Wonderful Winter Solstice Celebration in Latvia

If you want a fantastic experience (especially with kids), here is one you won't want to miss in Riga, Latvia around Christmas time.

"German crusaders didn’t introduce Christianity to Latvia until the 11th century and it wasn’t fully enforced until the 1200s. The Latvians, however, held onto many of their pagan beliefs and traditions, simply incorporating them into the new faith. So while everyone celebrated the birth of Christ, the Latvians also honored the Sun goddess, who was reborn every December 22. The night before, on the shortest day of the year, the Latvians gathered to make merry and honor the past.

In the spirit of rebirth, they would also shed the previous year’s misfortunes. This was done by dragging a yule log through the village, gathering everyone’s painful memories, hardships and failures along with it, and then setting it on fire. All that sorrow would go up in a puff of smoke!"

Music:

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Love the open air cooking! Thanks for taking us to Latvia!