Easter Sunday in Latvia

Public holiday and day off

Latvia’s law names Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday as public holidays. Employees are not required to work on public holidays; where work must continue, an employer may require it while providing another rest day or appropriate remuneration.[1][2]

The law provides a substitute working day when certain named holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday, but Easter is not among them. It also states that Orthodox, Old Believer and other denominations observe Easter on the dates set by their denominations.[1]

A spring festival with layered meanings

In Latvian traditional culture, Lieldienas is a spring seasonal festival associated with nature’s awakening, light overcoming darkness and the beginning of a new cycle. People’s observance can combine folk and Christian practices, or reflect their own beliefs.[3]

The Latvian name has a long history: the National Encyclopedia says it may have been formed before the 13th century on the model of an Old Russian expression meaning “great day.” The earliest Latvian account of Easter customs identified there appeared in Paul Einhorn’s 1649 book on Latvian history.[3]

Customs at home and in the community

Traditional observances include greeting the sunrise, gathering with family or a wider community, swinging, colouring eggs, egg tapping and playing games. The customs are recorded in Latvian folklore collections and ethnographic materials.[3]

Swinging has been associated in folk belief with health and well-being for people and livestock, protection from harmful spirits, and keeping insects away in summer. In the traditional account, young men invited young women to swing, who gave them a coloured egg in return. Today, egg colouring and egg tapping remain living customs, while swinging is also a family pastime.[3]

Families may share a holiday meal, and contemporary celebrations also include customs adopted from elsewhere, such as the Easter Bunny and egg hunts. The National Encyclopedia describes public folk celebrations and Easter events at Riga parks and Latvia’s Ethnographic Open-Air Museum; these are examples of events rather than a fixed programme for every community.[3]

Planning around the holiday

Public-holiday status does not set a single opening schedule for shops, banks, public offices or transport. Check the hours or holiday timetable published by the specific service you plan to use. The legal rule concerns employees’ work and allows exceptions where continuity of work is needed.[1][2]