ceturtdiena, 2009. gada 19. marts

Easter in Riga.

Here you can read about Easter celebrating experience in Riga

Lieldienas- Easter


Happy Easter everyone!
Easter is a festival of spring and the beginning of new life. Easter symbols are coloured eggs and willow branches.
The Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians.
From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers.
Today, children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the modern version of real Easter eggs -- those made of plastic or chocolate candy.
In Latvia, Easter holidays usually last three days: Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. Latvians go to church, but also observe Latvian festive traditions, which differ from the rituals introduced by the Christian Church. Easter is usually celebrated in the family or among close friends.
People celebrate beginning of spring the way their ancestors did- with special meal, swinging, egg rolling, telling their children about rabbits bringing eggs etc.