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.
Latvian weddings are divided into different parts. First is the formal part – the ceremony. The bride wears a white dress and a veil, the Groom is dressed in a tuxedo and the couple, in front of the God, vow to each other eternal love - forever and ever till death do us part.
Latvia lies at the crossroads where east meets west on the shores of the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of 2003, the population of Latvia stood at just under two and a half million and its territory covered 64 589 km².