The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #169898   Message #4110819
Posted By: Felipa
20-Jun-21 - 07:14 PM
Thread Name: Any June Songs?
Subject: RE: Any June Songs?
I forgot to include a link to a more folky video of Latvia midsummer festivities. Ligo is celebrated on the 23rd of June so there is also a Christian overlay (St John's eve). Near where I live in Ireland, some people still light bonfires on hilltops on St John's eve but the custom is not so strong as it used to be.

Apparently Latvia is the place to be at summer solstice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXJpIBocNys The dancing towards the end of the video is very like Scandinavian dancing, and of course the Scandinavians also do mid-sommer festivals. I don't know what they are doing in pandemic times though.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18614119
"Latvia's most important national holiday is arguably not Christmas but the summer solstice celebrations of Ligo (pronounced "leegwa") - a pagan tradition when Latvians celebrate the shortest night by staying up to greet the rising sun."