Ziemassvetki - Winter Party
| when: | Dec 2010 (annual) |
|---|---|
| where: | Ethnographic Open Air Museum |
Celebrate the winter solstice - traditionally the shortest day of the year - at the huge Ethnographic Open Air Museum just east of Riga. The Ziemassvetki - Winter Party celebrates the birth of Dievs, the highest god in Latvian mythology.
The day marks the culmination of Velu laiks (the "season of ghosts"), when candles are lit for minor gods and a fire is kept burning until the end of festivities, to burn away the unhappiness of the previous year. Traditionally the party itself is built round a feast, at which a place was left empty for the arrival of ghosts, said to arrive on a sleigh. Any similarity to the Christian Christmas is entirely on purpose, complete with carol singers, as it was adopted by Christianity in the middle ages.
| Venue Information: | Ethnographic Open Air Museum |
|---|---|
| Full Name: | |
| Address: | 440 Brivibas gatve LV-1056 |
| Directions: | Bus 1 from Terbatas to the Brivdabas muzejs stop |
| Contact Details: | Ethnographic Open Air Museum |
| Phone: | +371 67 99 45 15 |
| Fax: | +371 6799 4178 |
| Other Information: | Ethnographic Open Air Museum |
| Website: | Ethnographic Museum Virtual Website |
| Website: | Ethnographic Open Air Museum (Latvian Museum) Website |
| Name: | Latvia Tourist Office |
|---|---|
| Location: | Latvia |
| Address: | Brivibas iela 55, LV-1519, Riga, Latvia |
| Email: | tda@latviatourism.lv |
| Phone: | +371 722 9945 |
| Fax: | +371 750 8468 |
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