#latgalian

[yvanspijk]

Verbal words

The word word is etymologically related to the word verb. Word was inherited from Proto-Germanic. Verb, on the other hand, was borrowed from Latin verbum, which also simply meant ‘word’. They have a common Proto-Indo-European ancestor, which has descendants in the Baltic languages as well. Zoom in on my new infographic to learn more.

[historyguide]

A decorative plate from private collection made by the famous Latgalian ceramicist Polikarps Čerņavskis.

Explore our visual guides and documentaries about art & history.

[folkfashion]

Latgalian woman, Latvia, by Viktoria Koulkina

[balticmythology]

Comparison of pronouns in Baltic languages (with English translation)

[nonenglishsongs]

Sovvaļnīks - Pats sevī dzeivs (Latgalian)

[gwendolynlerman]

Discovering the World

Latvia 🇱🇻

Basic facts

Official name: Latvijas Republika (Republic of Latvia)

Capital city: Riga

Population: 1.8 million (2023)

Demonym: Latvian

Type of government: unitary parliamentary republic

Head of state: Edgars Rinkēvičs (President)

Head of government: Evika Siliņa (Prime Minister)

Gross domestic product (purchasing power parity): $78.42 billion (2024)

Gini coefficient of wealth inequality: 35.7% (medium) (2021)

Human Development Index: 0.879 (very high) (2022)

Currency: euro (EUR)

Fun fact: It is home to Europe’s widest waterfall.

Etymology

The country’s name comes from the ancient Latgalians.

Geography

Latvia is located in Northern Europe and borders Estonia to the north, Russia to the east, Lithuania to the south, and Belarus to the southeast.

The country has a warm-summer humid continental climate. Temperatures range from −7 °C (19.4 °F) in winter to 23 °C (73.4 °F) in summer. The average annual temperature is 7.6 °C (45.6 °F).

The country is divided into 36 municipalities (novadi) and seven state cities (valstspilsētas). The largest cities in Latvia are Riga, Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava, and Jūrmala.

History

1100-8200 BCE: Swiderian culture

9000-6000 BCE: Maglemosian culture

8500-5000 BCE: Kunda culture

5300-1750 BCE: Narva culture

4200-2000 BCE: Comb Ceramic culture

3000-2350 BCE: Corded Ware culture

1000 BCE-500: Brushed Pottery culture

880-1240 CE: Kievan Rus’

987-1504: Principality of Polotsk

1000-1253: Eldership of Piemare

10th century-1224: Eldership of Tālava

1041-1239: Principality of Jersika

1180-1208: Principality of Koknese

1186-1561: Archbishopric of Riga

1207-1561: Terra Mariana

1226-1561: State of the Teutonic Order

1234-1562: Bishopric of Courland

1236-1569: Gran Duchy of Lithuania

1297-1330: Livonian Civil War

1558-1583: Livonian War

1561-1795: Duchy of Courland and Semigallia

1569-1795: Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

1570-1579: Kingdom of Livonia

1629-1721: Swedish Livonia

1795-1918: Russian Empire

1918: United Baltic Duchy

1918-1920: Latvian War of Independence

1920-1940: Republic of Latvia

1940-1990: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic

1934: coup d’état

1990-present: Republic of Latvia

Economy

Latvia mainly imports from and exports to Lithuania, Estonia, and Germany. Its top exports are wheat, chipped wood, and alcohol.

It has dolomite and limestone reserves. Services represent 73.7% of the GDP, followed by industry (22.4%) and agriculture (3.9%).

Latvia is a member of the Council of Europe, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Demographics

Ethnic Latvians make up 62.4% of the population, while Russians represent 23.7%, Belarusians 3%, and Ukrainians 3%. The main religion is Christianity, practiced by 64% of the population, 36% of which is Protestant.

It has a positive net migration rate and a fertility rate of 1.6 children per woman. 68.5% of the population lives in urban areas. Life expectancy is 76.1 years and the median age is 44 years. The literacy rate is 100%.

Languages

The official language of the country is Latvian. Latgalian and Livonian are recognized languages.

Culture

Almost all people have sung in a choir at some point in their lives. Latvian people do not like to talk to people they have not been introduced to.

Men traditionally wear a long, embroidered shirt, an overcoat, linen pants, a belt, long socks, and a straw hat. Women wear an embroidered blouse, a long skirt, a cloth belt (josta), and a cloth crown.

Architecture

Traditional houses in Latvia have wooden walls, stone foundations, and thatched grass roofs.

Cuisine

The Latvian diet is based on fish, meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Typical dishes include pelēkie zirņi (gray peas with bacon and radish), rupjmaizes kārtojums (a dessert made of rye breadcrumbs, blackcurrant or lingonberry jam, and whipped cream), skābeņu zupa (sorrel soup), sklandrausis (a small pie filled with carrot and potato paste), and speķrauš (crescent-shaped buns filled with bacon and onions).

Holidays and festivals

Like other Christian countries, Latvia celebrates Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Second Day of Christmas Day. It also commemorates New Year’s Day, Labor Day, Midsummer’s Eve, Midsummer’s Day, and New Year’s Eve.

Specific Latvian holidays include Restoration of Independence Day on May 4 and Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia on November 18.

Restoration of Independence Day

Other celebrations include the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, which features choir and folk songs; the Riga City Festival, with art, entertainment, food, and music, and the Staro Rīga Light Festival, when lights adorn major buildings.

Staro Riga Light Festival

Landmarks

There are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Historic Center of Riga, Old Town of Kuldīga, and Struve Geodetic Arc.

Historic Center of Riga

Other landmarks include the Gauja National Park, the Grobiņa Archaeological Ensemble, the Liepāja Beach, the Rundāle Palace, and the Turaida Castle.

Gauja National Park

Famous people

Deniss Vasiļjevs - figure skater

Elīna Garanča - singer

Elya Baskin - actor

Gidon Kremer - violinist

Jeļena Ostapenko - tennis player

Kristaps Porziņģis - basketball player

Ksenia Solo - actress

Laila Pakalnina - movie director

Mikhail Tal - chess player

Uljana Semjonova - basketball player

Gidon Kremer

You can find out more about life in Latvia in this post and this video.

[vakavanhavainamoinen]

Diagram of a Late Iron Age Latgalian warrior (found on Pinterest).

It is really interesting to note the similarities between the archaeological finds of the Latgalians in Latvia and Gotlandic items. Of course, a heap of active trade was occurring between various peoples of the Baltic, so such similarities are not surprising.

[medievalvisions-blog]

Latgalian costume and silver accessories.