Learn about Latvian Easter traditions

                                Easter traditions

Easter is the spring solstice, when we hail the coming of the Sun. Various rituals help the earth reawake and bring fertility.
Of course, the Easter egg to this day is the most significant element, especially coloring. For Latvians, rituals and games fill the jubilation, eggs are exchanged as gifts, and "duels" are held – may the strongest egg, i.e. egg shell, win as they are cracked in one-on-one combat. Eggs are "sacrificed" to the Gods to protect homesteads from sorcerers, and used in incantations to ward off evil.

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Game "Where are you going, my cockevel?"

Game "Hunters and ducks"

Game "Hunters and ducks"

Games popular in Latvia and Spain. GAME PLAY water, but we were playing in kindergarten ROOMS, WATER designate an area where no deeper than waist or up to the chest. PART ONE game players - Hunter - WATER LINE CIRCLE. OTHER - DUCKS - Choosing a place in a circle. MEDNIEKI MET one another great ball and a breeze thus trying to hit any of the ducks. Member who shares hit a ball, to go ashore. DUCKS easiest to hide under the water, because the hunters should not hold the ball in hand more than 3 seconds. After 5 minutes PLAYERS rest and then changing roles. WINS GROUP OF DUCKS hit the most.

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Shoemaker

Everyone sits down in a circle on chairs. One is in the middle and goes around asking everyone: vai kurpnieks mājās? (is the shoemaker home?) And each of them answers: Viņā sētā (in another yard). When he has asked the question to everyone, he says: tirgū, tirgū, tirgū, tirgū (in the market, in the market, in the market). Now everyone changes seats and the one who was in the middle tries to sit down somewhere. The one which dosn’t get a new seat is now in the middle and the play starts from the begining.

Searching for „Baltenis”

All others participants kneel exept for the one who owns „Baltenis”(A peeled branch). Their head gets covered with a sheet to blind them for the time being. The one who owns „Baltenis” throws it away and says „Gatavs” („Ready”). Everyone jumps up and runs to search for „Baltenis”.The one who finds it, is the next one to own „Baltenis”.