Latvia
Latvija1 region
Latvia suits a visitor who wants a Baltic capital with old folk customs running under its Christmas. Riga's market fills the square beside the cathedral from late November to early January, and the Post Office's travel-money report keeps ranking it among the most affordable Christmas markets in Europe. The city's Blackheads guild left a record of a festive tree from 1510. Riga is the one base this site covers in Latvia.
How Latvia keeps Christmas
- Ziemassvētku vecītisZiemassvētku vecītis (the little Christmas old man) brings presents on Christmas Eve to the children who behaved well over the past year. Latvians also call him Santaklauss.
Ziemassvētki (Christmas) run from 24 to 26 December and sit close to the winter solstice, and the older solstice customs still show through. In the bluķis custom a log is dragged along and then burned, copying the path of the sun, and the fire carries off the past year's bad luck, illness and harm. Masked mummers went from farm to farm in the ķekatas custom, led by a budēļu tēvs whose touch with a rod was meant to bring health and plenty to people and livestock.
Riga's Blackheads guild left a record from 1510 of a tree carried round the Town Hall Square and then burned, and the city counts it as one of the first Christmas trees. The records never say what kind of tree it was, so the spruce in modern retellings may be a later addition. Piparkūkas (spiced gingerbread) turn up in most homes through December.
Christmas Eve is a public holiday and the evening when presents change hands, and 25 and 26 December are holidays as well. New Year's Eve on the 31st is a holiday too, so plan for quiet days at both ends of that week.
Quick answers about Latvia
What is the bluķis custom?
At the winter solstice Latvians dragged a log along and then burned it, copying the path of the sun. The fire was meant to carry off the past year's bad luck and illness and make room for the new year.
Is Christmas Eve a holiday in Latvia?
Yes. Christmas Eve and both days of Christmas are public holidays, and so is New Year's Eve. Presents are traditionally exchanged on the evening of the 24th.
Who brings the presents in Latvia?
In Latvia, Ziemassvētku vecītis brings the presents. Ziemassvētku vecītis (the little Christmas old man) brings presents on Christmas Eve to the children who behaved well over the past year. Latvians also call him Santaklauss.
When do the Christmas markets run in Latvia?
In Latvia, the main market in Riga runs on Dome Square beside the cathedral from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, dates the organizer has confirmed.