Traditions of Riga
A Baltic capital of Art Nouveau and the Latvian Jāņi midsummer, with wreaths of oak and cheese brewed with caraway.
Riga is a Baltic port city on the Daugava, whose old town and Art Nouveau district are World Heritage sites. Latvians keep ancient customs: Līgo and Jāņi, the midsummer festival, with oak wreaths for men, flower wreaths for women and bonfires through the night. Folk songs, the dainas, are the heart of the culture.
Jāņi and the song festival
On Jāņi night, 23 to 24 June, Latvians gather in the countryside, sing Līgo songs, sit by bonfires and jump over them, and eat caraway cheese with beer. At the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, held every five years, thousands of singers perform. Latvian folk costumes with woven belts carry symbols.
At the table
Pelēkie zirņi ar speķi, grey peas with bacon, rye bread, rupjmaize, and sklandrausis, a carrot and potato tart, are Latvian dishes. Smoked fish and Rīga Black Balsam are traditional. Jāņu siers, a cheese with caraway, is eaten at midsummer. The Central Market, set in old zeppelin hangars, sells smoked fish, dark bread and pickles every day.
Signature traditions of Riga
Also part of it, and being written: Dainas (The folk songs.), Rupjmaize (The bread.).
A trail idea for Riga
- Central Market Shop in old zeppelin hangars.
- Old Town See the House of Blackheads.
- Art Nouveau District See the buildings.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jāņi: Heinrihsons, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Latvian Song and Dance Festival: Laima Gūtmane (simka), CC BY-SA 3.0, source