Jāņi ([jɑːɲi]) is an annual Latvian festival celebrating the summer solstice. On Jāņi, people travel from the city into the countryside to gather and eat, drink, sing and celebrate the solstice by observing the ancient folk traditions relating to renewal and fertility.
How do Latvians celebrate summer solstice?
Be it a sunny day, or raining cats and dogs Latvians always celebrate at their rural homesteads, or go to an open-air party to dance, sing and be together in good company. Wild flowers picked on the summer solstice are believed to have healing powers. Women weave wildflower wreaths to decorate themselves.
What is summer solstice in Latvia?
The Summer Solstice is the one celebration in Latvia that has the most traditions. The celebration is held when the Sun has reached its apex in the sky, with the longest day being followed by the shortest night of the year.
What is Ligo in Latvia?
Summary. Ligo is a Latvian festival, which celebrates the summer solstice, the day when it has the shortest night and the longest day.
Is Latvia a pagan?
One of the last corners of Europe to join Christendom, Latvians are still very much pagans at heart. They worship nature by jumping over bonfires at Midsummer Eve, and many surnames are about birds, animals or trees.
Was Latvia part of Poland?
From the mid-16th to the early 18th century, Latvia was partitioned between Poland and Sweden, but by the end of the 18th century the whole of Latvia had been annexed by expansionist Russia.
What is Ķekatas?
Holiday traditions Meteņi is about people eating and drinking as much as they wanted. As with every winter holiday, ķekatas were traveling the country and paid visits to people. There is a belief that the longer Meteņi is celebrated, the better the harvest is expected following summer.
What do Latvians celebrate?
Jāņi is the most popular Latvian festivity. It is a day when cities vacate and every civil servant and bank clerk shows their pagan side. It originated as an ancient fertility festival celebrated after sowing the crops and before gathering harvest. Latvians sing, dance, eat and are merry during Jāņi.
What is John’s Day in Latvia?
June 24th
Līgo (June 23rd) is the main traditional ethnic festival in Latvia. It celebrates summer solstice and is followed by Jāņi (St. John Day) on June 24th. Both are public holidays.
What race are Latvians?
Latvians (Latvian: latvieši) are a Baltic ethnic group and nation native to Latvia and the immediate geographical region, the Baltics. They are occasionally also referred to as Letts, although this term is becoming obsolete. Latvians share a common Latvian language, culture and history.
Is Latvia African?
Latvia lies in Northern Europe, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea.
Is Latvian German?
The Baltic Germans (German: Deutsch-Balten or Deutschbalten, later Baltendeutsche; and остзейцы ostzeitsy ‘Balters’ in Russian) are ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia.
What is Riga Music Festival?
The festival is officially called the International Festival of Music Traditions “Riga Music” and celebrates traditional music, both Latvian and foreign. This music festival celebrates the German composer and organist’s works in an event lasting over a month and involving numerous concerts by esteemed musicians.
What to do in Riga Latvia?
This annual festival takes place in the Latvian National Opera and features the best in international and Latvian opera. A celebration of traditional and folk music. The Latvian Song and Dance Festival festival is the mother of them all when it comes to huge events in Riga.
What to do in Latvia in March?
March is the month for drama, and this festival celebrates some of the rising stars in contemporary drama. This annual festival takes place in the Latvian National Opera and features the best in international and Latvian opera. A celebration of traditional and folk music.
What makes the Latvian Song Festival so special?
The Latvian Song Festival, along with its sisters festivals in the Baltics, are truly unique awe-inspiring events – after all what other events can boast 20,000 people in national dress all singing in pride of their country at the same time!
