Although about half of marriages in Latvia continue to end in divorce, the number of people “tying the knot” has grown steadily in recent years, according to data analyzed by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB).

A total of 14,616 marriages were registered in Latvia in 2006, a 16.5 percent increase over 2005, the government agency announced Aug. 10. Not since 1993 have so many marriages been recorded.

In 1990, the year before Latvia regained its independence, a total of 23,619 marriages were recorded. But the following year a decline already was noticeable, with 22,337 marriages recorded. The numbers continue to tumble to 1996, when just 9,634 marriages were recorded.

A low point was reached in 2000 with 9,211 marriages, however, since then the number has steadily increased.

Many marriages end in divorce, but the number has been decreasing in recent years, according to CSB data. In 2000, for example, for every 1,000 marriages there were 666 divorces, or a divorce rate of 66.6 percent. Last year, when a total of 7,249 divorces were registered, the rate was 49.6 percent.

In Latvia, the risk of divorce is highest in the fourth and fifth years of marriage, the CSB said. If a couple can survive that long, the risk of divorce decreases until the next big test, which appears to come in the 14th through 16th years of marriage.

Other data announced by the CSB show that:

• For about 70 percent of couples in Latvia, it is their first marriage. In 2006 marriages, it was the first time for 71.8 percent of men and 73.2 percent of women.
• People in their 20s are the most likely marriage prospects. In 2006 marriages, men in their 20s represented 50.3 percent of their total, while women in their 20s represented 58.8 percent of their total.
• July, August and September continue to be the most popular months for marriage.
• An increasing number of children are born to unmarried couples. Last year, 43.3 percent of babies were born to unmarried couples, compared to 2000, when the figure was 40 percent.
• About a third of all marriages in Latvia are between different ethnic groups, but are especially high among ethnic minorities. Last year, 21.7 percent of ethnic Latvian men and 19.9 percent of ethnic Latvian women married someone from another ethnic group. Among ethnic Russians, 41 percent of men and 45.6 percent of women married someone from another ethnic group. By comparison, among ethnic Ukrainians in Latvia, 95.7 percent of men and 95.4 percent of women married outside their group.

The publisher of a leading Estonian daily newspaper has acquired the popular Delfi group of Web portals, including Latvia’s delfi.lv, for EUR 54 million.

The Tallinn-based Ekspress Group announced the deal Aug. 8. The company, whose properties already include such media outlets as the Eesti Ekspress newspaper, is adding AS Delfi to its stable. Delfi runs seven Internet portals, including Estonian and Russian versions in Estonia, Latvian and Russian versions in Latvia, delfi.lt and centras.lt in Lithuania, and delfi.ua in Ukraine.

“This transaction will allow Ekspress Group to become the Baltic market leader in the most rapidly evolving sphere of business in Europe—online advertising—and to also gain a foothold in the Ukrainian market,” Hans H. Luik, the major shareholder of Ekspress Group, said in a press release.

Delfi began in November 1999, according to its Web site, combining elements of several other Web sites. In 2004, Delfi was acquired by the Swedish search engine company Findexa, which has been operating the portals through its Interinfo branch. The portals are among the most popular in their respective countries. Latvia delfi.lv, for example, during the fourth week of July boasted between 1.3 million and 1.6 million page views daily Monday through Friday, and about half that during the weekend.

Delfi this year is expected to generate profit of EUR 2.68 million on turnover of EUR 7.54 million. Ekpress Group said the portals also are expected to increase their turnover at a rate of 30 percent per year with profit margins of 35 percent to 40 percent.

The other big commercial Internet portals in Latvia are TVNET and Apollo.

Ekspress Group said it is financing the Delfi purchase from money raised from its recent public share offering and from a bank loan.

The Delfi deal still needs approval from the Estonian Competition Board.

The post-folklore group Iļģi has scheduled its third U.S. tour in September and October, this time visiting more than a dozen communities and performing 15 concerts, tour promoters have announced. The band last toured the United States in 2001.

The band’s nearly month-long tour starts in Minneapolis with two concerts Sept. 9 and concludes Oct. 6 in Philadelphia. The group also will perform at the Madison World Music Festival in Wisconsin, the Globalquerque World Music Festival in New Mexico and the Culture Days event planned by the American Latvian Youth Association at the Latvian center Gaŗezers in Michigan.

The group first toured the United States in 2001 in a series of concerts that began shortly after the September terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. The band returned in 2003, playing concerts on the eastern and western coasts, including a performance during the 14th West Coast Latvian Song Festival in San Francisco.

The concert program for this tour, according to a press release from the band’s management, will be focused on material from recent recordings and on Latvian dances. While concerts meant for a broader public will include background information about Latvian culture, concerts scheduled in Latvian centers will be augmented with a program of traditional games for children.

Concerts are scheduled:

• Sept. 9 in Minnesota:  Two concerts are scheduled. The first is at 12:30 p.m. in the Latvian Ev. Lutheran Church of Minneapolis and St. Paul, 3152 17th Ave. S., Minneapolis. The concert is presented by the Minnesota Association of Latvian Organizations. For further information, contact Maija Zaeska at +1 (763) 972-2521. The second concert is at 7:30 p.m. in the the Cedar Cultural Center,  416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis. Tickets are USD 18 in advance and USD 20 the day of the show. Tickets are available at www.thecedar.org/tickets or by calling the cultural center at +1 (612) 338-2674.
• Sept. 13 in Wisconsin: At 7 p.m. on the Terrace of the Memorial Union of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 800 Langdon St., Madison. More information is available by visiting www.union.wisc.edu/worldmusic.
• Sept. 14 in Illinois: At 7:30 p.m. in the Zion Latvian Ev.-Lutheran Church, 6551 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago. For further information, telephone Silvija Kļaviņš-Barshney at +1 (773) 724-1579 or e-mail her at sil@skbdesign.org. Admission is USD 20 for adults, USD 15 for parents with children, and USD 5 for children younger than 16.
• Sept. 15 in Michigan: At 5 p.m. during the American Latvian Youth Association’s Culture Days at the Latvian center Gaŗezers, 57732 Lone Tree Road, Three Rivers. Admission is USD 15 for the concert, USD 25 for the concert and the dance that follows. For further information, e-mail latvian_oddball@yahoo.com or markus.apelis@case.edu.
• Sept. 16 in Indiana: At 5 p.m. in the Indianapolis Latvian Community Center, 1008 W. 64th St., Indianapolis. For further information, telephone Andris Bērziņš at +1 (317) 652-1781.
• Sept. 21 in Colorado: At 8 p.m. in a concert organized by the Swallow Hill Music Association, Daniels Hall, 71 East Yale Ave., Denver. Tickets are USD 15 and are available by visiting www.swallowhill.com or by calling +1 (303) 777-1003.
• Sept. 22 in New Mexico: At 6 p.m. during the Globalquerque World Music Festival in the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th St., Albuquerque. Tickets available at the NHCC box office or through Ticketmaster. For further information, visit www.globalquerque.com.
• Sept. 27 in California: At 8 p.m. in the Freight & Salvage Coffee House, 1111 Addison Street, Berkeley. Tickets are USD 18.50 in advance or USD 19.50 at the door. Tickets are available at Ticketweb by calling +1 (866) 468-3399 or by visiting www.ticketweb.com. For more information, telephone the coffee house at +1 (510) 548-1761 or visit www.thefreight.org.
• Sept. 28 in California: At 8 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall of Capistrano Hall on the campus of California State University, Sacramento. Tickets are USD 15 for general admission and USD 8 for students. Tickets are available at the university’s Central Ticket Office or by calling +1 (916) 278-4323. Parking for the event is free. The concert is sponsored by the Department of Music and the World Music Club.
• Sept. 29 in Oregon: At 7 p.m. in the Alberta Street Public House, 1036 Alberta St. N.E., Portland. Tickets are USD 10. For further information, telephone +1 (503) 284-7665 or visit myspace.com/albertastreetpub.
• Oct. 1 in Washingtion: At 7:30 p.m. in The Triple Door, 216 Union St., Seattle. Tickets are USD 18 in advance and USD 20 the day of show, available by visiting www.thetripledoor.com or by calling +1 (206) 838-4333.
• Oct. 3 in Washington: At 8 p.m. at Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla.
• Oct. 5 in New York: At 8 p.m. in the New York Latvian Ev. Lutheran Church, 254 Valentine Lane, Yonkers. Tickets are USD 25. The concert will be opened by Miķels Akerbergs and Jānis Baļķīts. The concert is presented by the Council of New York Latvian Organizations. For further information, contact Jānis Riekstiņš at +1 (516) 674-8802.
• Oct. 6 in Pennsylvania: At 8 p.m. in the Philadelphia Society of Free Letts, 531 N. 7th St., Philadelphia. The bar opens at 7 p.m. The concert is presented by the society. For further information, contact Laris Krēsliņš at +1 (917) 446-3087 or blbphilly@gmail.com.

Iļģi, led by singer and fiddler Ilga Reizniece, was formed 26 years ago. The band began by playing Latvian folk songs in a traditional style, but over the years evolved its “post-folklore” sound, adding elements of rock music and nontraditional instruments.

Other members of the band include Gatis Gaujenieks on bass and vocals, Māris Muktupāvels on kokle, bagpipes and vocals, Egons Kronbergs on guitar and Vilnis Strods on drums. All but Strods will be on the tour, according to Gaujenieks.

The band has 10 albums in its discography, most recently Ne uz vienu dienu, a recording of wedding-related songs released in 2006. The band expects a new album of instrumental music to be ready by autumn, according to the group’s Web site.

Further information about the U.S. tour is available from organizer Benita Jaundalderis at +1 (206) 335-2610 or ilgi@seanet.com. More information about the band is available by visiting www.ilgi.lv or www.myspace.com/ilgimusic.