Sure, the midsummer festival of Jāņi is a time to get together around a bonfire with friends and family to eat, drink and sing songs until late into the night. But why do you celebrate Jāņi? Does the festival hold special spiritual or emotional meaning for you? Or is it, after all, just another reason to party?

Jani , itself, is reason to party; it is THE biggest party there is, IMO.  The celebration of life--earth, nature, to see it, smell it, breathe it in, letting it fill all your senses, through song, dance, however one may choose.  Something so very basic, elementary, essential and yet something so many of us have lost (others, even less fortunate, never found, experienced) living in this high strung out techno age.

Of course, this is my very own brief personal interpretation, how it affects me, jabber, jabber…

There’s a very pleasant little ‘sizete’ on Vides Fakti, TV.lv, the ‘zalais spiegs’.  The last segment is about some guides in Latvia taking children on a nature tour where they can see all the different flora, fauna, insect world, etc.  In one of the fields, I believe it was in the Abavas (?) region of Latvia, they see all these different wild flowers, perfect for making wreaths and the question is asked as to how many different varieties of ‘ Janu zales’ can be found in just that one field.  After picking and identifiying each one, they come up with a figure of something like 37 or 39 different varieties of flowers.  I think someone else mentions that he could probably find close to about 59, (can’t remember the exact figure, but it was a phenomenal amount) different types of Janu zales growing in just one field.  It’s one of the things I remember about Latvia, Jani, all the many wonderful wild flowers growing everywhere, so many that we don’t have here.

Priecigus Ligo Svetkus!

Irena

I love to sing “tautas dziesmas,” and Jani is one of the best opportunities around to find like-minded people and just spend hours and hours singing.  I really don’t know any Janu dziesmas as such, but there’s always some handouts… and people inevitably move on to others.

Heh, and if you’re with people who are of a like mind, it means you won’t have to suffer through a rendition of “Es nenacu sai vieta” - a song that I would happily never, ever hear again.

Ah, and Jani also gives me a chance to show off a rare skill that I have… my vainags somehow always manages to turn out triangular.

Anita

Ir garaka diena, isaka nakts.  “te satumsa, te uzausa...”

Tada nakti visadas burvestibas var notikties. Raganas jaj; papardes zied…

Ir pats vasara vidus (nevis sakums, ka daudz citi saka) un viss daba ir vispilnigakaja brieduma, visspecigakos izmeros, viskrasnaks.  Pirms Janiem ir viss iesakts, iesets; Janos ir mazliet atputa, pirms vasaras otra puse saksies visa plausana, razas ievaksana, kulsana, utt. 

Alus ir gatavs, ugunskurs sakrauts, sieri sasieti.  Atliek tikai dziedat un dancot visu caru nakti.

Ilze says:

“Alus ir gatavs, ugunskurs sakrauts, sieri sasieti.  Atliek tikai dziedat un dancot visu caru nakti.”
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I second that!
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Visi gaida Jāņu dienu,

Puiši gaida, meitas gaida;

Puišiem alu, puišiem sieru,

Meitām zāļu vainadziņu!
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Priecīgus Līgo svētkus!
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Lauris

Liksu bedu zem akmena, paziedasu, paedisu, padzersu, padziedasu vel un atjaunosu saites ar senciem un dabu.

Lai visiem laba Ligosana!

Janos Dievseta, WI bija tik loti jauki!!  Laiks bija silts & skaists, viss pagalms mudzeja ar gimenem, kas teltis cela, janu zales smarzoja, berni skreja, suni reja utt.

Visi ligoja, visi dancoja (vairak vai mazak) un visi vareja est sieru & dzert alu cik tik uziet!

Beigas kads atstaja atsegu rinki edamistaba uz galda.  Vai kadam trukst atslegas?  Ludzu sazinaties:

Paldies!  Visu labu!

My wife, (who is Latvian, and I am not) says that it is basically a reason to party, but when we go to a celebration, I notice how she lights up, and a glow come to her face.  Is this just true happiness to be around friends and family singing/dancing the night away, or is the “glow” on her face from the fire and too many beers?  I don’t know, but I enjoy it:)

Dave, Your wife is in touch with the elements, on a natural high, an altered state of mental consciousness useful for spiritual guidance and healing.  All that Ligo, Ligo, constant swaying back and forth tends to do that, to put you in a trance-like state.

Those old Latvians had it right, knew what they were doing, singing, dancing together around the fire, practices as old as civilization, itself; of course a beer or two or more certainly helps!

Laimigi and enjoy the glow!

Irena