Though Latvia celebrates Christmas on December 25, this holiday is closely linked with pagan winter solstice celebrations. Latvians mark the 12 days up until Christmas with gifts. If you're in Riga during the month of December, you can purchase traditional decorations and sample Latvian Christmastime foods at the Riga Christmas Market.
Riga lies on both banks of the river Daugava in the form of a circle and can roughly bedivided into two parts, the right and left side of the river. The right side of the city is where Old Riga, New Riga and other districts are located. The left part of the city is also called “Pārdaugava”, meaning “Across the Daugava," and suburbs and other districts are located on this side.
The culture of Latvia is as colorful as its' past, having been influenced by various civilizations since ancient times. Local Latvian Pagan heritage has survived over millennia, with German missionary knights introduced Christianity to the territory of Latvia in the 13th century. These enduring Pagan customs combined with common Christian traditions and rituals are two distinct characteristics of Latvian culture today.