- Let's take a look at the map
- How the New Year is celebrated in Latvia
- For active and curious
- Useful information for travelers
Christmas holidays are a wonderful time when you are especially looking forward to miracles, and they are literally in the air. At this time, it is best to go on a trip to Latvia. New Year and Christmas are celebrated in the small Baltic republic in full accordance with centuries-old traditions. Santa Clauses here peacefully walk along the streets with Santa Clauses and Snow Maidens, baked European goose coexists on festive tables with Olivier salad, and the smell of mulled wine in the air mixes with the aromas of gingerbread cookies. The advantages of the Baltic holidays are great: it is not far away, the prices for services and entertainment do not bite, you can communicate in the great and mighty, and the festive mood guarantees the guests an elegant decoration of streets, squares and houses.
Let's take a look at the map
Small and pretty Latvia occupies an area on the shores of the Baltic, and it is the proximity of the sea that largely determines the nature of the climate:
- Its continental character in areas remote from the coast is mitigated by frequent cyclones and precipitation, and therefore, severe frosts in winter, as well as scorching heat in summer, do not threaten Latvians.
- Winter begins in mid-December and lasts until the first weeks of March. On New Year's holidays, the average daily thermometer readings are about 0, although frosts down to -12 ° C can occur. During the day, the air temperature is often above zero.
- Usually cloudy weather and rains with snow create not the most favorable atmosphere for long walks. To feel comfortable, take care of waterproof shoes, layered clothing and take an umbrella on the trip.
Strong winds from the Baltic can cause a lot of trouble during sightseeing tours in Jurmala, Ventspils and Liepaja. Riga is also not too far from the sea, which means that non-blown warm clothes should become your outfit during the celebration of New Year's walks in Latvia.
How the New Year is celebrated in Latvia
The main Latvian Christmas tree is installed on the Town Hall Square in the center of the capital. The Mayor of Riga, according to tradition, personally chooses the fluffy beauty from many other applicants. Their residents start decorating their cities well in advance, and already in November the first garlands on trees, lights on the facades of houses and festively decorated shop windows in shopping centers appear in Latvia. Closer to mid-December, Christmas compositions are installed near churches and squares, and New Year's fairs open in cities.
The main sign of the upcoming holidays is winter festivities, street performances, festivals and concerts, which each city holds in accordance with its own long-standing traditions. For example, snow contests are loved in Jurmala, and if it snows, residents and guests of the city arrange snow battles, contests for molding the largest snowball or snow woman, sled races and ice skating.
At fairs, which are noisy during the New Year's weeks in Riga and other cities of the country, you can taste a drink made from currant juice, buy souvenirs for friends, lovingly made by folk craftsmen, stock up on fresh rye bread and taste Latvian specialties.
By the way, housewives in Latvia are preparing to celebrate the holiday long before it starts and are thinking over the menu with special attention and love. The lion's share of festive emotions in recent years has gone to Christmas, but the traditions of celebrating the New Year in Latvia are alive and well and passed on from parents to children.
The main dishes of the New Year's table are klops (steak served with onion sauce), blood sausages, fried over the fire, piparkukas (cookies with spices and ginger) and rupmaise rye bread with malt and caraway seeds. The Soviet culinary traditions that have remained since the existence of a single state are still alive in Latvia, and you can always order for a festive dinner in a restaurant Olivier salad, aspic, herring under a fur coat and meat baked under a cheese crust.
After the feast, Latvians usually go for a walk and rush to the main town square, where the traditional fireworks at midnight herald the arrival of their favorite holiday, and the bells beat twelve times.
For active and curious
Not only is a tourist alive in New Year's Latvia for a feast, and therefore theaters and museums, skating rinks and fairs enjoy invariable success during the winter holidays. What can you do during the celebration of your favorite holiday, being in Riga and other cities of the country? Typically, guests include in the list of entertainment:
- Shopping for souvenirs and tasting traditional drinks and dishes at the Riga Town Hall Square Christmas market.
- Visit to the Livu water park with exciting water attractions and a special New Year's treat. The park is located at Viestura Street 24, Jurmala, LV-2010. You can ask questions by phone - (371) - 67755636, and the official website of the water park - www.akvaparks.lv will help you to find out news, prices and directions.
- Rent skates and show your class at one of the capital's skating rinks.
- Book a table in a nightclub and celebrate the New Year in a noisy company of like-minded people.
Local travel agencies offer an excellent option for New Year's holidays. The assortment includes trips around the country, excursions to ancient castles, trips to theaters, visits to folklore recreation centers and crafts.
Useful information for travelers
You can get to Latvia both by air and by land transport:
- UTair and Air Baltic fly directly from Moscow to Riga. The time spent in the air is a little over one and a half hours, the cost of tickets is from 120 euros, but more often for a round-trip flight during the holidays, you have to pay up to 180 euros.
- It is convenient and profitable to fly from St. Petersburg by Baltic airlines. The journey takes less than an hour and a half, and the price of the issue is 120 euros in the most inexpensive option.
- On a branded train from Moscow to Riga you can get there in 16.5 hours. It departs from the Riga station of the Russian capital. Unfortunately, the cost of tickets for sleeping cars cannot be called humane, and you will have to pay from 150 euros for a transfer only in one direction.
- The best ratio of price and quality of transportation is offered by bus companies. The most popular in this direction is Ecolines. Cars run from VDNKh in the Russian capital and from the St. Petersburg bus station. The price of the issue is from 50 and 25 euros one way, respectively.
Despite the considerable duration of the bus journey, 10 hours of travel from the northern capital and 15 from Moscow fly comfortably and unnoticed. All Ecolines buses are equipped with air conditioning and dry closets, multimedia systems and individual sockets for recharging phones. On the way, passengers use wireless Internet, and luggage is conveniently placed in the spacious cargo hold.
