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This is Latvia's Freedom Monument, which honors the soldiers that were killed during the Latvian War of Independence in 1918-1920.

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Latvia

When we were asked to find a specific country to study the culture of, I had no doubt in which culture I would choose to explore. With my grandfather being born in Latvia, and having citizenship myself, I thought this would be the perfect chance to dive deeper into this culture that I still have so much to learn about. When my grandfather was just 16, he fled to America from his homeland in Latvia in order to escape World War II that had just started. I have had the privilege to go to Latvia and visit his childhood home which has been a very special experience. When I visited Latvia, I was quite young so I do not remember much about the culture of this country so I am eager to learn about all aspects of the culture. Since I do have my Latvian citizenship, I hope to visit there again after I graduate college. By learning specifics of this culture, I will be able to understand the importance of certain things that Latvians do that might differ from my culture in America.

Latvia is a country with a population of about 1.8 million with the male to female ratio being 23:27. In their culture, family is a very important value and men typically provide for the family, while women tend to do much of the housework. In these families, there are typically no more than two children, and once the children become teenagers, their main focus is on their school and academics. Latvians’ popular holidays include Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Easter which are holidays that don’t differ much from the holidays that I know. They do however celebrate Ligo which is the longest day of the year and traditions include “singing Ligo songs, picking different sorts of herbs, making wreaths, bonfires, eating cheese and drinking beer.” The two popular languages spoken in Latvia are Latvian and Russian. Their food is very fresh and Latvians pride themselves on having natural and organic food, and they eat a variety of food groups. There is much more to unpack regarding Latvian culture, but we will go over that in the coming weeks.

As I move forward in my research and summaries of Latvian culture, I must remind myself not to compare this culture to my own. In order to research and summarize accurately, it is crucial to set aside what I know about my own culture, and instead look at this new culture through a different lens. In doing this, I must not look at new facts as good or bad, but just as learning something new. Thanks for reading… I can't wait to explore Latvian culture together. 

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Family Structure and Culture

When I visited Latvia as a child, we stayed in the house that my grandfather used to live in which his mutual friends took over after he escaped. The members of the family living in the house when we visited were a grandfather and grandmother, their daughter and son-in-law, and their two boys. Since this was many years ago, I do not remember much about the family structure, but what I do remember is that everyone in the family was always offering their help to each other. I am interested in diving deeper into the family structure and the typical roles of each family member. 

The traditional family structure in Latvia seems pretty simple and the roles of family members are not too weight-bearing. There are often two parents and typical Latvian families consist of one to two children. Occasionally, some of the grandparents will live in the same home as children and grandchildren. When children are the appropriate age, they are expected to help around the house by doing chores, and helping where help is necessary. The children are expected to work hard in school and during their free time, they are able to do what they want as long as they are responsible. While both parents provide for the family financially, stereotypical gender roles are still present in the Latvian culture. “The father is conceptualized as the head of the family whereas the mother is its heart.” In the case that there are grandparents living in the home, they are not expected to do much around the house, as they have already done plenty of that in their lives.

In Latvia, one of their values is loyalty, and the citizens are expected to portray this trait by showing loyalty to all. This is taught in schools and students are told to uphold loyalty amongst their teachers and classmates. Outside of class, students find clubs or activities to participate in and get together with classmates of both genders. As I mentioned previously, parents encourage their children to participate in gatherings outside of school. They are open to their kids doing what they please as long as they are safe and responsible. I believe that children develop very maturely this way, as they are forced to learn what they should  and shouldn’t be doing, and how to interact with others.

As far as globalization and migration goes for Latvia, it has not caused any major changes in the country within the past 10 to 15 years. The family structure and culture has been pretty much the same for many years. This goes to show how important family structure and culture is in Latvia and how it has remained consistent.

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Worldview

For those of you who don’t know, worldview is the concept of the way that cultures, countries, or organizations view the world. It is typical to use your own culture and practices as your baseline to compare or view other cultures to. Worldview can include religion, ethnicity, ethics, practices, amongst many other aspects. Just as the United States has a specific worldview, so does Latvia, and today that is what we are going to explore.

Latvia has endured a lot in history to get to the place that they are now, which causes them to have a very strong worldview. Something that is very prevalent in Latvia are the ethnic divisions. Many Latvians portray pro-Western views, but the divide comes from others being “Easterners.” This article classifies these “Easterners” as often being Russians and may not fully trust the original citizens of Latvia. While language is a part of ethnicity, there does not seem to be a divide in this aspect of their culture as most people living there speak Latvian. With that being said, there are a number of people (formerly referred to as the “Easterners”) that speak Russian.

One of the aspects that plays a huge role in the Latvian worldview is their religion and how popular it is in the country. Latvia is a Christian dominated country, but there are many denominations of Christianity represented. Lutheran is the most popular denomination with 37 percent of people, Roman Catholic is second with 19 percent, and Latvian Orthodox Christian is third with 13 percent. There are about 4,000 people that are Jewish and about 8,000 people with a Jewish heritage in Latvia. There also seems to be a small number of Muslim residents in the country. “Other religions that together constitute less than 5 percent of the population include Baptists, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, Old Believers, evangelical Christians, Methodists, Calvinists, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” With all of this information I think it would be safe to say that although the country is Christian dominated, there is a diverse range of different beliefs and religions throughout the country of Latvia. There does not appear to be conflict between religions and Christianity is not pushed onto those who do not believe in the teachings of it. Latvia does have a Code of Ethics in which honesty, impartiality, and fairness are stressed and expected to be followed and used in court regarding legal disputes. How does Latvia’s worldview align or differ with your own? Something to consider until you read again!

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Cultural History

It is often easy to see the differences between cultures, but it is not often known what events have shaped a culture into its current state. Latvia’s history entails many events, due their long process to full independence. I think that the three most important events in its history are being invaded by Nazi Germany, regaining its independence, and joining the European Union. 

During World War II, German Nazis invaded Latvia and stayed there for several years. As Latvia had previously declared independence, this was a major setback in their progression. Though this caused conflict between Germans and Latvians during this time, they are now very connected and close with each other.  They are main trading partners and German is spoken by many in Latvia. The span of this invasion set back Latvia’s development of its values, goals, and expectations, but it has shaped them into the country and culture that they are now. 

After many years of being captured by Russia following the German invasion, Latvia declared its independence in 1991. About 27 percent of Latvian citizens identify as ethnic Russians, but that does not mean they are in good standing with each other. Russia played a huge part in developing Latvia and some of Latvia’s culture is based off of that. Stated previously, some Russians reside in Latvia, but not all people support Russian decisions or behavior.

A monumental moment  in Latvia’s history was when they joined the European Union in 2004. They were originally unsure about joining, but over time they decided to vote yes. Joining the EU gave Latvians the opportunity to become their own country without having a tie to Russia. They have now been a part of the EU for nearly two decades. It has helped them take cultural inspiration from other countries in the EU and strengthen their knowledge about themselves and their own practices. 

The History of Latvia

This short video gives a brief synopsis of Latvia’s history in a bit more detail than I have gone into. It describes how Latvian became the country it is, and the journey it was to gain their independence. There are also some interesting cultural facts, so I would definitely recommend watching it if you have time! Thanks for reading today.

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Verbal Messages

I have always thought that the concept of language is very interesting, so I was excited to research the Latvian language. I thought that the only language spoken in Latvia was Latvian, but it turns out that is not entirely true. Latvian is the only official language of the country, but Russian is spoken amongst about one third of the population that resides in Latvia. With that being said, there are two very similar  types of Latvian language that are spoken. Latgalian is the type of Latvian spoken on the east side of Latvia and Modern Latvian is spoken on the west side of the country. The difference between the two is that Latgalian “uses some older words and phrases not found in Modern Latvian.” 

Lingua Franca is defined as “a language used for communication between groups of people who speak different languages.” Similarly to many other countries, the lingua franca in Latvia is English. Many students learn English in their schooling and it is becoming a popular second language in Latvia. I think that since the lingua franca of Latvia is English, it would be fairly easy to communicate effectively with someone in Latvian culture. If the individual that I am trying to communicate with in English is one of the people who doesn’t know the language, chances are that someone close by would be able to assist them in communicating with me. 

When looking at how to pronounce English phrases in Latvian, I did have trouble saying many of the words correctly. Here are some popular phrases and how to pronounce them in Latvian: Hello= svay-kay, yes= ya, no= ney, please= lo-zo, thank you= paul-dies,  can you help me= vai-varet-mon-paul-itzet, I don’t understand= ess-ness-e-proto, I don’t speak Latvian= ess-narrow-ni-lat-vis-ski, My name is Aiva= mauny-saut- Aiva. What is interesting about this language is that some of these phrases are very easy to say and some are very difficult. I think learning simple phrases like these would be helpful to learn before traveling to Latvia so that you are able to say a few of the important sentences. When I found information about Latvia written in Latvian and put a paragraph of it into google translate, it seemed like a different style of writing. The sentences were very short and direct and did not have much substance. 

The phrase “Language influences our view of reality,” revolves around the idea of language and culture going hand in hand. One of the first things that you learn in life is how to listen to others talk and eventually talk how they were taught to. It is the first aspect of your culture that you are aware of. Your whole life becomes based off of the language that you speak, and from that stems your reality. Think about it, if English was not your first language, your perception of reality would be entirely different. 

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Nonverbal Messages

Regardless of the language one speaks, people from every culture are able to communicate somewhat through nonverbal messages. With that being said, nonverbal messages are likely to differ depending on what culture you are studying. Before interacting with someone of a different culture than  you, or the culture that you are studying, it can be very helpful to learn about their nonverbal language. This will help you to know what mannerisms are normal in their culture and how to react to nonverbal messages that might differ from your own. However, even by doing research on their nonverbal language, it may still be difficult to accurately understand their nonverbal messages. This can be attributed to cultural differences, age differences, or the fact that some people receive nonverbal messages in a different way than the other person intended them to. 

From the research that I have done regarding the way that Latvian’s communicate nonverbally, I came across some pretty interesting findings. Like many Europeans, I found that Latvian’s are very reserved in their facial expressions and often have a straight face that shows little to no emotion. They do not often smile, especially not in public. Another custom of Latvia’s nonverbal communication is their eye contact. Typically, Latvians’ only make eye contact and smile at people that they know personally. If they do so without knowing the person, it can be considered rude. However, if they are being introduced to someone for the first time, they will make eye contact. 

Personal space is often something valued and respected in the Latvian culture. When a Latvian is surrounded by a stranger, they are expected to keep about an arm’s length distance to ensure each person has enough space. When they are with family or close friends, there can be a bit less room. This seems like it might be hard for me to follow, considering how close American’s can get to each other in places like the train or the grocery store. Along with this, Latvian’s do not tend to utilize touch often in conversations. They greet each other with a firm handshake and eye contact, and sometimes a light kiss on the cheek. With that being said, it would not be out of the ordinary to see young girls holding hands walking down the street. This differs from the U.S. cultural norms of touch, as we often have no trouble displaying public affection, though there are some exceptions.

Latvian’s are very punctual and do their best to make sure that if they commit to something, they show up on time. They are a monochronic culture and they are very efficient in tasks that they complete. This can be important to know when interacting with people from this culture to ensure that you have an idea of their time management and to not be surprised when their time management is different from your own. 

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Business Contexts

Latvia may not offer an extensive range of business prospects, but the ones that are available are crucial to the economy. The three main areas of business in Latvia are Services, Industries, and Agriculture. In these sections of business, there are practices and expectations to follow. 

In the business/ work setting, you are expected to greet someone with a firm handshake while introducing yourself. If this is the first time meeting with this specific business partner, you can offer them your business card if you are inclined to do so. You should also be shaking their hand again after the meeting is over to show a sign of respect. As for personal appearance, Latvian’s should be aspiring to look clean and put together in professional settings. It is common for women to wear skirts or pants with a blazer, and for men to wear a suit and tie. In business settings, there is little small talk prior to whatever meeting is going to occur. Latvian’s want to get straight to the point and do not believe it is necessary to talk about things that won’t benefit the business. 

If an American business person is doing business with a Latvian, I could see how there might be potential challenges regarding communication. One challenge might be that Americans often make small talk while Latvians do not, and Americans might find that rude. The business environment in Latvia may also be a bit of a shock to Americans, as we are used to an upbeat environment. The last potential challenge I could foresee is Americans being offended by the lack of facial expressions that Latvian’s portray. 

If I was a U.S. based manager who had been assigned a new employee who recently moved from Latvia, I would offer a few strategies to my new and existing employees to help them collaborate. I would first tell them about some of the differences between each culture, and then asked them to be considerate of these differences. I would then ask my employees to converse about their differences and ask them in what ways they would like to see each other communicate. 

Lastly, gift-giving in Latvia is pretty common, in certain situations. Like in many other cultures, Latvian’s get gifts for each other for monumental events such as Christmas, birthdays, and more. However, if you are invited to the house of a Latvian for dinner, you should bring fruit, flowers, chocolate or a bottle of imported liquor to whoever is hosting you for the meal. With that being said, it is important to know that you should only give an odd amount of flowers, because an even number of flowers are only to be given when someone is mourning. 

Without traveling to Latvia, these can be helpful strategies to keep in mind when conversing with people from different cultures than you, especially in business settings.

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Healthcare Contexts

For me, it seems like I do not think about the healthcare in other countries, because in America, we have it pretty good. When I saw that I would be writing about healthcare in Latvia for this blog post, I realized that this is something that I have never thought about before. 

In Latvia, the main belief regarding healthcare is that it is often necessary and very important to have access to. If one is a Latvian citizen, free healthcare is available for them. However, many people believe that the public healthcare available is not the best care that they can receive. As a result, many Latvians choose to find private healthcare providers. The only drawback of these services is that they are not free, and are actually quite expensive. Treatment for diseases and illnesses are very common, and highly encouraged by public and private healthcare providers. In addition, vaccinations for children are readily available and encouraged, Though I was not able to find direct evidence of this, I am sure that there are people that do not believe in this healthcare system and think that it is not fair that their tax money goes towards free healthcare. 

Something else that I was not aware about in Latvia is their low life expectancy. With the age of expectancy of 75.7  years, Latvia has one of the lowest life expectancy in all of the European Union.  This seems to be attributed to risk factors regarding alcohol and drug use. According to Hospital Healthcare, “the country has the highest level of alcohol consumption in the EU, and one in four men binge drink monthly…” and, “the proportions of obese adults who smoke daily are well above the EU average.” With that being said, Latvians believe that death is a necessary part of life, but they greatly honor their loved ones that have died. The cemeteries in Latvia are beautiful areas that are filled with flowers, benches, and trees. Their goal by burying their loved ones there is to make sure that they feel at home in the grave, and that anyone that goes to visit also feels like they are at home. Many people in Latvia participate in a seasonal tradition where families and friends of the deceased meet in the cemetery to get to know people from nearby that they have not met before. 

If my friend had been offered a chance to work with a Non-governmental organization doing healthcare related work in Latvia, I would give her a few pieces of intercultural communication advice. I would tell her to be open to her patients and their way of living. I would tell her that Latvians are not quick to show emotion, and that they do not talk very much unless they know you. I would also tell her to be patient with her co-workers, as they may have a very different culture than she is used to. 

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Education

The education system in Latvia is similar to many cultures that I have studied and learned about over the years. Though students are able to attend school for many years, they are not required to. 

 Latvia’s education system requires children to attend school for preschool and basic education. Students normally start preschool when they are five years old, and attend for two years. Then, from the ages of seven to fifteen or sixteen, Latvian children attend basic education schooling. From then on, they are able to take secondary schooling in order to obtain knowledge in certain areas that an individual must be interested in. They are to attend three years of this secondary schooling, and if they do not have a specific passion, they attend a more general secondary school. If they choose to continue after that, they can attend a few more years of schooling to become an expert in their field. All of the required schooling for Latvian individuals from the ages of 5-18 is funded by grants that the Latvian government gives. 

A typical school day of a primary school student in Latvia begins at 8:00 in the morning. The school day consists of five classes with a ten minute break between each class. The day ends around two in the afternoon. However, if students need to stay later than that, children in curtain grades are able to stay with a specific teacher until six in the evening. 

Of the students that finished their three years of secondary education in Latvia, about half of them entered bachelor level programs, 23.5% entered master level programs, 20.2% entered general college, and 2.7 percent entered doctoral level programs. So as you can tell, almost all of the students that completed their secondary schooling went on to receive more education. As of 2021, around 46% of adults ages 25-34 had obtained an upper level degree. I could not find any information indicating that race, gender, or other demographics affect this statistic. 

There are a few things that Latvians deem crucial to their education systems, and topics that they believe must be taught to their students. The necessary topics taught in general education in Latvia include, “Latvian language and literature, first foreign language, second foreign language, mathematics, history, sports, basics of business economics, and applied informatics.” Some of these subjects seem to align with the schooling system in the United States, such as math, history, and literature. I think it is interesting that they are expected to learn a first and second foreign language, which I think tells a lot about Latvian values. This shows that they are aware of other countries in the world and they acknowledge that not every culture is just like theirs. 

It is amazing to me that so many Latvian’s decide to acquire a degree in something that they have to choose to go to extra schooling for. This shows their passion for learning and the importance of education in their culture.

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Managing Differences

Many people enjoy traveling to new places, but do not realize all of the aspects that go into visiting a new country. Beyond the visible differences, are differences that affect communication and interaction between countries and cultures. 

Although I was young, I remember visiting the country of Latvia as a child. As I had grown up in Germany, the Latvian atmosphere was similar, but compared to America, was very different. From what I remember, and when I think about all I have learned while studying this country, I think that Latvia would be an easy place to vacation for a few weeks. I think in order to live there for longer than a year, one might have to have some knowledge regarding the Latvian language, or at least enough to get by while living there. Additionally, I think that it would be easy to live in Latvia for a longer period of time if you had been to other European countries that are similar. 

 Like I mentioned in my blog post regarding nonverbal messages, Latvians are very reserved and do not tend to show much care or help to outsiders. If one did not know that before visiting or living in Latvia, they could be offended by this. According to our class book, there are a few things to do while preparing to go to a new country that can be helpful in managing differences that you may face at some point in your journey. As I stated previously, learning about the language spoken in this host country and learning some phrases and words can be extremely beneficial. It is not expected that you learn the whole new language, but with knowledge of a few words and phrases, you might feel more welcome and comfortable in this new environment. It is also important to have a strong understanding of the cultural norms and expectations in the host country. Most importantly, you should remember that each country is unique in its own way and to realize that though you may think that America is the best country, that is not the way that everyone thinks. You need to be able to respect the cultures of others without boasting about your own. 

 Our reading also discusses intercultural ethics and some things to be aware of when conversing with other cultures. It is crucial that when you communicate with other cultures that you are aware that some of the things that you might find rude, might be normal in their culture. If they came to your country, you would want them to respect your ways, so you should do the same. 

While taking this Intercultural Communication class, I have learned all about unconscious habits that we may have about other cultures. I think that all of the things that I mentioned in this post, could be applied even without leaving the country. I could expand my horizons by talking to those who I may not seek out regularly. While doing so, I should remember that each person and culture is different, and I must always keep that in the back of my mind.

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Food

 As I wrap up my blog on the culture of Latvia, I thought it would be interesting to take a dive into the food aspect of their culture. Food is something that seems to be different and unique in every culture. When you think about it, it seems that anywhere that you have researched, food symbolizes a lot more than just a meal. Many celebrations and events involve a dinner, or at least appetizers. It is a way to bring people together, whether that be family members, close friends, or neighbors that you are meeting for the first time. 

    Latvian food is based on a variety of groups, those of which include ‘rye, wheat, oats, peas, beets, cabbage, pork products, and potatoes.’ For breakfast, Latvians typically eat some rye bread with some type of topping, such as meat, cheese, butter, cucumber, or tomatoes.  Another breakfast that is popular in the Latvian diet is porridge topped with some type of fruit or jam. Lunch and dinner in Latvia tend to vary from day to day, but some of the most popular meals include cold soup, meatball soup, sausages, potato patties, peas with bacon, and sauerkraut, among many other dishes. 

    A personal anecdote that I would like to add to this post is my experience with the  celebration of a Latvian name day. In Latvia, Latvian names are put onto a certain day of the yearly calendar, and whenever the day that your name is placed on occurs, you are to celebrate your name. Since my father, brother, and I all have Latvian names, we have grown up celebrating our specific name days. We do so by making Piragi, a Latvian appetizer, which are little pockets of doubt filled with caramelized onions and bacon. Though this might not fall in the traditional name day celebration, this has been a simple, yet sweet tradition for my family that has helped us keep some connection with our Latvian roots.