![latvia toothfairy traditions latvia toothfairy traditions](https://static.lsm.lv/media/2021/10/large/1/ghyq.jpg)
There are three essential elements of these folk songs: tradition, literature and symbolism.The Latvian folk song ("daina") is one of the distinguishing features of Latvian culture. Folk songs are one of Latvia's national treasures.Every few years all Latvia's choirs, as well as folk dance groups, gather together for the Song Festival, which includes several thousand singers.It unusual to find a Latvian who has not sung in a choir or some other group at some point in their life. Latvia is called “the singing nation”.There has been a religious resurgence since the fall of the Communist regime, with the majority of the population belonging to the Lutheran church, although there are also large Catholic and Orthodox Christian minorities.Today the constitution guarantees freedom of religion.The effect religion had on the population greatly diminished during Communist occupation, when followers were harassed and discriminated against.Christianity arrived during the 12th and 13th centuries while the Russian Orthodox religion took hold in the 18th century.Although no longer practised as a religion the tradition lives on in folk songs, legends and festivals.At one time, Latvians ascribed to naturalist or what might be termed ‘pagan’ beliefs in natural deities.Founded in 1201 the capital of Latvia and is home to 600,000+ people - around a third of Latvia's population. Russian is by far the most widespread minority language.Ī snowy Riga. The Latgalian language (a dialect of Latvian) is also protected by Latvian law as historical variation of Latvian language.Another notable language of Latvia is the nearly extinct Livonian language of Baltic-Finnic sub-branch of Uralic language family, which enjoys protection by law.The official language of Latvia is Latvian, which belongs to the Baltic language group of the Indo-European language family.
![latvia toothfairy traditions latvia toothfairy traditions](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/06/83/51/0683510c0a6bdeffa4a5d18477b3321d.jpg)
Religions: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estoniaand LithuaniaĮthnic Make-up: Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% On 27 February 1990, shortly before the country regained its independence, the Latvian government re-adopted the traditional red-white-red flag. Its use was suppressed during Soviet rule. The flag was used by independent Latvia from 1918 until the country was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. The Latvian flag flying over the Gauja river bridge between Turaida and Sigulda. You will gain an understanding of a number of key areas including: