Ziemassvētki

Latvian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From ziema (“winter”) +‎ svētki (“feast, celebration”).

Pronunciation

Proper noun

Ziemassvētki m (1st declension)

  1. (Christianity) Christmas (holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ)
    Ziemassvētku laiks ― Christmas time
    Ziemassvētku vakars ― Christmas night
    Ziemassvētku egle, eglīte ― Christmas tree (lit. Christmas pine tree)
    Ziemassvētku vecītis ― Santa Claus (lit. Christmas' old man)
  2. (religion, Pre-Christian) old winter solstice celebration
    senie latvieši Ziemassvētkos svinēja nevis Kristus piedzimšanu, bet gan saules griešanos ― the pagan Latvians celebrate Winter Fest not because of the birth of Christ, but because of the turning of the sun (= winter solstice)


Declension

Declension of Ziemassvētki (1st declension)
singular plural
nominative — Ziemassvētki
genitive — Ziemassvētku
dative — Ziemassvētkiem
accusative — Ziemassvētkus
instrumental — Ziemassvētkiem
locative — Ziemassvētkos
vocative — Ziemassvētki
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