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53-401: The culture of Latvia combines traditional Latvian and Livonian heritage with influences of the country's varied historical heritage . Latvia is divided into several cultural and historical regions: Vidzeme , Latgale , Courland , Zemgale and Sēlija . The area of Latvia has been inhabited since 9000 BC. Baltic tribes , the ancestors of present-day Latvians , arrived around 3000 BC. In

106-526: A Latvian nationalist movement, the First Latvian National Awakening , begun. Led by " Young Latvians ", it encouraged Latvians to become artists and scholars, while preserving their cultural heritage and the language . The movement was countered by a period of Russification , followed by the leftist movement New Current at the beginning of the 20th century; it is regarded as a period in which Latvian culture thrived. This caused

159-619: A base in Uexküll , known today as Ikšķile . Archbishop Hartwig II converted some Livonians in the surrounding area, including the local chieftain Caupo of Turaida , who later allied himself with the Germans. After Meinhard died in 1196, his place was taken by Berthold . Berthold tried to convert the Livonians by force, launching two raids on Livonia. The first took place in 1196, but he

212-915: A choir named "Līvlist" ("The Livonians") in the western Latvian city of Ventspils . The 1980s, Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev 's policies of glasnost and perestroika opened the Iron Curtain , bringing change. In 1986, the Livonian Cultural Society was founded. It was later renamed the Livonian Union (Livonian: Līvõd Īt ). After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Latvia became once again an independent country. In this new nation, Livonians were finally recognised as an indigenous ethnic minority, whose language and culture must be protected and advanced. All rights and possessions which had been taken away from them during

265-499: A clear consciousness of their ethnic identity. Before, they had always referred to themselves as rāndalist ("coast dwellers") or kalāmīed ("fishermen"). From the 1920s and 1930s on, though, they began to call themselves līvõd , līvnikad , or līvlist ("Livonians"). In 1940, Latvia, like Estonia and Lithuania, was occupied by the Soviet Union . This occupation and the subsequent German invasion of 1941 ended all progress

318-630: A last foothold on the outermost tip of the Curonian Peninsula. Several factors made sure that in this area, known as Līvõd rānda , the Livonian Coast , Latvian culture was too weak to assimilate the Livonians. For one thing, the society of the Livonians living in this area was exclusively sea-oriented and based on fishing, while that of the Latvians in the interior was exclusively land-oriented and mostly agricultural. This meant there

371-567: A period of German occupation from 1941 to 1945, Latvia lost its de facto independence as it was occupied by the USSR and became the Latvian SSR . Soviet rule ended in 1991 during the third " Latvian National Awakening " and the restoration of independence. The majority of inhabitants are Latvians . There is a culturally and linguistically distinct subgroup, the Latgalians , who inhabit

424-482: Is home to one of the highest concentrations of Art Nouveau architecture in the world. Livonians Historical, social and economic factors, together with an ethnically dispersed population, have resulted in the decline of Livonian identity, with only a small group surviving in the 21st century. In 2011, there were 250 people who claimed Livonian ethnicity in Latvia. The exact date of migration of Livonians to

477-484: Is now complete, the Latvian Culture Canon was selected by a series of groups of experts in the areas of architecture and design, cinema, literature, music, stage art, national traditions and visual arts. It contains a total of 99 works. Until the 12th century, Latvians were naturalists or pagans. Christianity arrived in the 12th and 13th century and became the most influential religion in the region until

530-524: Is prohibited for anyone to start a hotel, restaurant, or other public establishment which might adversely influence the Livonian culture or draw outsiders into the area. Today, many Latvians claim to have some Livonian ancestry. However, there are only 176 people in Latvia who identify themselves as Livonian. According to data from 1995, the Livonian language was spoken by no more than 30 people, of whom only nine were native speakers. An article published by

583-617: Is so iconic that it appears in the nation's passports. In modern times, national costumes are most often worn during the Song and Dance Festivals that take place every four years in Riga and on Midsummer Night, a popular national holiday celebrated on 23 June in Latvia. Latvians have the rich heritage of traditional folklore, especially folk songs, or Dainas . Dating back well over a thousand years, more than 1.2 million texts and 30,000 melodies of folk songs have been identified. Launched in 2007 and

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636-603: The Balts living there. The Livonians referred to themselves as rāndalist 'coast dwellers' and supported themselves mainly by fishing, but also by agriculture and animal husbandry . Since they controlled an important trade route, the Daugava River (Livonian: Vēna ), their culture was highly developed through trade with the Gotlanders , Russians and Finns , and, from the end of the first millennium AD onwards, with

689-606: The First World War by attacking the Germans and the Austrians from the east, but soon it was pushed back in a series of devastating German victories, which eventually left almost the entire Baltic region in German hands. The Livonian Coast was occupied by the Germans in 1915. At their approach, many Livonians fled their homes, often never to return. Their main destinations were Estonia and inner parts of Latvia. The rest of

742-515: The Germans , Swedes and Danes . However, with the traders came missionaries from Western Europe who wanted to convert the pagan Livonians to Christianity . One of the first people to convert some Livonians to Christianity was the Danish archbishop Absalon , who supposedly built a church in the Livonian village today known as Kolka . In the 12th century, Germans invaded Livonia and established

795-599: The Iron Curtain where no one was allowed to live. Livonian culture was repressed during the Soviet period. For example, the Livonian Society was banned and the Livonian Community Centre expropriated and given to others. Within the Latvian SSR , the Livonians were not recognized as a separate ethnic group. It was not until early the early 1970s that Livonian singers were allowed to found

848-700: The Latgale region in eastern Latvia. Another indigenous group are the Livonians , whose Finnic Livonian language is nearly extinct. The largest minority group is the Slavic people , notably Russians . Other well known minorities are Romani people , Baltic Germans and Jews , whose population decreased significantly after the Second World War , as well as Lithuanians and Estonians . There are two distinct types of Latvian national costume, based on

901-493: The Lielvārde sash, or josta, a wide, red, and white woven sash with a complicated pattern. Originating at a time before clothing had pockets, the sash was practical as it helped keep garments together and could be used for attaching items like keys or a knife. The sashes include signs and graphic symbols similar to ancient pictographs from Asia, and some scholars believe that these convey ancient coded information. The Lielvārde sash

954-778: The University of Latvia was established in 2018. Furthermore, on February 4, 1992, the Latvian government created a cultural historic protected territory called Līvõd rānda – the Livonian Coast – which included all twelve of the Livonian villages: Lūžņa (Livonian: Lūž), Miķeļtornis (Pizā), Lielirbe (Īra), Jaunciems (Ūžkilā), Sīkrags (Sīkrõg), Mazirbe (Irē), Košrags (Kuoštrõg), Pitrags (Pitrõg), Saunags (Sǟnag), Vaide (Vaid), Kolka (Kūolka), and Melnsils (Mustānum). The Latvian government discourages settlement of ethnic Latvians and other non-Livonians in this area and prohibits alterations to historic village sites. Also, it

1007-474: The 13th century after the conquest of today's Latvia, Baltic Germans settled here, and gradually became the upper class and rulers of Latvia, while Latvians and Livonians lost their positions, becoming serfs in the 16th century. This caused the Germanisation of the educated inhabitants of other nationalities, yet some local traditions were preserved. In the 19th century, when serfdom was abolished,

1060-584: The 16th century, with the city of Riga and several other cities existing as independent German-ruled bishoprics, and the Livonian Order ruling the rest of the land. In the middle of the 16th century, the Livonian Order and the independent bishoprics were in turmoil because of the growing influence of Martin Luther 's Reformation . Seeing a chance in the resulting military weakness of the Order, Czar Ivan

1113-527: The Foundation for Endangered Languages in 2007 stated that there were only 182 registered Livonians and a mere six native speakers. "The last Livonian", who had learned the Livonian language as a part of an unbroken chain of Livonian generations, was Viktors Bertholds (b. 1921). He was buried on 28 February 2009 in the Livonian village of Kolka in Courland. The Livonian Dāvis Stalts was elected into

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1166-560: The Great utterly destroyed Sweden's pretensions to being a regional superpower. In the 1721 Treaty of Nystad , Estonia and Livonia, which had again been completely devastated after more than twenty years of war, were claimed by Russia. Curonia continued to be ruled by its dukes for another three-quarters of a century, but in 1795, that region also became a Russian possession as part of the Third Partition of Poland . Partly because of

1219-719: The Knights of the Sword as infantry during the wars against the Estonians and the Latvian tribes, which continued until 1217. Before the German Conquests Livonian inhabited territory was divided in lands of Daugava Livonians, Satezele, Turaida, Idumeja, Metsepole . During the Livonian Crusade , once prosperous Livonia was devastated, and whole regions were almost completely depopulated. This vacuum

1272-765: The Knights of the Sword eventually had to look for support to the much more powerful Teutonic Order , which up until then had been active primarily in Poland and Lithuania . Having been reorganized as a subdivision of the Teutonic Order and renamed the Livonian Order in 1237, the former Knights of the Sword finally overpowered the Curonians in 1267, and subsequently the Semigallians in 1290. From then on most of Latvia remained under German control until

1325-569: The Latvian government did not see the topic of Livonian culture as important enough. Nevertheless, the Livonian language and culture experienced a revival between the two World Wars (beginning with the term of the Latvian president Jānis Čakste through the term of the last interwar president Kārlis Ulmanis ). The clearest expression of this revival was the establishment on April 2, 1923 of the Livonian Society ( Livonian : Līvõd Īt , Latvian : Līvu savienība ), which considered itself

1378-601: The Latvian government prohibited the formation of an ethnic Livonian parish within the Lutheran Church . It did approve the introduction of the Livonian language as an optional subject in elementary schools in the villages of the Livonian Coast that same year. In the 1930s, the first Livonian language reader, poetry collections of several Livonian writers, and a monthly magazine in the Livonian language, called " Līvli " ("The Livonian") were published. Also, contact

1431-644: The Latvian parliament, the Saeima in 2011 . In 2018, after being re-elected to the Saeima, Janīna Kursīte-Pakule delivered her oath in Livonian before being asked to retake it in Latvian, which she did in the Livonian dialect of Latvian. In 2018, the Livonian Institute at the University of Latvia ( Livonian : Lețmō Iļīzskūol Līvõd institūt ) was established to promote research and awareness of

1484-721: The Livonian language is being revived , with some 210 persons having some knowledge of the language at a A1 or A2 level. 2023 was proclaimed as Livonian Heritage Year by the UoL Livonian Institute in cooperation with the UNESCO Latvian National Commission and the Latvian National Cultural Center, with various events held by individuals and institutions. In 2023, the first of 171 approved road signs in Latvia with Latvian and Livonian text were placed on

1537-514: The Livonians had made in the preceding twenty years. All cultural expressions were prohibited and just like twenty years before, the inhabitants of the Livonian Coast were driven from their homes. Most of them spent the war years in Riga or western Latvia, but some fled across the Baltic Sea to Gotland . The Curonian Peninsula was one of the areas where the Germans held out until the general capitulation of May 9, 1945, which meant that often there

1590-528: The Livonians, Estonians , and Baltic peoples in the hinterland to convert, a knightly order was formed, the Knights of the Sword , primarily consisting of Germans, to bring salvation to the pagans by force. In a campaign that was part of the wars known as the Livonian Crusade , these knights defeated, subdued and converted the Livonians. In 1208, Pope Innocent III declared that all Livonians had been converted to Christianity. Afterwards they were obliged to join

1643-706: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, while Curonia became an independent duchy (Courland), with Gotthard Kettler , the Livonian Order's last Grandmaster, as its first duke. After only ten years of peace, a new series of wars between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden , which had claimed Estonia after the Livonian War, ravaged Livonia from 1592. Eventually, the Swedes were victorious. In 1629, they could finally call Livonia and

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1696-496: The Russian National Orchestra. A form of traditional architecture in Latvia is log houses . The position of houses differs among regions. In western Latvia, single farms are more popular and in villages, the houses are positioned in a circle around a central square. In eastern Latvia, villages are more popular and houses are positioned along the main street. This is seen as an influence of nearby Russia. Riga

1749-655: The Soviet era were now returned to them. For example, the old Livonian Community Centre in Mazirbe (Irē) was given back and transformed into a historical museum, called the House of the Livonian People. Also, the Livonian language was reintroduced in the elementary schools in Riga, Staicele , Ventspils , Dundaga and Kolka . The first research body dedicated to Livonian studies, the Livonian Institute at

1802-524: The Terrible of Russia invaded Livonia in 1558, seeking access to the Baltic Sea. However, Sweden and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth entered the war as allies of the Livonian Order, resulting in almost a quarter of a century of war. The outcome of this Livonian War (1558–1582) was a Russian defeat, but also the dissolution of the Livonian Order. Livonia and south-eastern Latvia were claimed by

1855-705: The arrival of Communism in the 20th century when all religions were banned. Today the majority of Latvians are part of the Lutheran Church, with large Catholic and Orthodox Christian minorities. Choir traditions are very strong in Latvia. Alongside many professional choirs, there are tens of thousands of Latvians who are part of different amateur choirs. Once every five years the Latvian National Song and Dance Festival takes place with around 20,000 singers taking part in it. The 2014 World Choir Games took place in Riga. In summer 2019 Latvia hosted

1908-803: The city of Riga their own. Under the 17th Century Swedish Kings Gustav II Adolf and Charles XI , general elementary education was introduced, the Bible was translated in Estonian and Latvian , and a university was founded in Tartu in southern Estonia. Although Sweden kept the Poles and the Danes at a distance, this could not be said of the Russians. In the Great Northern War (1700–1721), Czar Peter

1961-400: The historic period in which they arose: the "ancient dress" period from the 7th to 13th century, and the "ethnic" or "ethnographic dress" period from the 18th and 19th centuries. One iconic feature of Latvian women's folk dress is the traditional Latvian belt, a wide sash with a woven geometric pattern. Different regions of Latvia have their own distinct patterns and colors. The best known is

2014-878: The inaugural Riga Jurmala Music Festival, a new festival in which world-famous orchestras and conductors performed across four weekends during the summer. The festival took place at the Latvian National Opera , the Great Guild, and the Great and Small Halls of the Dzintari Concert Hall. This year features the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra , the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra , the London Symphony Orchestra and

2067-478: The language. It is led by linguist and activist Valts Ernštreits. In 2020, it was reported that newborn Kuldi Medne had become the only living person who speaks Livonian as their first language. Her parents are Livonian language revival activists Jānis Mednis and Renāte Medne. In October 2022, they published Kūldaläpš. Zeltabērns ('Golden Child'), a book in Livonian and Latvian for children and parents, with plans for subsequent books and an audio version. Currently,

2120-567: The last known speaker of the eastern Livonian dialect died in 1864, though according to some reports, there were still some people in the early 20th century in the Polish area In the Latvian dialect spoken in Livonia, a large number of Livonian loanwords have survived, and other traces of Livonian can be found in many geographical names in the region. In Curonia, the Livonian language and culture also came under heavy pressure, but here it retained

2173-463: The people were driven from their homes by the Germans and had to wait until 1919 before they were allowed to return. The Russian defeat and the subsequent abdication of Czar Nicholas II opened the door for Vladimir Lenin and the communists to make a grab for power in Russia, leading to the establishment of the Soviet government in Russia in 1917. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk the following year ended

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2226-438: The recurring devastation of war and the resultant mingling of refugees, the Livonians of Livonia were eventually completely assimilated by the Latvians. The last remnant of this once vibrant nation was made up of several families living along the river Salaca (Livonian: Salatsi ), but in the second half of the 19th century, the Livonian language and culture completely disappeared from the region known to this day as Livonia;

2279-535: The region has been disputed. "The Livonians claim to have inhabited their present homeland for over 5,000 years." "The Finnic tribes were pushed into the coastal regions by the Slav migrations of the sixth and seventh centuries AD." Historically, the Livonians lived in two separate areas of Latvia, one group in Livonia and another on the northern coast of Courland . The latter were referred as Curonians , together with

2332-423: The representative of the Livonian people. Also, a Livonian language choir was founded and Livonian song festivals were held along the entire Livonian Coast. Furthermore, a Livonian flag was adopted, with the colours green (for the forests), white (for the beaches) and blue (for the sea), and a division similar to the Latvian flag (three horizontal bars with the middle one-half as wide as the outer ones). In 1923,

2385-411: The second "Latvian National Awakening", leading ultimately to the proclamation of an independent Latvia in 1918. On 15 May 1934, Kārlis Ulmanis seized power in a coup d'état and established an authoritarian regime, which lasted only until the outbreak of World War II and Soviet occupation in 1939–40. In cultural terms, however, this period is seen as a " golden age " for Latvia. During the war, with

2438-469: The war between Germany and Soviet Russia and left the Baltic region firmly in German hands. However, after the German capitulation in 1919, the Baltic peoples rose up and established the independent republics of Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania . The Livonian Coast became part of independent Latvia . Actions by the Latvian government during the interwar years towards supporting the Livonian minority has been seen as lacking or non-existent, with claims that

2491-414: Was collectivized in the Baltic states. Also, in 1955 a Soviet military base was constructed in the middle of the Livonian Coast. To accomplish this, some Livonians were forcibly relocated to villages farther from the coast. Subsequently, the western villages of the Livonian Coast had to be almost completely evacuated when the Soviet Union made its Baltic coastline (its western border) a "closed border area" of

2544-402: Was filled by Latvian tribes – Curonians , Semigallians , Latgallians and Selonians – who started to move into the area around 1220, and continued to do so for at least thirty years. They settled mostly in the Daugava Valley, so that the Livonians of Livonia in the east were cut off from those living on the peninsula of Curonia in the west. Because of their defeat at the battle of Saule

2597-437: Was forced to retreat to Germany after being ambushed near Salaspils . He tried again in 1198, but this time he was killed by the Livonian soldier Ymaut . Berthold was followed by Albert von Buxhövden , who forced the Livonian leaders at the mouth of the Daugava River to give him land to build a Christian settlement. Building started in 1201. From this settlement, the city of Riga grew. When this did not immediately induce

2650-409: Was made with related peoples such as the Estonians and the Finns  — spurred by the Finnish promotion of closer ties with the kindred Baltic Finns — and in 1939, the Livonian Community Centre in Mazirbe ( Livonian : Irē ) was founded with subsidies from the Estonian and Finnish governments. This cultural revival of the Interbellum years served to give the Livonian people for the first time

2703-434: Was not a house left standing when the Livonians returned home after the war. In the Soviet era, the Livonians were hard-hit by repressive measures from Moscow . For one thing, they were not allowed to sail far enough from shore to continue their fishery. For another, like the Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians, large numbers of them were deported to Siberia between 1945 and 1952, with a clear peak in 1949, when agriculture

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2756-453: Was not a lot of interaction between the two groups. Also, the Livonian Coast was separated from the interior of Curonia by dense forests and impassable marshlands, which made regular interaction even less likely. The people of the Livonian Coast had much closer ties to the inhabitants of the Estonian island of Saaremaa , across the Gulf of Riga to the north. In their isolated fishing villages, these Livonians kept to themselves for centuries. It

2809-443: Was not until the 20th century that the outside world intruded on their quiet existence. At the beginning of 20th century many local Livs converted to the Russian Orthodox faith. A new Russian Orthodox church was built in Kolka along with a grammar school nearby and navy school in Mazirbe . Many graduates in later years became sea captains first in the Russian Empire , and later in independent Latvia . In 1914, Russia entered

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