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Christmas at Leeds Latvian Club, 1999

This photograph shows Christmas celebrations at the Leeds Latvian club – where Latvian language classes were held for children.

The tapestry in the photograph was made by Leeds Latvian Club, and was gifted to Bradford Latvian Club following the Leeds club’s closure – it now hangs in the Latvian National Museum in Riga.

The willow branches held by Santa are part of Latvian folklore – it was believed if you were naughty you would get lashings from Santa. Real lit candles on the (often hairsprayed) Christmas tree were also a popular tradition, which endured for many years despite occasional fires.

Courtesy of Ritta Harrison

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