Celebrate Good Times, Come on!

                                  
The Easter celebration lasts 4 days in Latvia from Good Friday until Monday which is called the second day of Easter.  Our new and wonderful student council decided their first scheduled activity would be on the second day of Easter, so more people could attend. And where did they choose to go?

Latvia's Open-Air Museum....

The Latvian Ethnic museum is located on  87 hectares (215 acres)  of land on the shores of Lake Jugla in Riga.  Old buildings from all over Latvia  were relocated here, refurbished and furnished with period decor and tools. 

The 121 buildings are scattered throughout a lovely pine forest. Because the museum was established in 1924, many of the buildings were preserved during the war and give a great glimpse into early Latvian life... 

Fifteen young single adults met at the church and took the bus while Elder & Sister Davis drove the Perry's who were visiting us. Three other LDS families showed up and so did Pres. & Sister Boswell, E/S Millet and E/S Flake!  It was really a time to celebrate Spring!

It was a beautiful bright, sunny day but the weather was  a little cool. We arrived first, paid our 2L ($4) entry fee, excited for a day out in nature.  The museum was celebrating Easter with lots of games and activities geared towards families...

And as we strolled past booths with beautiful handicrafts, Sister Davis smelled something really good.  Her nose led her to this fascinating booth. A potato chip on a stick....

This girl took a whole potato (red skinned with yellow meat) and secured it onto the prongs of this clever device. She turned the crank and the potato was sliced by the blade into a single perfect spiral. Deep fry it and yum!

It was truly a celebration for the Latvians and this handsome crew of

American missionaries!

L-R:

Pres.& Sister Boswell, Flakes, Davis's, Perry's, Millets

People were sitting watching their children play, eating and resting.

Dyeing Easter eggs Latvian style!

Now put the stick in a bowl of water to cool it down....

Music started playing and these folk singers began to sing and teach folk dances to the people standing nearby.

And without any hesitation our kids went out to dance. They LOVE to celebrate their Latvian heritage!  With enthusiasm they danced and sang.

           "As we wandered some more through the park we came across this old windmill. Built in 1814 near Jelgava it was placed in the museum in 1935. This is one of the oldest types of  windmills called a pole mill and is made of oak poles.

And it was finally time to head home, tired but well versed in early Latvian life. We only saw about 1/3 of the museum so we resolve to come back another day and celebrate some more!