Summer solstice

In Latvia the summer solstice traditions are kept quite strong and alive to this day unlike anything else from our culture and folklore that stems from our pagan roots. We have endless list of folk songs dedicated to the summer solstice celebration usually sung by the bonfires.

We dress up and put on flower crowns made out of wildflowers and men oak tree leaf crowns. Decorate homes with birch tree leaves and wildflowers, make special caraway cheese, drink a lot of beer and dance all night long celebrating the longest day and the shortest night of the year. We have many tiny rituals for these times such as keeping our crowns until the next year and then throwing them in fire as a symbol of letting go of the things of the past, washing face in the morning dew for keeping our beauty or jumping over bonfires as cleansing one’s soul. The list is endless here as well.

Almost everything has its own specific meaning and symbolism and for me it holds all the magic of the summer solstice celebration. Did I study any of this at school? Not much. Most of it comes from my own roots, my grandmother we called ome. Blessings to her pagan soul. Her whole life she lived as a peasant, close to the nature and kept all the old knowledge from her ancestors and tradition close to her heart and fed us, the younger generations some treasures without us even realizing. I do now.

It is believed that amber protects its wearer against evil spirits, brings health and luck. If amber is kept at home it cleanses the house and thoughts from negative energy and brings harmony instead. Latvian traditional jewelry often incorporates amber and silver. Do I believe this stuff? Well, people believe many ridiculous things, don't they? However I think there is something old, precious and wisdom like there though and that holds value to me.

Some of my most precious memories from the summer solstice celebrations are making the flower crowns for ome’s cows, putting mountain ash branches by the doors to keep evil spirits away and decorating house, keeping the fire alive all night and waiting for the magical sunrise, dancing in the rain, going on wildflower hunt in the meadows accompanied by the dog and looking for fireflies by the lake.

There is just something intangible about all of these things. The treasure encapsulated in the feeling wild, raw and bleeding straight from the nature forces, the elements.