Figure 1.--This Latvian Easter postcard appears to have been taken in 1944, just before the Red Army stormed back into Latvia. A German Army held out in Latvia (the Livonian Pocket) until the end of the War. Hitler refused to allow them to evacuate in time. Notice the girl's Latvian folk outfit and the boy's sailor suit. Colored eggs (a fertility symbol) were an important part of the celebrations. Bunnies (anothedr fertility symbol) and pussy willows were also important.

Easter as in other European countries is a mix of Christian and pagan traditions. The Baltics were on of the last areas of Europe yo be Christianized as part of the Northern Crusades. The Livonian Crusade led to the Christionazation of Latvia and Estonia (13th century). The Christian Church commonly eased the transition from paganism to Christianity by incorporating pagan ceremonies into Christisn celebrations. For Christians, Easter celebrates the resurrectioin of Christ. This fit nicely into pagan traditions which celebrated the Spring equinox - a kind of resurrection of the natural world. iEaster is known as 'Lieldienas,' meaning Big Days and originally the name of the ancient pagan spring equinox celebrations. The pagan celebrations involved the arrival of spring and return of the sun. Ancient rituals were meant to assist the land wake up from its winter sleep and ensure the fertility of the land and bless it. Basically a wonderful fit for Christain Easter. Latvians celebrate both Good Friday and Easter Sunday. An imprtant part of Easter celebrations was eggs, both coloring and various activities with them. Before modern dyes, onion skins were used. The egg was seen as a symbol of the sun, which in pagan times has been looked upon as a fertility symbol. A popular tradition was family egg fights. The objective is to hold an egg while others hit the top. The person who has a whole egg without a cracked shell after the fight is the winner and will live a long life. Nearly five decades of Soviet rule and atheist camapigns significantl eroded Christian beliefs. This affected the religious celebration of Easter. Some of the non-religious aspects of Easter have continued.

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Created: 4:42 AM 6/12/2019
Last updated: 4:42 AM 6/12/2019