Latvian Sunrise © Kaspars Daleckis

Night is too short to sleep

On Midsummer’s Day Latvia goes wild

European Choir Games 2017

Let’s stay awake all night long and welcome the rising sun! This becomes true for every Latvian once a year, namely on summer solstice day June 23/24, the most popular holiday, where people celebrate the longest day and shortest night of the year with a merry celebration with family and friends.

Of course, if you are living in a country where winter is long, cold and mostly dark, you’re more than glad to welcome summer with its long days and short nights, this is why this feast is so important among all Latvian culture and traditions.

There’s a popular superstition that sleeping in that night of the nights will bring you bad luck for the next year. So there are a lot of other things to do in that night: Latvians, these people who live traditionally in close touch with nature, leave the cities and head for the countryside where they meet, make fire, garlands and wreaths of flowers, drink beer, eat caraway cheese, and celebrate light and life up until dawn. Since Latvia – the singing nation – has a rich heritage of traditional folk songs, many of which are actually about this Midsummer celebration, a huge part of the nights has also to do with singing and dancing. It’s a merry, traditional feast of culture.

And of course, this night has something magical and is surrounded by many myths: Herbs plucked on the summer solstice are believed to have healing powers. At dawn, one should walk through the morning dew to make sure always have enough money. And women wash their faces in dew to become ever more beautiful.

We wish all Latvians and Latvians-at-heart a wonderful summer solstice celebration. We can’t wait for Latvian summer 2017 to celebrate the Grand Prix of Nations & 3rd European Choir Games together in Riga!

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