Lifestyle Latvian lifestyle is deeply influenced by regional traditions, with distinct practices across areas like
Courland,
Zemgale,
Vidzeme,
Latgale, and
Selonia. Traditionally, livelihoods focused on agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing, with crafts such as wood, leather, and amber work playing significant roles. Rural living was centered around one-room houses made of pine or spruce logs, and settlements varied by region, including clustered villages and street-like layouts. Latvian traditional clothing varies by region, with women often wearing tunic-style shirts and embroidered scarves, while men wore simple tunics and checkered pants. The Latvian lifestyle emphasizes a strong connection to nature, family, and cultural traditions, with holidays like
Jāņi and
Christmas celebrated with music, feasting, and family gatherings.
Influences spanned from
Memel to
Danzig. Latvians share a common language and have a unique culture with traditions, holidays, customs and arts. The culture and religious traditions have been somewhat influenced by
Germanic,
Scandinavian, and
Russian traditions. Latvians have an ancient culture that has been archaeologically dated back to 3000 BC. Latvians maintained a considerable connection and trade with their neighbors. The first indications of human inhabitants on the lands of modern Latvia date archaeologically to 9000 BC, suggesting that the first settlers were hunters that stayed almost immediately following the end of the
last ice age. Colonizers from the south arrived quickly, driving many of the hunters northward as polar ice caps melted further, or east, into modern-day
Russia,
Belarus, and
Ukraine. The
Roman author
Tacitus remarked upon the "
Aestii" peoples, thought to be inhabitants of the modern Baltic lands, suggesting that they were abound with formidable, yet peaceful and hospitable people. The Latvian peoples remained relatively undisturbed until
Papal intervention via the
Germanic,
Teutonic Order colonized
Kurzeme (Courland in English, Kurland in German), beginning in the first half of the 13th century. Papal decrees ordered the Teutonic Order to spread the "Word of the Lord" and the
Gospel of
Christianity throughout "uncivilized", "Pagan lands". Though these attempts to
Christianize the population failed, and the Teutonic Order eventually redeployed southward, to the region of what was once known as
East Prussia.
Religion in
Aglona, the most important
Roman Catholic church in
Latvia. Baltic ethnic religion was followed in Latvia before it was invaded by the Christian
Teutonic Order (see:
Latvian mythology). Latvians still celebrate traditional feasts (
Jāņi).
Dievturība is a modern revival of the
ethnic religion of the Latvians before
Christianization in the 13th century CE. Most of the Christian Latvians claim to belong to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, but in
Latgale and
Alsunga Municipality the
Roman Catholic Church is predominant, a small minority of Latvians belong to the
Latvian Orthodox Church and other religious congregations. It developed into a distinct language by the 9th century. It is part of a distinct linguistic branch of Indo-European languages: the
Baltic languages. Another notable language of Latvia is the nearly extinct
Livonian language, a member of the Baltic-Finnic sub-branch of the Uralic language family, which enjoys protection by law. The
Latgalian language (a dialect of Latvian) is also protected by Latvian law as a historical variation of the Latvian language. ==Genetics==