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 Church calendar year       
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DECEMBER

1. Advent is one of the few Christian festivals that
   can be observed in the home as well as at
   church.  In its association with Christmas,
   Advent is a natural time to involve children in
   activities at home that directly connect with
   worship at church.  In the home an Advent wreath
   is often placed on the dining table and the
   candles lighted at meals, with Scripture readings
   preceding the lighting of the candles, especially
   on Sunday. A new candle is lighted each Sunday
   during the four weeks, and then the same candles
   are lighted each meal during the week. In this
   context, it provides the opportunity for family
   devotion and prayer together, and helps teach the
   Faith to children, especially if they are
   involved in reading the daily Scriptures.

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• It is common in many homes to try to mark the
  beginning of Advent in other ways as well, for
  the same purpose of instruction in the faith.
  Some families decorate the house for the
  beginning of Advent, or bake special cookies or
  treats, or simply begin to use table coverings
  for meals. An Advent Calendar is a way to keep
  children involved in the entire season.  There
  are a wide variety of Advent calendars, but
  usually they are simply a card or poster with
  windows that can be opened, one each day of
  Advent, to reveal some symbol or picture
  associated with the Old Testament story leading
  up to the birth of Jesus. 

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CHRISTMAS

• This celebration is one of the important in
  Lutheran Church. On the 24th December Eve people
  club together in the Church for Mass.After the
  Mass we usually have Christmas dinner (earlier it
  consists of national dishes as peas with bacon ,
  stewed cabbages, pigs head, gingerbreads,carp or
  other fish,blood sousages, sousage rolls, but now
  everything is change and every family makes their
  favourite dishes ( i made sushi). As you see,
  Europe and the all world comes in our cultures.
  Then people sing Christmas songs, children show
  concerts, guess riddles, Christmas Father brings
  presents.In the next morning there are Christmas
  masses in the Church.People visit their
  relatives, friends.This is time , when families
  can spend the time together, as we have snow,
  usually we skate, ski, play snowballs, everybody
  does what she/he prefers.

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JANUARY 6th EPIPHANY

• Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas
  Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which
  are usually counted from the evening of December
  25th until the morning of January 6th, which is
  the Twelfth Day. In following this older custom
  of counting the days beginning at sundown, the
  evening of January 5th is the Twelfth Night. This
  is an occasion for feasting in some cultures,
  including the baking of a special King's Cake as
  part of the festivities of Epiphany (a King's
  Cake is part of the observance of Mardi Gras in
  French Catholic culture of the Southern USA). In
  some church traditions, only the full days are
  counted so that January 5th is the Eleventh Day
  of Christmas, January 6th is the Twelfth Day, and
  the evening of January 6th is counted as the
  Twelfth Night.

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• In Latvia we have the special mass in the
  churches. But we dont celebrate this day.

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MARCH, APRIL

• EASTER
• The period before Easter starts usually on Ash
  Wednesday. People start fasting, its mean, that
  people chosse one thing what they refrain from
  and they promise to do it.

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PALM SUNDAY
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• On Palm Sunday Christians celebrate the Triumphal
  Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week
  before his death and resurrection. For many
  Christian churches, Palm Sunday, often referred
  to as "Passion Sunday," marks the beginning of
  Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday.

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• On Palm Sunday usually is special mass. In front
  of the churces are buckets with willow branches
  with catkins. A priest blesses these branches
  and people bring them home and swish everybody
  and say words if to be health.

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• Easter (Greek ??s?a, Pascha or Pasxa) is the
  most important religious feast in the Christian
  liturgical year.1 Christians believe that Jesus
  was resurrected from the dead two days2 after
  his crucifixion, and celebrate this resurrection
  on Easter Day,3 or Easter Sunday, two days
  after Good Friday. The year of his death and
  resurrection is variously estimated between the
  years 26 and 36 AD (see also Chronology of
  Jesus).
• Easter also refers to the season of the church
  year called Eastertide or the Easter Season.
  Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the
  forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day
  but now officially lasts for the fifty days until
  Pentecost. The first week of the Easter Season is
  known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter.
  Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season of
  prayer and penance.

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• Easter also is one of the important celebration.
  It depends of every person how deeply he/she
  believes in God. Mostly of lutherans attend the
  church all the period before Easter.On Easter
  morning is Easter ceremony, then people have
  Easter breakfast and celebrate Easter all day. It
  is spring and before it people colour eggs,
  decorate homes with branches which have new
  leaves, bake cakes and prepare big meals. People
  eat eggs, before it go on beating with eggs and
  who win has to eat the price(an egg). Children
  swing if mosquitos wont bite them in summer.

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MAY 31ST

• PENTECOST
• For Christians, Pentecost Sunday is a day to
  celebrate hope, a hope evoked by the knowledge
  that God through His Holy Spirit is at work among
  His people. It is a celebration of newness, of
  recreation, of renewal of purpose, mission, and
  calling as Gods people. It is a celebration of
  Gods on going work in the world. Yet, it is also
  a recognition that His work is done through His
  people as He pours out His presence upon them.

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• In Pentecost people decorate curches and houses
  with birthches. To take place Pentecost
  ceremonies and after we have big dinner.However,
  it is not very popular celebration.

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Mother's Day- Family Day- Annunciation May,
second Sunday
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• In the Old testament the first woman- mother was
  named Ieva, the name Ieva in Jewish language
  means-Live.So mothers name is already from gods
  mouth.
• Mothers Day tradition dates back to 16-17
  centuries In England in Mothers day the children
  tried to return to the parental home and
  welcoming the mother that day religious people
  went to church to thank God. That holiday was
  celebrated in family.
• Since 1921 Latvian newpapers published articles
  abaut mothers day abroad. In Latvia that day
  started to celebrate in 1922 and hosted by the
  parish and clubs.
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• Since 1934 our State is celebrating Mothers Day
  the second Sunday in May which commemorates the
  mother.
• In 1938 at the initiative of president K.Ulmanis
  Mothers day begins to be called family day,
  emphasizing the role of mothers in families.At
  the time of first Republic these festivities were
  linked with a very broad social activitiesa
  solemn events took place in the National theater.
  The Latvian President participated in activities
  such as childrens meetings,radio lectures,
  charitable activities, donations collections.

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OCTOBER, HARVESTING CELEBRATION

• Harvesting celebration

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• Harvesting is the festival when people say Thank
  you to God for its blessing to the land
• and its crop.At the harvesting parishes bring to
  the church their grown fruit and vegetables,
  flowers, loaves of bread which were placed at the
  altar.In some places people are asked to donate
  their grown things before the harvesting to enjoy
  the parish people who are poor.Services at the
  harvesting are thanksgiving services for the rich
  crop and let to thikng people about their
  relationship and relationship between them and
  God.As people are usually complaining and
  grieving about their lives, harvesting asks them
  to say thanks for their independent live,
  shelters, living and other things.

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• Apostle Pavil 2 in his letter to Corinthians says
  Who sows tough what reaps tough and who sows
  with blessing what will reap with the
  blessing.Everyone should do as he has planned in
  their hearts without any forcing, because God
  loves people who are donating with the
  pleassure.He reminds that God can give mercy to
  everyone and enhance the love present.Giving
  presents and donating is the certification ot
  love.
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NOVEMBER, ALL SAINTS DAY
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• All Souls is the day to remember, pray for, and
  offer requiem masses up for these faithful
  departed in the state of purification. Typically
  Christians will take this day to offer prayers up
  on behalf of their departed relatives and
  friends. Others may remember influential
  individuals that they never knew personally, such
  as presidents, musicians, etc. This may be done
  in the form of the Office of the Dead
  (Defunctorum officium), i.e. a prayer service
  offered in memory of departed loved ones. Often
  this office is prayed on the anniversary (or eve)
  of the death of a loved one, or on All Souls'
  Day.