its own territory. The Selonians and Semigallians were
mostly farmers, while the Cours were nicknamed the “Baltic Vikings”. But it was the largest
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in that they practiced some form of pagan religion. By the early Middle Ages, this drew the
attention of Christian Europe, and in 1190 missionaries began arriving from the south.

Northern Crusade

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to baptism, but only to return to their pagan rituals later (according to some sources, many
of newly baptized would later jump back into the water to wash away the Christian blessing).
Soon Pope Celestine III called for a crusade against the northern pagans, and in 1201 the
German “Knights of the Sword” invaded Latvia and founded Riga, which they used as a base
for military action in Livonia (today’s Latvia and Estonia).

Colonists from Germany followed, often choosing to settle in Riga or nearby so that the
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Riga, with its connections to Germany and its proximity to Russia became a crossroads for
trade between the two and prospered for nearly 300 years.

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