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Ķekatas
There is a number of regional variants of Latvian masked processions. Rooted in ritual traditions, by the end of the 19th century, they started losing their religious meaning turning more into an entertainment and gradually they were disappearing, kept by small groups of enthusiasts in some rural regions of Latvia. With the rise of the folklore movement by the end of the 1970s these traditions were revived, and there are several folkloric groups that are trying to reconstruct these, in cooperation with researchers.Aīda RancāneRevival of local masking traditions in Latvia as the result of cooperation between performers and researchers Ķekatas (Ķekatas iešana, "stilt walking", "stilt strolling") is a Latvian folk tradition of masked processions. The participants, called Ķekatnieki (singular: Ķekatnieks) wearing various masks went from one homestead to another giving blessings and driving away evil spirits. Since the old times they happened in autumn and winter, when all fa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mummering
Mummering is a Christmas-time house-visiting tradition practiced in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ireland, Philadelphia, and parts of the United Kingdom. Also known as mumming or janneying, it typically involves a group of friends or family who dress in disguise and visit homes within their community or neighboring communities during the twelve days of Christmas. If the mummers are welcomed into a house, they often do a variety of informal performances that may include dance, music, jokes, or recitations. The hosts must guess the mummers' identities before offering them food or drink. They may poke and prod the mummers or ask them questions. To make this a challenge for the hosts, the mummers may stuff their costumes, cross-dress, or speak while inhaling (ingressive speech). Once the mummers have been identified, they remove their disguises, spend some social time with the hosts, and then travel as a group to the next home. History An old Christmas custom from England and Ireland, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Koleda
Koliada or koleda (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: коляда, коледа, колада, коледе) is the traditional Slavic languages , Slavic name for the period from Christmas to Epiphany (holiday) , Epiphany or, more generally, for Slavic Christmas-related rituals, some dating to Christianization of the Slavs , pre-Christian times. It represents a festival or holiday, celebrated at the end of December to honor the sun during the Northern-hemisphere winter solstice. It also involves groups of singers who visit houses to sing Christmas carol , carols. Terminology The word is still used in modern Russian language, Russian (Коляда́), Ukrainian language, Ukrainian ("Коляда", Koliadá), Belarusian language, Belarusian (''Каляда'', Kalada, Kaliada), Polish language, Polish (Szczodre Gody ''kolęda'' ), Bulgarian language, Bulgarian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian (''Коледа, Коледе, koleda, kolenda''), Lithuanian language, Lith ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Latvian Kekatas Masks
Latvian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Latvia **Latvians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to what is modern-day Latvia and the immediate geographical region **Latvian language, also referred to as Lettish **Latvian cuisine **Latvian culture **Latvian horse *Latvian Gambit, an opening in chess See also *Latvia (other) Latvia is a country in Europe. Latvia can also refer to: * Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (1940–1990) * Latvia (European Parliament constituency) * 1284 Latvia - asteroid * Latvia Peak - mountain in Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the ... * {{disambiguation Language and nationality disambiguation pages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Latvia (39)
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of , with a population of 1.9million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians, who are the titular nation and comprise 65.5% of the country's population, belong to the ethnolinguistic group of the Balts and speak Latvian. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population; 37.7% of the population speak Russian as their native tongue. After centuries of Teutonic, Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian, and Russian rule, the independent Republic of Latvia was established on 18 November 1918 after breaking away from the German Empire in the aftermath of World War&nb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meteņi
Meteņi () or Metenis is an ancient Latvian spring waiting holiday, that ends on Ash Wednesday, which is followed by Lent. Meteņi is celebrated in February or early March, seven weeks before Lieldienas. Origins The Meteņi celebration preserved the ancient traditions of New Year's Eve, because ancient Indo-European people celebrated New Year's Eve in mid-February. This came from the early Latvian word "meti", which meant turn of time, gauge. The original meaning is preserved in the word "laikmets" (era). Lithuanian word "metai" even now means "year". Name in other languages In Livonian populated regions and Riga, this celebration is known as Fastelavn (possibly originating from German ''Fastnacht'' - hunger night). Elsewhere, it is also called Lastavāgs, Aizgavēnis, Miesmetis, Buduļi Eve, and Pie Day. Lithuanians call it ''užgavėnės'', while Estonians call it ''vastlapäev''. To Russians and other Orthodox Christian peoples this festival is known as Maslenitsa ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zemgale
Semigallia is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located to the south of the Daugava and to the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. The territory is split between Latvia and Lithuania, previously inhabited by the Semigallian Baltic tribe. They are noted for their long resistance (1219–1290) against the German crusaders and Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades. Semigallians had close linguistic and cultural ties with Samogitians. Name The name of Semigallia appears in sources such as ''Seimgala'', ''Zimgola'' and ''Sem'' 'e'''gallen''. The -gal element means 'border' or 'end', while the first syllable corresponds to ''ziem'' ('north'). Thus, the Semigallians were the "people of the northern borderlands" (i.e. the lower parts of the Mūša and Lielupe river valleys). Territory 1st–4th centuries Between the 1st and the 4th century the cultural area of Semigallian reached its maximum size. In the north, the territory spread the Gulf of Riga and included a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kukeri
Kukeri (; singular: kuker, кукер) are elaborately costumed Bulgarian men, who perform traditional rituals intended to scare away evil spirits. Closely related traditions are found throughout the Balkans and Greece (including Romania and the Pontus). The costumes cover most of the body and include decorated wooden masks of animals (sometimes double-faced) and large bells attached to the belt. Around New Year and before Lent, the Kukeri walk and dance through villages to scare away evil spirits with their costumes and the sound of their bells. They are also believed to provide a good harvest, health, and happiness to the village for the year ahead. The Kukeri traditionally visit people's houses at night so that "the sun would not catch them on the road." After parading around the village, they usually gather at the village square to dance wildly and amuse the people. Kukeri rituals vary by region, but remain largely the same in essence. 19th century scholars considered the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ziemassvētki
Ziemassvētki (), also Ziemsvētki is an annual festival in Latvia which observes the winter solstice and birth of Jesus Christ. Latvians around the world celebrate it from 24 to 25 December. 24 December is Ziemassvētku vakars (Christmas Eve, lit. Christmas Evening), while 25 December is Pirmie Ziemassvētki (First Christmas), 26 December Otrie Ziemassvētki (Second Christmas). Christianity traditionally celebrates the birthday of Jesus Christ on 25 December, according to the Julian calendar, but Orthodox churches follow the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar and, as a result, the majority of Orthodox churches celebrate Ziemassvētki on 6, 7 and 8 January. Ziemassvētki is also celebrated by people whose religious belief is not Christianity. Nowadays the customary Ziemassvētki traditions are decorating the Ziemassvētku egle (Christmas tree), Ziemassvētku vecītis (Santa Claus, lit. Old Christmas Man), baking ''piparkūkas'' (gingerbread) and mandarin scent. Ziemassvētki fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Namahage
The are demonlike beings portrayed by men wearing hefty ''oni'' (ogre) masks and traditional straw capes (''mino (straw cape), mino'') during a New Year's ritual, in local northern Japanese folklore of the Oga Peninsula area of Akita Prefecture. General description Namahage are portrayed by men who don ''oni'' masks and dress in long straw coats or ''mino (straw cape), mino'', which are locally called ''kede'' or ''kende''. They are equipped with Deba knife, deba knives (usually fakes made of wood or papier-mâché) and a . Marching in small groups of two or three, the namahage go door-to-door between people's homes, admonishing children who may be guilty of laziness or bad behavior by yelling phrases like or in the pronunciation and accent of the local dialect. Traditionally, the namahage have worn painted wooden masks, sometimes made of wood bark, and primarily painted red. In recent years, however, masks are manufactured using cardboard material, flattened metal canisters ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Latvian Folk Culture
Latvian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Latvia **Latvians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to what is modern-day Latvia and the immediate geographical region **Latvian language, also referred to as Lettish **Latvian cuisine **Latvian culture **Latvian horse *Latvian Gambit, an opening in chess See also *Latvia (other) Latvia is a country in Europe. Latvia can also refer to: * Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (1940–1990) * Latvia (European Parliament constituency) * 1284 Latvia - asteroid * Latvia Peak - mountain in Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the ... * {{disambiguation Language and nationality disambiguation pages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christmas Traditions
Christmas traditions include a variety of customs, religious practices, rituals, and folklore associated with the celebration of Christmas. These traditions are diverse in their origins and nature, with some having an exclusively Christianity, Christian character with origins from within the religion. Other traditions are considered more cultural or secularity, secular in nature and have originated outside Christian influence. Christmas traditions have also changed and evolved significantly in the centuries since the Christmas holiday was first instituted, with celebrations often taking on an entirely different quality depending on the period and observance of Christmas by country, geographical region. Church attendance Christmas Day (including its vigil, Christmas Eve), is a Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)#Festivals, Festival in the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church, a Solemnity in the Roman Catholic Church, and a Principal Feast of the Anglican Communion. Other Christian denomination ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
