1. C HRISTMAS TRADITIONS IN L ATVIA

2. C HRISTMAS SPIRIT We are glad. Forget all the bad. Forgive each other. At Christmas people are very friendly and harmonious because it is time for forgiveness!

3. The ancient Latvians have traditionally celebrated the four solstice celebrations: Easter, Midsum mer Eve, Michael day and Christmas. Christmas or winter solstice is the time when the day is the shortest and the longest night. After Christmas, the sun begins to return and the days stretch longer.

4. Christmas Eve is named in Latvia also as Bluķa vakars, ķūķu (ķoču, kūķu, ķūcu) vakars. Name 'Log Pulling evening' recalls the ancient ritual activity - log rolling, mimicking the course of the sun, but 'cake party' - the same ancient ritual of Christmas dishes, which were promoted wealth and prosperity. OTHER NAMES FOR CHRISTMAS EVE

5. P REPARING FOR C HRISTMAS For Christmas, people are preparing a very long time. They clean fence, decorate room with ornaments of straw, dried flowers, bird feathers and yarn.

6. C HRISTMAS TREE Traditionally Latvian decorations for Christmas trees have branches and ornaments made of feathers and eggs, straw, bent, fruits, vegetables and berries. Today we present gifts, which are usually placed under the tree. To receive the gift often are required to recite a poem or sing a song. It is assumed that Santa Claus brings gifts, Snow White’s Dwarfs can help him.

7. W ALKING IN BUDĒĻI People prepare masks, usually similar to those spirits of whom they want to please. One of the most famous mask was a bear mask, because people believed that the bear with his roaring scared all the evil spirits. Popular were Buck, death, cranes, long woman and little little man masks, too. Mask walking goes through the village from house to house, singing Christmas songs with the refrain “kaladū” and dancing.

9. L OG PULLING Before Christmas event was made an oak block with a rope in both ends. Then men took rope and walked with block from one house to another through all village. Block was specifically pulled through the places where bad accidents had happened and in the last house it was burned. Then all bad things burned with it.

10. L UCK DIPPING Popular on Christmas Eve was the fortune telling. It was another way to fight evil spirits and be happy. Specially unmarried girls were engaged with fortune telling, they wanted to know who will be their valentine.

11. CHRISTMAS FOOD The special Latvian Christmas Day meal is cooked grey peas with bacon (pork) sauce, small pies, sautéed sauerkraut and blood sausage. Each food has a meaning: e.g. eat a pea you'll cry one day less; eat a bean one day you will mature; eat a pig's snout you will write a great deal; eat a dumpling there will be many sunny days. Of course, on Christmas Day Latvians also prefer not only our traditional food but also a lot of „international food” like various salads, sweets, and now we can’t imagine our Christmas without mandarins, gingerbreads and negus (hot wine).

12. pork roast bacon cake grey peas koča or ķūķis

13. C HRISTMAS BELIEVES In order not to lack money you should bring a black cat to church at Christmas Eve. At Christmas and New Year's Eve you must eat nine times not to be hungry all year round. After a meal full dishes throughout the night are left on the table. At Christmas night bread needs to be on the table to never lack it. At Christmas night strangers are not kept in the house. At Christmas night talk all the domestic animals, fire and other things and you can listen to them to predict your future.

14. The first Christmas morning, children must be protected so that they don’t run away to the neighbours to have a success in all works. If the first Christmas Eve in heaven are many stars, then next summer will be a lot of mushrooms. If there is a lot of snow up to Christmas, the summer harvest will be good. What the weather is before Christmas, that is before midsummer. If you wake up early at Christmas morning, you will not be late all year round. If there is a deep snow at Christmas, then at Midsummer will be expected a wet period, if shallow – Midsummer time will be sunny.

15. C HRISTMAS IN MY FAMILY Usually there is very much snow at Christmas and I clean road from snow. Mum makes dinner. We go to forest for Christmas tree, make a snowman, play with my dog, ski and sledge from the hill. We bring home Christmas tree and put in it some pretty things. We drink hot tea after snow fights.

16. AT CHRISTMAS WE... Carry the Christmas tree home. Decorate Christmas tree. Make gingerbread. Celebrate together with family and friends. Wait for Father Christmas and presents. Count poems.

17. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION