Every summer solstice, Latvians gather to celebrate Ligo, one of their biggest national holidays. Originally a pagan holiday celebrating Ligo, the god of fertility, this is a colorful and boisterous holiday that many might see at odds with the otherwise famously reserved Latvian demeanor.  Walking the streets of Riga on this day, you will see […]

Russia’s Olivier Salad (Салат «Оливье») and Latvia’s rasols are well-known staples of their respective cuisines and common additions to holiday tables. Today, the recipes for both are quite similar, with chopped vegetables, egg, and meat dressed with mayonnaise. Olivier is now eaten throughout the former USSR and has even become common as “Russian Salad” in […]

Latvian holidays are steeped in ancient pagan tradition. Most important are the winter and summer solstices. Connections with the ancient past are thought to be the most authentic connections with being Latvian. Other major holidays celebrate the hard-won independence and sovereignty of Latvia. Soviet influence, especially as compared to other former Soviet republics, is minimal, […]