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Midsummer's Eve (Jāņi or Līgo svētki) in Latvia

Of all Latvian festivities, the summer solstice, or Jāņi, also called Līgo celebration (Līgo svētki) is one of the most ancient and yet these days the most widely-celebrated. A national holiday on 23 and 24 June, it marks the shortest night of the year, when the sun only sets close to midnight, the night sky is never fully dark, before the sun rises again at around 4:30 a.m. The purpose of the celebrations is to honour and be blessed by the fertility god Jānis, by spending the whole night awake by a bonfire (and a fire – jāņuguns – in a barrel hoisted on top of a long, decorated pole), and performing certain rituals, culminating with greeting the rising sun.

Lai sanākam, lai svinam Saulgriežos! [CD]. ([20–]).  Kurzemes Radio raidījuma ieraksts, izpilda folkloras kopa „Nārbuļi” u.c. [Latvija]. Latvijas Nacionālās bibliotēkas Audiovizuālais krājums, Fcd/11148.

Līgodziesmas: Bellacord Electro [CD]. (2001). Izpilda Reitera koris, Jānis Āre, E. Elks-Elksnītis u.c. [Rīga]: Balss. Latvijas Nacionālās bibliotēkas Audiovizuālais krājums, Fcd/5580.