Christmas Market Tradition

A Christmas market scene with market stalls and a large Christmas tree at the centre. To the left of the tree, a figure holding a hot drink; to the right, the crowned weathercock that adorns the spire of Riga Cathedral. Along the upper edge, the issuing state "LATVIJA" and the year "2026".

Riga's Christmas market is among the oldest and best-known in Europe — the earliest evidence of an organized market on Cathedral Square dates back to the early 16th century. At the center of the square has always stood a decorated fir tree, and historical sources suggest that Riga was among the very first cities anywhere to erect such a public Christmas tree. The town hall of the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild of merchants, played a leading role in this: the traders were in the habit of celebrating on the square, laying the foundation for a tradition that Latvia still regards today as cultural heritage.

Inseparably linked with Riga's Christmas market is the silhouette of the cathedral — Riga Cathedral is the largest medieval church in the Baltics and was founded in the 13th century. Its spire is crowned by a gilded weathercock that has served for centuries as a symbol of the city and dominates the view over Cathedral Square. The weathercock survived wars, changes of rule, and the long interruption of the Soviet era, when public Christmas markets were banned; after Latvia regained independence in 1991, the tradition quickly revived. With its 2026 2-euro commemorative coin, Latvia honors precisely this continuity — an urban festive culture older than the Latvian state itself.