Ziemassvetki
Encyclopedia
In ancient Latvia
, Ziemassvētki (Winter holiday) was a festival, celebrated on 21 December, which was one of the two most important holidays, the other being Jāņi
. Ziemassvētki celebrated the Winter Solstice
. The two weeks before Ziemassvetki are called Veļu laiks, the "season of ghosts." Three postage stamps were issued on 3 December 2005 to commemorate this festival.
During the festival, candles are lit for Dieviņš and a fire is kept burning until the end, when its extinguising signals an end to the unhappiness of the previous year. During the ensuing feast, a space at the table is reserved for Ghosts, who was said to arrive on a sleigh. During the feast, certain foods are always eaten: bread
, bean
s, pea
s, pork
and pig
snout and feet. Carolers (Budeļi) go door to door singing songs and eating from many different houses. Celebrants believe that during the feast ghosts arrive on a sleigh.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Ziemassvētki (Winter holiday) was a festival, celebrated on 21 December, which was one of the two most important holidays, the other being Jāņi
Jani
Jāņi is a Latvian festival held in the night from 23 June to 24 June to celebrate the summer solstice , the shortest night and longest day of the year. The day of Līgo and the day of Jāņi are public holidays, and people usually spend them in the countryside...
. Ziemassvētki celebrated the Winter Solstice
Winter solstice
Winter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
. The two weeks before Ziemassvetki are called Veļu laiks, the "season of ghosts." Three postage stamps were issued on 3 December 2005 to commemorate this festival.
During the festival, candles are lit for Dieviņš and a fire is kept burning until the end, when its extinguising signals an end to the unhappiness of the previous year. During the ensuing feast, a space at the table is reserved for Ghosts, who was said to arrive on a sleigh. During the feast, certain foods are always eaten: bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
, bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s, pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
s, pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
and pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
snout and feet. Carolers (Budeļi) go door to door singing songs and eating from many different houses. Celebrants believe that during the feast ghosts arrive on a sleigh.
See also
- Winter solsticeWinter solsticeWinter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...