Jāņi

Jāņi ([jɑːɲi]) is an annual Latvian festival celebrating the summer solstice. Although the solstice usually falls on 21 or 22 June, the public holidays—Līgo Day and Jāņi Day—are on 23 and 24 June. The day before Jāņi is known as Līgo Day (formerly known as Zāļu Day).

On Jāņi all 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.

The name "Līgosvētki" was first used and introduced in 1900 in his Jāņi songs collection by Emilis Melngailis, who back in 1928 wrote in the newspaper "Jaunākās Ziņas":

By issuing my first collection, which included only Jāņi songs, I (Melngailis), on a new day – 1900 – following the spoken language, that Jānis is not Latvian, I had invented a new word Līgosvētki, which for some time suppressed the real ancient word: Jāņa diena, Jāņanakti; since silliness has often landed a place of honor, end of the table, at least for a short time."

Plant material, collected and used for decorative, therapeutic and other symbolic purposes, is important in the celebration of Jāņi. Most herbaceous plants are used, but people typically collect bedstraw, cow wheat, vetchling and clover. Plant material is used to decorate rooms, courtyards, yards, and woven into wreaths. Particular trees are also used as sources of material for decoration. Birch boughs and oak branches are commonly used, however aspen and alder are not as they are considered evil. Some herbs were collected at noon, others on Jāņi Eve, or on Jāņi morning when covered in dew. In 1627, P. Einhorn wrote:

Jāņi Day is given the power and sanctity of the herbs and its daily gathering, and has great and excellent properties against fires, people's and livestock's evil plagues and diseases

During Jāņi, foliage of rowan, oak, linden and birch trees is collected and hung to decorate homes, barns and granaries, as well as tied to gates, doors and cars. Thorns, thistles and nettles are hung to repel evil spirits and witches. In past times, herbaceous plants were dried and fed to cows shortly after calving during winter and spring. On Zāļu Day, herbs were used to make a tea which was given to sick people and livestock. On Jāņi Day, rowan twigs were tied together, dried and used for child's fumigation, to treat sickness, anxiety, or where a child was afflicted by an evil eye.

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Wikipedia