Celebrate National Holidays in Latvia
After a long dark winter, locals welcome visitors to help them celebrate the summer solstice -
the longest day of the year. Jani is the most popular of the national holidays in Latvia.
National holidays in Latvia take place throughout the year, but the best are summer events. In Riga, as in other Baltic Sea cities, there is no better experience than to join locals in enjoying their summers. Locals worship their summer with warm winds and short nights when the sun barely sets. Sun-starved residents of Baltic Sea cities – including St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Warsaw and Hamburg - spend every possible minute outside, enjoying picnics, festivals, and outdoor activities.
National Holidays in Latvia
Jani, the summer solstice celebration, is Riga’s most popular holiday, when ancient customs come alive in the salutation of nature and fertility, traditional foods and dance, symbolic rituals and all-night festivities.
Jani kicks off on June 14/15, 2014 at the Ethnographic open-air Museum of Latvia, where visitors learn about traditions and how to properly celebrate the summer solstice. Riga’s historic Herb Market at Dome Square in the old town is a must-visit on June 20th when, in preparation for Jani, residents stock up on fresh flowers, garlands, smoked meats and fish, and the best Latvian cheeses.
The popular Rise, Fair Sun Concert on June 21/22 at the open air stage in Mežaparks is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Jani celebration. Ethnographic festivities start in the evening of June 23 at Turaida Museum Reserve and Castle north of Riga, with folk dances and a music festival.
All culminates on Jani, June 23, the year’s shortest night, when locals enjoy homemade beer and Jani cheese – symbolizing the midsummer sun – and stay awake all night. Festivities continue until the morning hours of June 24 with bonfires, beer and cheese, flower wreaths and songs in Riga’s city center along the banks of the Daugava river. The most intrepid locals jump over the bonfires; the search for the mythical fern blossom is an important fertility ritual. Jani, or St John’s day, is the most popular name day in Latvia and the most popular of all the national holidays in Latvia.
Riga, Latvia, is located near the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe.
More National Holidays in Latvia
The Riga City Festival from August 15-17, 2014 is the city’s main summer event with music, dance, sports, an air show and a regatta.
Latvians also celebrate the Christian holidays of Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas – as well as New Years.
Category: Latvia, national holidays
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