Other Christmas fairs in Europe: Top 25 best cities
Christmas fairs
Christmas markets in Riga are small but colorful. Many vendors appear here year after year. There are three such compact fairs in the Old Town: in Town Hall Square, Dome Square and Livs Square. All fairs offer open-air food and drink, concerts and souvenirs.
All bazaars open on the eve of the first Advent — November 30,, work until January 8. Opening hours are daily from 10.00 to 20.00, Saturday and Sunday until 22.00, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve until 18 hours.
The city’s main Christmas tree stands on the Town Hall Square, overlooking the Daugava River. The New Year will also be celebrated here, on the embankment.
Every year, the Latvian Post House — Latvijas Pasts — is opened on Dome Square. From here, you can send postcards with a festive postmark, which are very much appreciated by philatelists because this postmark is never used anywhere else.
Two more fairs will operate behind the Daugava and on Esplanade, near the Old Town. The Esplanade has the biggest creche: a Christmas mystery with rabbits and sheep, for which fairy houses have been built. The fair behind the Daugava, in the Kalnciema quarter, is open only on weekends, but there you can find unique goods from Latvian craftsmen.
Folk festivities before Christmas
The day of the winter solstice, December 21, is widely celebrated in Latvia. Having nothing to do with Christmas, it opens the general succession of Ziemassvetki, winter holidays: solstice day, Catholic Christmas, New Year, Orthodox Christmas.
On this day in the old town and in the ethnographic museum there are masquerades and a very funny ritual called «dragging the deck». This is how Latvians say goodbye to the old sun in order to welcome the new one: the stakes are dragged through the city with songs and then burned.
The usual route of dragging the deck in the Old Town: Town Hall Square — Grecienieku St. — Audeiu St. — Valniu St. — Calcu St. — Livov Square — Zirgu St. — Dom Square — Jauniela St. — Kramu St. — Jaunavu St. — Town Hall Square.
A few days before and after the solstice, you may also encounter the cassocksmen: they go from house to house, chasing away the evil spirits of the past year with songs and inviting the sun to bless the new year. Death is the most mischievous character among the trick-or-treaters: to dance with him is considered a great good fortune.
Of course, no one has put ancient meaning into this holiday for a long time: today it is just an occasion for fun.
Advent in churches
The most beautiful Christmas services are held in the churches of the Old Town: the Lutheran Dome Cathedral, St. John’s and St. Peter’s Church, and St. Jekaba Catholic Church. Many churches offer free concerts every Sunday in Advent.
Very crowded services are in the Lutheran churches: the new St. Gertrude’s Church on 119 Brivibas Street, the old St. Gertrude’s Church on 8 Gertrudes Street, and St. Paul’s Church in Grizinkalns on 1 A. Deglava Street.
The flow of people who rush to Christmas services is impressive. Be prepared for the fact that before the services on the evening of December 24, almost all stores and establishments will close — this is a European tradition. By 8 p.m., no one will be open.
Beautiful in the city
Riga is believed to be the place where Europe’s first Christmas tree was erected, which is why the Ziemassvētku egļu ceļš(Christmas Tree Trail) festival is held here. In 2019, it starts on December 6, and festival objects will be standing in the city until January 12.
All art object locations can be found on the map on the festival website, in a special app and on billboards on the streets of Riga.
A great place for an evening stroll is the zoo. It is located in a huge urban forest — Mezhaparka, and on Christmas Day it goes into special mode. You can just wander along the paths illuminated with festive lights, or you can go into the warm enclosures of exotic animals
And there will also be sales right after Christmas, so don’t be in a hurry to leave Riga.
What to try for Christmas
- Grey peas with speck is a Christmas main course
- Pork heels. They are garnished with stewed cabbage with cranberries
- Blood sausages. They are really blood sausages, there is no meat in there. In some recipes, the sausage is made from pearl groats.
- Riga bread. It is also used to make desserts. The most popular is bread soup, but there is, for example, puff bread.
- Sklandrausis — something like a carrot cake, very tasty, though humble sounding.
- The cheeses — cumin, chocolate, the selection is incredible.
- Piparkukas are Christmas cookies. It is a spicy cookie, and it includes pepper.
- Glientwein, tea with Riga balsam.
Souvenirs
There are very few Christian symbols in the Christmas markets. Wooden toys, cloth dolls, amber and silver, as well as sweet gifts such as honey and piparkukas, are what both tourists and locals buy.
Popular souvenirs are knitted items with national patterns, they are also loved by locals, especially young people.
All shopkeepers speak three languages at least — Latvian, Russian and English. But they will all be very pleased to hear the Latvian wish for a Merry Christmas: Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus!
