At the winter solstice on Wednesday, December 21, at 7 p.m., a traditional Yule log night will take place in Ventspils. The Ventspils Theatre and members of the folklore group ‘Laipa’ invite everyone to join the celebration full of ancestral traditions, rituals, songs, dances and games.

Celebration for everyone will take place near the Ventspils Culture Centre where the participants, dressed like mummers and gypsies, singing and dancing, will start dragging the log through Town Hall Square (Rātslaukums) to its destination - Market Square (Tirgus laukums) where the ritual burning of the log will take place. Don't miss your chance to write down your misfortunes on pieces of paper and let the flames of the fire transform them into new opportunities. The mummers will tell us about the beliefs and customs of the Winter Solstice. And what's more? Fortune-telling, warming the body and spirit, and jumping together in lively dances! And, surely, you are welcome to come in a traditional Latvian mask!

Traditions say that burning a log at the Winter Solstice cleanses and burns all the deceptions, sorrows, failures and misfortunes of the past year, allowing good things to enter instead - luck, love, fertility, wealth and everything else that each of us desires. It is one of the oldest Latvian Christmas traditions with a symbolic meaning. It is also called the Solar New Year when darkness begins to recede, astronomical winter comes, and the sun turns towards the light side.Visitors will have the opportunity to buy hot drinks and snacks at the small festive market.The activities are organised by the Ventspils Culture Centre and supported by the Local Government of the Ventspils City.Participation is free of charge.