Home > In Exile
As Latvians left the refugee camps and slowly settled in their new countries, in many Latvian homes people made their own folk costumes.
Not all home countries of Latvians living abroad had the appropriate materials for making folk costumes
Latvians in exile wore folk costumes not only on stage and at concerts and events.
A characteristic feature of the Latvian folk costume tradition is handing them down.
Latvian exiles had limited connections with Latvia, and Latvians living abroad were unable to order folk costumes from Latvia
Latvians in the diaspora also tend to creatively reveal their ethnicity in everyday life. For example, by making and wearing clothing with a Latvian accent
Folk costumes. In exile.
Latvians settle in countries around the world
In the early post-war years, Latvians in refugee camps still hoped that their country would soon regain its independence and that their refugee status would be short-lived. These hopes were not fulfilled, and from 1947 onwards, Latvians from DP refugee camps emigrated to permanent settlement in host countries such as Belgium, England, the US, Canada, Australia, Argentina and elsewhere. Latvian communities gradually formed all over the world; they organised events, founded Latvian societies, churches, schools, choirs and dance groups, and made and wore Latvian folk costumes.
