Turning of the Wheel: Summer Solstice traditions in Latvia
Photographed by Jānis Jusjukevičs and Ivo Kušķis
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Rooted in ancient pre-Christian nature worship, Latvia’s midsummer festival called "Līgo" or "Jāņi, historically honored the summer solstice figure Jānis.
Jānis is a complex and debated figure in Latvian mythology. Often mistakenly referred to as a deity of fertility and light, and additionally being linked to the Dieva Dēli - twin sons of the sky god found in Baltic and other Indo-European traditional beliefs (i.e. Ashvins in Hinduism). Unlike other deities of the Baltic pantheon, he appears almost exclusively in connection with the Midsummer festival, raising questions about his origins. Some scholars believe the name "Jānis" may be a later adaptation of John the Baptist, introduced during Christianization. However, the rituals associated with his festival, such as: bonfires, wreaths, fertility symbols, and even remnants of phallic cult practices, are unmistakably pre-Christian and rooted in ancient agrarian traditions.
During Jāņi rituals, villagers crowned with oak and wild herbs gather on hilltops, at dusk, to roll a flaming wheel downhill; a fiery symbol of the sun’s peak and its slow descent. This ritual, like the wreaths and Jāņi fires, invokes ancient hopes for protection, abundance, and harmony between sky, land, and spirit.
