One of the largest holiday festivals in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is St. John's Day which celebrates the summer solstice. Traditionally, the evening festivities last the entire night. During this celebration men wear crowns of oak leaves and women put on wreaths of wild flowers. A bonfire is built, around which the nights activities take place.
Every year's Festival presents a variety of St. John's Day traditions include wreath making, a bonfire, and dancing.
Latvian participants making wreaths and garlands of oak leaves.
All men named John are offered a special bread in honor of John's Day
A bonfire is lit in celebration of St. John's Day.
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Every year's Festival presents a variety of St. John's Day traditions include wreath making, a bonfire, and dancing.
Latvian participants making wreaths and garlands of oak leaves.
All men named John are offered a special bread in honor of John's Day
A bonfire is lit in celebration of St. John's Day.
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We had such fun with the family on Johns day. We went to the country where we spent the night. In preparation we made head dresses ,prepared food and the bonfire was prepared well in advance with wood and old objects thrown in guaranteed to be a huge fire.
We used the Sauna (pirt) which is big in the Baltics. They go every Saturday to rest from work, have a drink and use the sauna. My cousin Daina and her husband built a room on to the sauna. So you have the eating living area, dressing room and the sauna. The ladies go separate and go three different times thru the evening finally finishing with a coat of honey on the skin and using Birch branches to whip your skin. Believe me I see now why they all have such beautiful skin. Just the time I was there and we went couple times my skin was soft and alive. If I would stay longer perhaps I would even turn younger (ha!ha!)
We sang. danced and ate. Eating is a requirement with Europeans. No one is ever hungry. If you have ever been to my house now you can realize where I get served so much food. The men drink their beer. Some went swimming in the pond. The idea is to stay up all night but Tim was the only one after 3:00 in the morning up. Since the country is so far north it only gets dark about 12:00 midnight and then starts to get light again about 3:00 in morning. When I got up at 5:00 a.m. Tim was sitting alone by the fire . Everyone pooped out on him. He had a blast though. During the main part of the evening you could see other bon fires speckled in the distance and sign of others celebrating.
The next day we visited, played Yahtzee and then my cousin Daina went into the garden and picked fresh vegetables and made a home made soup. Was that ever delicious. Fresh out of the garden is the best. Of course we had our rye bread.
There was a time that there were more celebrations with the traditional dress and the official dances. That was fun. I remember as a girl at home the Latvians in Washington had special celebrations like that. We could have stayed to watch the city celebration but believe it or not the country choice was better as it rained in the city
We sang. danced and ate. Eating is a requirement with Europeans. No one is ever hungry. If you have ever been to my house now you can realize where I get served so much food. The men drink their beer. Some went swimming in the pond. The idea is to stay up all night but Tim was the only one after 3:00 in the morning up. Since the country is so far north it only gets dark about 12:00 midnight and then starts to get light again about 3:00 in morning. When I got up at 5:00 a.m. Tim was sitting alone by the fire . Everyone pooped out on him. He had a blast though. During the main part of the evening you could see other bon fires speckled in the distance and sign of others celebrating.
The next day we visited, played Yahtzee and then my cousin Daina went into the garden and picked fresh vegetables and made a home made soup. Was that ever delicious. Fresh out of the garden is the best. Of course we had our rye bread.
There was a time that there were more celebrations with the traditional dress and the official dances. That was fun. I remember as a girl at home the Latvians in Washington had special celebrations like that. We could have stayed to watch the city celebration but believe it or not the country choice was better as it rained in the city
What a fun weekend. I love my heritage and the traditions.
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