See this theme in halls 6 – 9
| When rural estates were established in the 16th century, they began agricultural production for the market, while peasant farmsteads provided mainly for their own needs and for dues paid in-kind to the estate-holders. The development of farming implements and the introduction of new farming practices was a slow process. On the peasant farmsteads, conditions began to change more rapidly in the 19th century, after the abolition of serfdom in the various regions of Latvia in the years 1817–1861. Agriculture and stock-keeping was the main occupation of rural people. Other important sources of income were flax-growing and beekeeping. Fishing was also a major occupation.
Two separate cycles of traditional Latvian festivities may be distinguished: seasonal festivals and family celebrations. The annual cycle of seasonal feasts included celebrations at the solstices and equinoxes: Easter, Jâňi (Midsummer), Martinmas and Christmas, marking the beginning of spring, summer, autumn and winter and closely connected with the annual cycle of agriculture and animal husbandry.
The cycle of family celebrations encompassed the major events of the human lifetime: christening, marriage and funeral. The greatest wealth of tradition is associated with marriage.
The Latvian language belongs to the world’s largest language family – the Indo-European languages. Along with Lithuanian, it belongs to the Baltic language group. Latvian actually developed only in the 13th–16th centuries, from the Latgallian, Selonian, Semigallian and Couronian languages.
The traditional dress preserved up to the present day is generally festive costume, the oldest examples dating from the 18th century. Groups of characteristic features serve to distinguish the folk costumes of Kurzeme, Zemgale, Vidzeme, Latgale and Augđzeme. Traditional female dress consisted of a linen shirt, a woollen skirt, a belt and a headdress. Maidens wore a crown-like headdress, the vainags, or a hairband, while married women had headcloths or caps. The woollen shawl was a characteristic item of dress. Men wore a linen shirt, woollen trousers, a long or short coat and a belt. Ornaments were made from bronze, silver, amber, coloured glass, etc. The quality and richness of ornaments on the dress served to show the wearer’s wealth.
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