Latvia (LV)

Public holiday. Celebrated with fireworks at midnight on New Year's Eve. Riga's Doma laukums (Cathedral Square) hosts large public celebrations.

Second New Year public holiday. Government offices and most businesses closed. Compensated by a working day later in January.

Public holiday in Latvia. Most businesses and public offices are closed.

Easter Sunday — public holiday. Traditional Latvian Easter involves egg-painting (olas krāšana), egg-fighting games, and the welcoming of spring. Churches hold special services.

Easter Monday — public holiday. A family day with spring celebrations.

International Workers' Day — public holiday. A traditional day for community events and the unofficial start of spring social activities.

Commemorates the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990 — when Latvia declared the restoration of independence from the USSR during the Singing Revolution. One of Latvia's most significant national holidays. State ceremonies, flag-raising, and public events.

Whit Sunday — public holiday.

Whit Monday — public holiday. Creates a Pentecost long weekend.

Midsummer Eve — one of the most important Latvian celebrations, arguably more important than Christmas for many Latvians. Celebrated with bonfires, folk songs (dainas), beer, caraway cheese (Jāņu siers), flower and oak-leaf wreaths, and dancing through the night to welcome the solstice. People traditionally leave the city for the countryside. This is the festival of Jānis (John).

Midsummer Day — public holiday, the day of Jānis. Latvia's midsummer celebration (Jāņi) is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event and the high point of the Latvian cultural calendar. The country is essentially at a standstill as families gather in the countryside.