In 2019 I went on an incredible journey with my daughter Eva to Latvia, and I've added photos from the trip to the website for anyone interested (click "Learn More" below).
Līgo (Latvian midsummer) dates back to ancient pre-Christian times, and the holiday honors the natural forces that govern life during the height of the growing season. Women are considered the keepers of sacred songs and of the collective memory, and they play a central role in the celebration. Latvian folk songs called "dainas" are sung during Jāņi and are filled with references to the “Mother of the Sun,” “Mother of the Earth,” and the “Mother of the Sea.”
Traditional singers (dainu dziedātājas), herbalists, and historians are reframing the holiday not just as a celebration of nature, but as a reclamation of traditional power and Indigenous knowledge. Some community leaders use Līgo as a time to reconnect with ancestral wisdom, by hosting workshops in herbal medicine, folk singing, and sacred movement.
As the modern world increasingly separates us from the land and from each other, Līgo reminds us of a time when the sun, the soil, and song were all in rhythm. As bonfires blaze across Latvian fields this Midsummer, I invite you to think of the women who carry the light of culture forward in your own community.
