Primary Education: Latvian education is compulsory and free for children between ages 5 and 18. The first 9 years are spent panatskola primary schools that provide a basic academic education.
Easter is the peak of the Christian church year; the rest of the year is a prelude to the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, Advent time of expectant waiting for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, Christmas and Fasting.
In the summer, daylight hours are long and in the winter short. In December it is still pitch dark at 9:00 A.M., and daylight disappears before 4:00 P.M. This light deprivation may be an important ingredient in deciphering certain aspects of Latvian collective behavior. It may account for the general exuberance and joie de vivre in spring and summer, and the relative taciturnity and melancholy the rest of the year.