Lithuania vs Latvia
Side-by-side comparison of how these places approach childhood.
Lithuania
Lithuanian children celebrate Uzgavenes by burning a giant effigy of winter called More.
The Shrovetide festival features children in masks battling winter through songs, dances, and pancake feasting before burning the winter witch.
Latvia
Latvian children weave flower crowns and jump over bonfires during the midsummer Jani festival.
The Jani summer solstice celebration is the most beloved Latvian holiday, where children stay up all night singing folk songs around fires.
Lithuania
Lithuania follows a 4-6-2 system with compulsory education from ages 6 to 16. Lithuanian is the language of instruction, with Polish and Russian minority schools. The system has been reformed since independence in 1990 to align with EU standards.
Latvia
Latvia follows a 9-3 system with compulsory education from ages 5 to 16. Latvian is the language of instruction. The system transitioned from Russian and minority-language schools to Latvian-only instruction in 2019, affecting the large Russian-speaking minority.
Planning a move from Lithuania to Latvia?
Get a personalised Family Integration Playbook โ your parenting style mapped to your destination's culture.
Get your playbook โ $99