Lifestyle
Posted at 06:29 on 2009-Aug-25
Latvians generally adore nature – their traditions and customs reach back to their pagan past. In many rural households it’s counted as lucky to have a green snake (nonvenom-ous grass snake) living in the home. Latvians like flowers; if you go to a birthday party or some other special event, it’s nice to bring a bouquet – but make sure it’s an odd number of flowers! Even numbers are reserved for funerals and other sad occasions. Latvian women are a tad less emancipated than in the West, so female drivers, for instance, might provoke some mildly sexist but harm-less commentary. In addition Latvians have perhaps the best-developed entrepreneurial sense of all three Baltic countries, perhaps following the example set by the enter prising, predominately Russian population found in Rīga.
Latvia
Posted at 05:17 on 2009-Jul-19
If you’re yearning to hit Europe’s untrodden jackpot, cash in your chips in Latvia (Latvija). Still undiscovered by the tourism masses, this sizzling Baltic sexpot is poised to become the continent’s next A-list star. A country in transition, hellbent on shedding its stalwart old-Soviet image, the Latvia of today is vibrant, enigmatic and altogether mesmerising. Refreshingly unpretentious, Latvia manages to tantalise even the most jaded traveller. Many arrive expecting little and leave overwhelmed, certain they’ve uncovered long-buried treasure. Bustling Rīga, with its pumping nightlife, cobbled streets and marvellous Art-Nouveau architecture is one of Eastern Europe’s most fun cities. Away from the capital, the pace slows. Historic villages, miles from anywhere, sit frozen in time. Despite growing popularity, Latvia is still one of those places where you can embrace the unbeaten path and become an intrepid adventurer exploring virgin terrain. From crumbling castles in pine-scented forests to alluring resorts on the edge of the ice-blue Baltic Sea, it’s very easy to just get away. Summer is an especially magical time – twilight comes near midnight and by 4am it’s light again. After long, dark winters, Latvians seem determined to soak up as much light as possible and the whole country exudes a frenetic, turbocharged energy. Beer gardens pop up in even the smallest villages and revellers slug pints well into the night.
It’s hard to believe this tiny, vivacious nation shed its Russian stranglehold less than two decades ago because, despite years of intense suffering under Soviet and Nazi occupations, Latvia has a serenity and charm rarely found elsewhere in Europe. This is Latvia’s moment. Visit before everyone else does.
LATVIAN
Posted at 06:54 on 2009-May-26
Latvian is one of only two surviving languages of the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. Even more than Estonians, the speakers of Latvian regard their language as an endangered species –
try, and just over 45% of the inhabitants of the capital, R?ga, speak it as their first language. Latvian and Lithuanian have a lot of vocabulary in common, but are not quite close enough to be mutually intelligible.
English is a popular foreign language in Latvia so you may find that local people will be more than pleased to practise their language skills with you. If you manage to grasp at least some basic phrases in Latvian you’ll be received warmly.Latvian uses feminine and masculine forms of words. In this language guide the masculine form appears first and is separated from the feminine form by a slash. All phrases are given in the polite form unless otherwise indicated
