The next Jānis Festival or Jāņu Vakars is only five months away. Some of us are already making preparations for the celebration. Perhaps readers would like to take part in this ‘preparation’ by seeking a greater breadth of understanding about the beliefs of their ancestors and not so few of their contemporaries.
Interestingly, Latvians know almost nothing about their God Jānis, least of all that Jānis is a God. This is nothing new to me, because my own lack of knowledge regarding Janis and the fact that no one who I asked knew to give me an answer that I found satisfactory got me into doing some research on the subject in the first place. Even so, when a folk festival, rural in its origin, loses its “natural” environment, and when most of the once rural celebrants become city dwellers, well, the change can be dramatic as well as a disaster. The disaster with regard to Jāņi Festival (‘John’s Day’ or ‘Jāņu diena’) is both dramatic and disastrous, especially when the transition involves yet further loss of understanding about the origins of the festival, about the God Jānis, and finds itself being renames to Līgo Festival or Solstice Celebration.
A number of factors are responsible for the state of ignorance about Jānis. The first and most obvious thing is that most people who speak both English and Latvian, myself including, have got into the habit of calling “John’s Day” as “St. John’s Day”, the latter associating “St.” with John the Baptist from the New Testament, a book held Holy by many Christians. Well, the habit plays into the hands of neo-Christianity, that group of the faithful who put John the Baptist in the position of being the “forerunner” of Jesus. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. John, Johan, Ian, Ivan, Iannus, Jean, Jesus, Huan, Han, and many other cognates of the name Jānis once used to represent an important God in his own right. That God’s name is Jānis.
So, let us take start our discussion with my assertions above. I hope readers will respond with their own contributions by way of questions, observations, and contributions.
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Currently this forum on “faith” has receded into ... nothing at all.
No intelligent comments, nothing new to say
Lost souls indeed.
]]>(Corollary: government is by definition an evil, because there is no way we can keep away from it when it turns bad. Consequently, the smaller government is, the less it can intrude in our lives, the better off we are.)
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]]>Perhaps our political, economic and philosophical intrusions threaten this communal harmony, so the reactions to this threat are so violent, even to the point of self-destruction. The tale of 72 virgins awaiting martyrs in Paradise is a self-delusion that we use to cover up our ignorance of the true nature of the Muslim soul.
]]>In the US the situation is somewhat different: there are rapidly reproducing local groups, such as the Mormons, the Amish, the Hutterites, the Brethren. All are intensely religious, which means that the present predominatly secular public will lose control of the government, and yield it to such highly religious groups.
Perhaps here is the answer as to the conundrum as to why no tribe, no society, no culture, no civilization has survived the test of history. They all self-destructed due to the failure to reproduce.
]]>Care should taken that in the process of translation concepts are not introduced that do not exist in the origin language. Lately I have come across a number of articles in english about ancient latvian beliefs. This is laudable, provided care is taken in the translations. In latvian sources , the dainas, gods and goddesses,(dievi un dievietes) are not mentioned. God and Gods children, sons and daughters , are mentioned. There are no ancient latvian gods and goddesses, and therefore should not appear in the translations.
I would like to expound on the above that I posted a couple of years ago. Some who decide to study the dainas start with the preconceived idea that latvian gods and goddesses are mentioned, and what is left to do, is to describe and catalogue them.
Then they come across the hundreds of “mothers” (Meža Māte etc.} mentioned, and declare that hundreds of goddesses are worshipped. In fact, the talk here is about “Mother” as the guardian and protector not a goddess. To the ancients a guardian mother made more sense than a winged guardian angel flying around , or a patron saint.
Consider the following: When “Mother Earth” is mentioned everybody understands what is meant. Mother Earth is real. Mother Earth exists. You are standing on Mother Earth. Mother Earth is not a goddess sitting somewhere on a celestial throne.
From dainas: God is the Creator, and all the mothers mentioned, just like the mothers everywhere today and in the past, give birth, nurture, guard and protect, all His creations.
Visu labu,
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a. atheism in some cases.
b. Nationalism came first, God was a convenient afterthouht.
c. hmmm… Lutherism… what the f.. was that anyway?
d. Surprised to find some Catholicism
But ..... no depth.
There was nothing in my Latvian upbringing that brought to me to faith in God. I married an Italian, who’s family were an odd mix of people, but had a genuine Love of God. Ultimately after many years of marriage, I came to accept Jesus as my personal Saviour. My Latvian family still can’t figure out what I’m talking about…
So… Do Latvians believe in God?
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