When I think of Latvian culture, I think of the variety of food, dances, songs and signs that have been around for generations.
The dancing part of our culture has a special meaning because the clothing being worn has its own special meaning. There is special clothing the dancers wear that was made generations ago and survived DP camps, other nations trying to ruin our culture, and time. Every clothing piece has Latvian symbols on them that resemble a part of Latvia. Latvian symbols to me have significant amounts of meaning — I have a necklace with a Latvian sign which will forever remind me of my Latvian heritage and the memories held within it.
Although Latvian symbols have tons of meaning, songs have just as much meaning to them. Our Latvian ancestors made songs that don’t seem like much to an outsider, but a true Latvian knows the hidden meaning of them. I feel as if these examples of Latvian culture are what makes every Latvian feel connected in some way.
One thing that has survived many, many years is our Latvian food which was made off of the little resources we had.
— Markus Kalsons, Kursa 2021