Burning Yule Logs in Old Riga

Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year. Riga's sunset was 3:43PM and it rises at 9:00AM. It was snowing and 22F (-5C) but we had a great time celebrating local ancient traditions. There was the dragging of the yule log to gather last year's problems. We walked around town and through two of the Christmas Markets. Then we burned the logs and all of our problems with them. I made some videos this time which are at the bottom of this post.

Typical ethnic Christmas traditions include participation in ķekatas or mumming as well as dragging the Yule log. Both these traditions, though different in character, serve a similar purpose. The mummers, who are costumed and wear masks of animals and such macabre figures as living corpses and death, bring blessing to the households, encourage fertility, and frighten away evil spirits. The dragging and subsequent burning of the Yule log symbolizes incineration of last year's problems and misfortunes.

Ancient Latvians integrated pagan rituals into Christianity, what resulted in new traditions like the decoration of firs on Winter Solstice. Rīga is recognised as the birthplace of the first Christmas tree, put up and decorated as early as 1510 by some accounts. Today Latvians still decorate natural fir trees with lighted candles and ornaments. Others decorate their houses with straw ornaments, evergreen branches, junipers and other natural materials.

Source: latvia.eu

 

 

 

 

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