Festivities to celebrate the New Year begin in the evening of December 31 In recent years, both the President and Prime Minister address the people on national TV. While champagne toasts are common, many Latvian families partake in a variety of traditional rituals to ensure good luck and prosperity in the New Year.
Easter is the peak of the Christian church year; the rest of the year is a prelude to the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, Advent time of expectant waiting for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, Christmas and Fasting.
According to the Constitution (Satversme), Latvia is a parliamentary republic in which the sovereign power belongs to the people, who are represented by a unicameral parliament (Saeima), with 100 members elected in general, equal, direct, secret and proportional elections for a four-year period.