Colors of Liepaja - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

The real prides of Liepaja are its folk customs. City residents cherish the cultural traditions, many of which remain unchanged for several hundreds of years. The city hosts a lot of interesting national celebrations. Colorful costumes, traditional songs, dances and holiday treats are main attributes of those events. Many national traditions have pagan roots, which also gives them a special flavor. Thus, the ancient pagan festival of Midsummer is considered one of the most important. The summer solstice in Liepaja is celebrated with much eclat.

Every year on June 24, Liepaja hosts a lot of interesting cultural events; you can hear the melodious music and mischievous laugh everywhere. In the festive day, residents are trying to go outside, as mass festivities take place precisely in suburban areas. The winter solstice is another significant pagan date. It is also celebrated widely and implies most unusual rituals.

The main festive fun is dragging a log. This tradition gave the holiday its second name – the night of dragging logs. At the end of the holiday log is supposed to be burnt in a large fire; the ritual symbolizes the elimination of all evil. Local people also celebrate traditional Christian holidays. Easter is always accompanied by colorful entertainment. On this day locals are dyeing chicken eggs and give them as a souvenir to relatives and friends. They also have fun, ride on the swing and enjoy festive treats. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Maslenica preceding the Lent also remains a favorite holiday expected by people. On this day, you can find festive fair literally on every street of Liepaja. Countless sellers are literally drowning in an abundance of colorful souvenirs, sweets and pastries. The main treat is a pancake, and the main holiday tradition is putting on unusual bright outfits. The main goal is to dress up beyond recognition and to surprise loved ones with amazing outfit. Any holiday isn’t complete without folk songs, which are called dainas. Those are four-line verses that are impossible to translate precisely into other languages.

Music fans will certainly want to visit several interesting music festivals held in Liepaja. One of these is the LMT Summer Sound, which takes place at the end of hot July. This is one of the largest festivals of its kind in Latvia attracting both fans of incendiary parties and rock connoisseurs - everyone will find a genre to their taste. Just look at the names of its headliners - Guano Apes, Apocalyptica, King Charles were invited at different times. Liepājas Pludmale beach is the venue, and this is another reason why many tourists are eager to visit Liepaja on the days of the event: that's where listening to quality music can be combined with camping and picnicking.

Just before the LMT Summer Sound, another, no less interesting festival, the Baltic Beach Party, is held in the city. As the name implies, the venue is the same Liepājas Pludmale Beach. At this time, guests from different countries are invited to participate in the event, however, local musicians are of equal interest to the audience. Fiery beats, dancing until nightfall, picnicking and camping opportunities, a family-friendly atmosphere, interesting activities for children - all this attracts tourists and locals wishing to have fun and active time at the beach party.

Classical music fans visit Liepaja in mid-September - the fact in that Liepāja International Organ Music Festival is taking place at this time. And where would one hold such a festival if not in a church? The venue for musical performances is the Lutheran Cathedral Liepājas Svētās Trīsvienības Evaņģēliski Luteriskā Baznīca. The festival owes its existence to the world's largest mechanical organ that was once located in the shrine. However, this title was "stolen" in 1979, when an organ of even more impressive size was erected in the Sydney Opera House. Nevertheless, the organ is still the priceless treasure of the cathedral. During the festival, you can listen to classical church music.

The middle of the summer's last month is marked by a beautiful fest called the Fontaine Festival. At this time, incendiary tracks from DJs and hard rock from eminent musicians - both local and those arriving from other parts of the world - can be heard at concert halls and open-air venues. Every year, organizers try to make the festival more memorable and interesting by inviting famous headliners. Tourists and locals alike appreciate another wonderful festival - the Liepāja International Stars Festival dedicated to piano music. It is held in mid-March when cultural institutions of the city host concerts altogether due to a large number of festival participants.