Holiday blues

  • 2008-04-22
  • In cooperation with BNS
RIGA-A recent survey by the Baltic Institute ofSocial Sciences attributes the Latvian population's reluctance to take part inthe celebration of national holidays to the economic and political situation inthe country.

Many respondents in the poll also notedthat usually celebrations attended by top state officials were the mostunsuccessful.

"Residents note that at festive events, attended by officials,organizers focus all their attention on ensuring that the officials saw andheard everything well, while the rest of the public is often neglected," scientificeditor Brigita Zepa said.

Many respondents also complained about heavy police presence at festiveevents.

Those festive events that involved active participation of the public, suchas torchlight processions, lighting candles and laying flowers drew the mostpositive evaluation.

Many young people as well as ethnic minorities are often unaware of themeaning of national holidays and cannot tell them apart, a problem Zepa putdown to historical context.

The most popular holidays in Latviaare those associated with solstice traditions, with 98 percent of Latviansmarking these dates, the poll reveals. At the same time, only 48 percent ofethnic Latvians and just as many representatives of ethnic minorities celebrateLatvia'sindependence day on November 18, and even less people mark May 4, the day Latvia'sindependence was restored in 1990.

In general, ethnic Latvians are much more active in celebrating nationalholidays than ethnic minorities, and most people prefer to watch festiveceremonies on television.