28. December, 2024
The celebration will be inspired by the traditions of the Blackheads Brotherhood Christmas Ball of the late 15th - early 16th centuries.
The Blackheads Brotherhood was formed at the end of the 14th century. It was an association of young and unmarried foreign merchants, which later became the association of unmarried German merchants of Riga. If the city celebrated a holiday, then it was certain that there would be great fun at the Blackheads House. The Blackheads held traditional celebrations on a large scale not only in their house, but also on the Town Hall Square and in the streets of the city. The Blackheads Brotherhood Christmas celebration traditions were formed during the existence of Bauska Castle, and descriptions of the celebration of this holiday have survived to this day.
Historically, preparations for Christmas took place from December 13, St. Lucy's Day, and continued until January 6 with a closing feast. During this time, the Blackheads Brotherhood had about six different themed evenings. Each themed evening had its own meaning and rules. During individual events, they held drink and food tastings to find out what to put on the table for the next themed evenings. The culmination of the event cycle was the December 28th ball. The Blackheads brothers personally invited unmarried ladies and their mothers to this ball the day before, and supervised everything to ensure that everything went virtuous.
The day after the Christmas ball, on St. Thomas' Day, the Blackheads, in order to demonstrate their elite status, organized a feast with dancing in the city streets. The celebration together with the mayors and burghers continued in the Town Hall throughout the evening.
The Livonian Christmas Ball in Bauska Castle will be an educational and entertaining event about how Christmas was celebrated more than 500 years ago.There will be dancing, rest breaks and a story about the Blackheads' Christmas traditions.
This event takes place as part of the School of Ancient Lifestyle, which has been taking place at the Bauska Castle Museum since 2010. During it, visitors have the opportunity to learn various ancient craft skills and gain an idea of the lifestyle, domestic culture, science and discoveries of people of the time corresponding to the Bauska Castle period. The Livonian Christmas Ball at Bauska Castle was held for the first time in 2012.
Comfortable dancing shoes and a dress in which you feel festive and comfortable will be useful for the ball. If you wish, you can wear a costume or mask to create a more mysterious ball atmosphere. Ladies, please do not choose shoes with pointed heels.
The number of participants in the ball is limited, therefore, we invite you to let us know your desire to participate in time.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Bauska Castle Museum box office and reserved by phone. +371 63922280, +371 20011880 or e-mail bauskaspils@bauskasnovads.lv. Reserved tickets must be purchased no later than 30 minutes before the event. Advance registration is required - the number of places at the event is limited. Ticket price - 5 euros.