Being a first generation American from Latvian desendants, I never understood exactly what this holiday was. I’ve been explained it was from Pagan tradition, but more so a celebration of harvest?
Who exactly was Saint John?

Summer solstice is what’s celebrated in mid-summer.
Latvians call it Liigo sveetki. St.John got attached
by the emissaries of the pope..........
or something like that.

Disaw et al.,

Latvians celebrate names day, second in importance to birthdays.  If you post your first name, somebody on the Forum will tell you on which date to celebrate.

Visu labu,

That would be Saint-John-the-Baptist, which is celebrated on June 24th by the Catholic Church. Peter B is most likely correct that what was until then a pagan celebration of the summer solstice became a supposedly religious holiday. Latvians being close to nature (something I like), the summer solstice continues to be an important feature of that celebration.

Being French-Canadian myself, Saint-John-the-Baptist is also our patron saint and thus June 24th is also a big celebration in Québec.

Pierre

Thank you all for educating me!

Bruno The Lett; I remember my mother, Maija, had a names day, I always assumed it was the birthday of her name? On the Latvian calender which always hung in the kitchen everyone had a names day (that is except for me, for my name is Nordic, ‘Disa’.)
Again this brings me to yet another curious question- what exactly is names day and why/how did it begin?

For educational purposes, it’s “Name day”, please.
Probably another churchy thing.............i’ll have to Google.
Yup. Christian tradition to name chldren after saints, but
no longer exclusive to.
In Germany parents have to pick names from an
approved list.........i wonder if they know about Koba the Dread?......................

http://www.daily-tangents.com/Kalendars/

”Jānis" is a painful topic for Latvians. His day is celebrated on or about the summer solstice. The celebration has turned pretty much into a beer fest and “ballīte”, accompanied by several myths: 1) search of the blooming fern, and 2) fertility rites. In a small way there is something to both myths, but it is basically Pop culture, and has very little to do with the traditions of Jānis.
The real Latvian “Jānis” has been profoundly repressed by what I call the neo-Christian church. This repression is founded by calling “Jānis Eve” celebrations a pagan tradition. I am a follower of Anatoly Fomenko’s view of history, which is--in a few words--that we can only believe (and then only to a degree) history since about the 17th century, all former history having been falsified by the neo-Christian Council of Trent and the new chronology of history invented by Scaligeri and his followers. [A. Fomenko’s book “History: Fiction of Science” can be bought on the Amazon site. I especially recommend Vol. 2.]
I am of the belief that neo-Christianity was preceded by arch-Christianity (senkristietība), the symbol of which was the cross formed by the rays of the Sun and not by the cross of the crucifixion. Jānis belongs to the arch-Christian tradition. He was a most important God in the mythology of the Balts (now dismissed as ‘never happened’), because he was believed to be the son of the Sun (not God), and because--as I argue in a forthcoming book--it is he from whom Jesus borrows the self-sacrificial God motif. Unfortunately, Jesus is later removed to Heaven, from whence he can only look down on events on Earth without effect; but Jānis loses his son of the Sun symbolism (something of an Everyman) and becomes a vagabond, who makes a forelorn return to his neighborhood to pass a lot of water and move on.
A chapter of my forthcoming book can be found by searching for Latvianjanis at Google. In the course of time more chapters will appear at my site. [The entire book may eventually appear as an ebook, but no final decision has yet been made regarding the accessibility of it in its entirety.] A “Janis reawakening” ceremony is planned for this year’s Janis Eve at my Janis Temple in the making.
You may also look into a book called Jāņu Fotoalbums, published by Norden AB, 2006. It shows in pictures the process (in the course of 100 years) of the gradual urbanization of the Jānis story and its “prettyfication” to please the romantic notions of our time. Incidentally, I hope you do not interpret my view of Jānis as my being against Christianity. I am a Christian who shares in its more ancient vision.

jandžs et al.,

”Jānis” is a painful topic for Latvians. “?  You must be kidding.  It might be a painful topic to you but not for latvians..

“Jānis belongs to the arch-Christian tradition. He was a most important God in the mythology of the Balts (now dismissed as ‘never happened’), because he was believed to be the son of the Sun (not God),.............” ?

I have not come accross any dainas that mention Jānis to be the son of the Sun.  The dainas mention Jānis as one of the sons of God.  The dainas do mention that orphans are the children of the Sun.  What is your “mythology” of the balts based on. 

“A “Janis reawakening” ceremony is planned for this year’s Janis Eve at my Janis Temple in the making. “ Janis Temple ?  Are you serious ?

Visu labu,

Jānis” is a painful topic for Latvians. “?  You must be kidding.  It might be a painful topic to you but not for latvians.. [/color]

To a people who celebrate a name, but do not know why it is they are celebrating it, a challenge to their unquestioning attitude may well be called painful. This is at least so who perceive the problem.

“Jānis belongs to the arch-Christian tradition. He was a most important God in the mythology of the Balts (now dismissed as ‘never happened’), because he was believed to be the son of the Sun (not God),.............” ?

Ever hear of repression of ideas? Ever read that the Balts own religious beliefs were belittled and called heretics and punished often enough with death?

I have not come accross any dainas that mention Jānis to be the son of the Sun.  The dainas mention Jānis as one of the sons of God.  The dainas do mention that orphans are the children of the Sun.  What is your “mythology” of the balts based on. 

When dainas were collected, most of the collectors were neo-Christians. The collection of dainas was never executed in a scientific manner. A collector could always insert his prejudices in the version sent to the archives, thus the name God often was inserted in place of a native God or Goddess. Only uncritical acceptances and state supported neo-Christianity (no longer officially, but informally these days) could have created such an attitude of fait accompli. Indeed, it is not. The Latvian God, Saule, remains feminine gender. For the highjacking of the Sun by neo-Christianity from arch-Christianity see http://youtube.com/watch?v=JPAzBO-c9c8&feature=related

“A “Janis reawakening” ceremony is planned for this year’s Janis Eve at my Janis Temple in the making. “ Janis Temple ?  Are you serious ?

Indeed, everytime Latvians celebrate Janis Eve, they do it with the latent idea that Janis will again come alive. Maybe that day is coming closer. There was a story on the internet in recent days of a boy who did not want to go to school and glued his hand to his bed. That imay be (gluing their hands to their beds) one reason why the wards of Janis, many Latvians or should I say the descendants of Latvians of arch-Christian orientation, have not managed to rouse him or even tried to do so.

What remains of arch-Christianity among Latvians and other Balsts is essentially folklore. Folklore is a still-born remnant of a former religion that had its own way and art of expressing itself. To lessen the sense of apparent loss of its own religious orientation, folklore has been generally created by ‘heretics’ to lessen their pain of loss and of course to somehow ease their conscience. If orphans are not the children of the Sun, whose children are they? You may call them children of God, I prefer to call them the children of the Sun.

jandžs et al.,

“Folklore is a still-born remnant of a former religion that had its own way and art of expressing itself. To lessen the sense of apparent loss of its own religious orientation”.

You do not know what you are talking about.  Look up the definition of folklore in a dictionary.

Apparently you like to dream up your own definitions, and build temples to gods that you dream up too.

Visu labu,

jandžs - by arch-Christian, do you mean pre-Christian era?  Pre- 33 AD?

Jandzs
Yours is the most unusual response I have seen on the subject of john’s day and it’s origins. I don’t doubt you are sincere, and to some smaller degree I have heard of some of the things you discuss.

“because he ( Janis) was believed to be the son of the Sun (not God), and because--as I argue in a forthcoming book--it is he from whom Jesus borrows the self-sacrificial God motif. Unfortunately, Jesus is later removed to Heaven, from whence he can only look down on events on Earth without effect”

That’s a bit of a strange comment though. And absolultey incorrect. Janis has had no effect on earth except for a few good rousing, drunken latvian parties I’ve been to.

Jesus on the other hand, having no effect on earth? There are over 1 billion adherents to the faith of Christianity on earth, certainly many that don’t follow the faith as written, but Jesus continues to have a huge effect on this planet with it’s ministries, outreach programs, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other programs of this type, while the church of Janis has..........zip.

Jesus borrowed from Janis? Wow… what fairyland are you living in?

The writer who questioned my understanding of the word folklore did not provide one of his own. There are many sites on the internet that one may look up one or more attempted definitions of it. I just struck the following, which seems quite succinct and at the same time all encompassing.

Richard M. Dorson was the pre-eminent professor of folklore until his recent death. In a 1960 critique of Dorson’s book American Folklore a Harvard professor of American Civilisation wrote that folklore was, “The most sentimental, and the most anti-intellectual scholarly discipline in America today.”

The last line above most definitely applies to Latvian folklore today. But to continue with the definition:

The word “folklore” was first coined in 1846 and began as a study of antiquities. In the public mind it appears largely to be viewed as either a subject for scholars or vaguely as something to do with ancient Greek myths and legends. Others might associate folklore with folksongs, with ancient ballads, with Native Indian tales or with tall stories.
Folklore is all of these things but it is much more and a great deal of it relates to our daily lives. It is Granny’s memories and what was passed on to her from her mother, Aunt Mary’s quilt and rug patterns and it is mother’s family recipes and home cures. It is also Uncle Albert’s fresh-water well and why he doesn’t line it with cedar… It is song parodies, riddles, jokes, and shaggy-dog stories. It is what landmarks coastal fishers recognize, and what they call them and why. It is the stories of loggers and miners and their work-a-day language, the fiddle tunes of British Columbia, the planting seasons in the Peace District and the Chilkat blankets of the north-west. It is the tales of hardship and humour of British Columbia’s lesser known communities such as the Finns and the Hawaiians who came here in the 19th century and brought with them their folktales and traditions. It is cowboy poetry, wooden logging truck models and the Morris Dancing traditions of British immigrants. True folk art still exists and is still being newly created, and yet all of these things only scratch the surface of what folklore and folklife is all about.
Folklore is common to all people. Understanding, appreciating and sharing another culture’s folklore transcends race, colour, class, and creed more effectively than any other single aspect of our lives and, as an element of our past and present society it is something we can all relate to. Its value is no less than any other part of our history and heritage and as such must be documented and preserved as a legacy for our future.
I will post another entry to respond to some of the other questions or criticisms.

What is or is not a pre-Christian era depends on what one considers Christianity in the first place. When I refer to arch-Christianity, I refer to the Christianity that prevailed—roughly speaking—before the attack of the Christian West by way of the Crusades on Constantinople in 1204. I will be explaining most of this more closely in my forthcoming book, but let me here simply say that I do not think of pre-Christianity as “pagan” times, but consider that the word “pagan” (which means peasant) as a derogatory term invented to describe and dismiss the arch-Christian religion that existed long before the arrival of neo-Christianity. While I realize that this is not pleasant news to those who are orthodox (re: neo-) Christians, like it or not we are some way into times that can best be described as post-monolithic Christianity, and we can begin to exit from this monopolizing and globalizing effort (having overrun our house, the Earth) and can begin to look forward to reentering our own rooms in the house. One or several such rooms certainly belong to the Balts.

Regarding one of the comments here that Janis “has had no effect on earth except for a few good rousing, drunken Latvian parties I’ve been to”, well, the commentator describes accurately what he and many like him do during the Jāņu vakara (Jānis eve) festival. Many Latvians in Latvia are likely to agree with the writer’s description of how some pass the time, but many, too, will understand that he has come here as a tourist and contributed much of the “pop” that some think passes for culture. It is indeed a fairyland that has brought with it ecological disaster and other like wonders.

Incidentally, I have (above) provided web site addresses at YouTube where many of these questions are discussed with the help of visual aides. One worth looking at is at http://youtube.com/watch?v=D1FdtpH8lSI&feature=related It shows the very basics of arch-Christianity. I would obviously differ with some of the content and would prefer that the title read somewhat differently, but all the same, it will point the reader here is the right direction.

janžs et all.,

“The writer who questioned my understanding of the word folklore did not provide one of his own.”

I did tell you to look up “Folklore “ in a dictionary.  Your lenghty definition that you came up with is good.  But it really takes a great strech of imagination from the definition to come up with your claim:

“What remains of arch-Christianity among Latvians and other Balsts is essentially folklore. Folklore is a still-born remnant of a former religion that had its own way and art of expressing itself. To lessen the sense of apparent loss of its own religious orientation, folklore has been generally created by ‘heretics’ to lessen their pain of loss and of course to somehow ease their conscience. ..................”.

ikabods.  I was wondering how long it will take for you to get into this.

I shall follow the developement of this discussion with interest{laughing all the time). May the best christian win.

Visu labu,