Twice a year German kids are showered in chocolate candy of all shapes and sizes. The first time is on the 6th December when Nikolaus fills their shoes with tasty treats. The second is on Easter Sunday when they go searching for eggs, cute little baskets in hand. And while in my childhood Easter egg hunting meant scouring […]
Celebrations
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Newborn Rituals around the World
The arrival of a new baby is always something special and a reason to celebrate. Most cultures around the world have special rituals to welcome the newborn into the family and the community, and to ensure them the best possible start in life. Here is a selection of some of the most interesting newborn rituals from across […]
German Easter – Decorations, Food & Traditions
Last year we spent the Easter holidays in Germany and I tried to give them a little Latvian touch by coloring the eggs Latvian style. As this year we’re celebrating Easter in Latvia, I suppose it’s only fitting that I write about German Easter traditions instead. The long Easter weekend can feel a bit quiet […]
My Favorite Weird German New Year’s Tradition
Since moving to Germany I’ve had to learn a few things about the New Year’s. First, it’s not called New Year’s Eve over here, it’s Silvester. Second, you don’t wish people happy New Year, instead you wish a guten rutsch, literally, a “good slide” (presumably, into the upcoming year). Third, for some unfathomable reason most […]
Christmas Trees Around the World
The Christmas season has arrived and, just as last year, I’m joining the Christmas in Different Lands Series by Multicultural Kid Blogs. Last year I wrote about the fascinating winter solstice traditions still celebrated in Latvia. This year let me tell you a little about the tradition of decorating fir trees and show you some beautiful […]
How we failed at Germany’s favorite fall tradition
Around the 11th November – the St. Martin’s Day – German daycares and schools prepare for an event called Laternenlaufen or Laternenumzug, roughly translated it means walking with lanterns or lantern pageant. The little ones walk with colorful self-made lanterns and light up the wintry dark streets, parks, and even forests. It’s a beautiful tradition and, […]
Celebrating Midsummer’s Night in Latvia
If you live in the Northern hemisphere you might have noticed that the sun sets very late and that the nights have become unusually light. It is because we have just experienced the summer solstice – the shortest night of the year. As it happens, this is the time of year when I am often […]
Coloring Easter Eggs – Latvian Style
There is one tradition that I associate with Easter more than anything else: colouring Easter eggs. Growing up in Latvia, there was one method we used every single year – colouring eggs with onion skins. Onion skins are a perfect natural way to colour eggs and give the eggs a beautiful, reddish brown tone. But you […]
Chinese New Year: Passing Down Traditions in a Multicultural Family
As my father-in-law invited us to dinner for celebrating Chinese New Year, I realized that there is one part of our family’s cultural heritage that I have paid little thought to. As we live in Germany it is quite clear that Birdy will get to know German customs and festivals. And I will certainly do my […]
Winter Solstice Traditions in Latvia
For millions of people around the world Christmas is closely tied with Christian beliefs, after all it is a celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. In fact, in many languages the word for the celebration itself has to do with Christ or birth. Not so in Latvian where we celebrate “Ziemassvētki”, literally the “winter festival”. You […]