METEŅI

The agricultural year begins with Meteņi (February 10th). This is the time of year when the earth is reawakening from winter. The main activity at Meteņi is sledding, which is done so that the flax will grow tall and for general well-being. Visiting friends and relatives is also common – the further one drives, the longer the flax will grow. Meteņi is the end of the ķekatas (mummers’) season and thus the last opportunity to dress in costumes and make surprise visits to neighbors. The costumes need not be elaborate; the main goal is to not be recognized.

LIELDIENAS

Lieldienas (March 21st) is an important festival, because at this time the hours of daylight finally exceed those of nighttime/darkness. On the morning of Lieldienas one ought to wake up before sunrise, wash one’s face in a spring or stream, and then greet the sun with songs about her. Round foods are eaten to symbolize the sun. Eggs are colored with various natural dyes, such as onion skins and blueberries. These eggs are given to others, especially to those who push the swing. Swinging is the main activity at Lieldienas, and therefore most Lieldienas songs describe the hanging of the swing, the people sitting in the swing, and so on.

ŪSIŅI

The trees have started to sprout leaves and the grass is green by Ūsiņi (May 10th). This is the time of year when horses and other livestock were let outside to graze for the first time. Most Ūsiņi songs are about horses and the festival itself is usually celebrated by a bonfire, which in earlier times would have been the horse shepherds’ bonfire. Scrambled eggs made over the open fire (pentags) is the characteristic food. Throw water on others so that they will not be sleepy and so that the mosquitoes won’t bite!

JĀŅI

The longest day and shortest night of the year is at Jāņi (June 21st), and this is the biggest and most important festival of the year. People prepare for it long in advance by finishing fieldwork, cleaning and grooming the homestead, and decorating everything with flowers, branches, and garlands. They also make homemade cheese and beer, as well as bread and pastries. On the eve of Jāņi people turn to the weaving of flower (for women) and oak (for men) wreaths to wear on their heads, all the while singing Jāņi songs. Then they slowly circle the whole homestead together, continuing to decorate it with flowers and grasses and singing songs blessing each particular place: the barn, the sauna, the garden, the large trees, etc. The owners of the house are also praised in song and given flowers and grasses (which bring fertility, success, and health), and in turn they offer cheese and beer to the guests. During the night of Jāņi people often visit their neighbors as well, giving them flowers and grasses and blessing them with songs. Jāņi is a fertility festival: nature is in full bloom then, and so is love.

One must definitely light a bonfire at Jāņi – the higher, the better (even in a barrel atop a tall pole), so that it will be seen from afar. Fire symbolizes light’s victory over darkness, and the Jāņi bonfire acts as a stand-in for the sun during the few hours of darkness on the shortest night. One should try to stay awake all night at Jāņi in order to avert sleepiness and laziness later in the summer. A singing battle between the sexes may begin later in the evening, when men and women (or groups of neighbors or families) playfully jeer at and tease each other in song. Jāņi songs are easy to adapt to every situation; it is customary to improvise texts based on whatever activity is presently being done. The most common refrain for Jāņi songs is līgo.

MĀRAS

Since everybody is busy with fieldwork and harvesting in late summer, Māras (August 10th) is not a large festival. This is considered a day to honor bread, the staple of the Latvian diet.

APJUMĪBAS / MIĶEĻI

Apjumības is a general term for autumnal harvest celebrations, which tend to take place around Miķeļi (September 21st). This is a joyous time, because most of the heavy fieldwork is finished and the harvests have been gathered. Jumis (a stalk of grain with two heads) symbolizes the harvest and fertility and is the guest of honor at Miķeļi. Jumis is “caught” by making a wreath or bouquet from the last remaining bunch of grain from the field, which is then placed in the granary until the next harvest. The harvest feast is, of course, very abundant and includes a special loaf of bread dedicated to Jumis. In earlier days such a feast concluded a large talka (neighbors coming together to help with fieldwork). For urban dwellers Apjumības is a good time to gather a talka for any larger job at home and to give thanks for abundance.

How we celebrate Apjumības at Dievsēta:

For the Apjumibas celebration we usually clean up around and do repairs to the buildings and gardens/yard at Dievseta.  We also look back on what we have accomplished during the summer or year.  We have a small exhibit where each of us shows our work – paintings, jewelry, crafts, photos, etc.  We give special attention to “Jumis”– we look around Dievseta for Jumis (e.g. double flowers or twin pine cones on one stem) and enjoy sharing a special Jumis bread loaf.

Find links to photos of past Apjumības celebrations here.

MĀRTIŅI

Masked processions begin at Mārtiņi (November 10th) and continue all winter long until Meteņi. The masked people are called ķekatas or budēļi (mummers) and they travel from neighbor to neighbor, paying surprise visits. Common costumes include the tall lady, the short man, a goat, a wolf, a heron, a bear, a horse, and a sheaf of grain. The costume need not be elaborate; the main goal is for the masked people to not be recognized. Ķekatas make lots of noise, sing, dance, play jokes and games, etc., and then leave fairly quickly. The hosts, on the other hand, must be prepared for a visit at any time. They are expected to give ķekatas food and drink and to have a clean house. A visit by ķekatas brings blessings and fertility to the hosts.

How we celebrate Mārtiņi at Dievsēta:

It is tradition for the people of Dievseta to celebrate Mārtiņi at the warm and welcome Stumbri home near Stevens Point, WI.  All day the hosts prepare and bake aromatic dishes.  People dressed in costumes arrive after dusk from their respective homes. First we rattle the windows and pound on the doors, insisting that the Stumbri let us in; once inside we happily dance around the house, singing and playing music.  The evening continues with more singing, and sometimes with games and ghost stories inside, other times with a bonfire and ghoulish night walk outside. 

Find links to photos of past Mārtiņi celebrations here.

Find links to videos of past Mārtiņi celeberations here.

ZIEMASSVĒTKI

The winter solstice, or Ziemassvētki (December 21st), is the shortest day and therefore a very significant point in the year. Latvians prepare for the festival by decorating the house with various ornaments made from straw, dried grasses, feathers, and similar items. An important activity at Ziemassvētki is the pulling of the yule log, which can also easily be done in the city. A long rope is attached to a log, and then everybody helps to pull it around the house, singing all the while. The log gathers all of the past year’s sorrows, hardships, misfortunes, and anger, and then is burned in a bonfire. The celebration continues indoors with a feast, dances, and songs. The common refrain for Ziemassvētki songs is kaladū.

How we celebrate Ziemassvētki at Dievsēta:

The evening usually begins with the Yule Log.  Everybody grabs hold of a long rope and pulls the log around the Dievseta buildings 3 times, singing and chanting the whole way. In this manner, we gather in the log all the evil that has built up during the past year. We build a bonfire - which itself symbolizes the Sun's long return from darkness - but before throwing the yule into the fire, we also chop our personal misfortunes into it. We thus burn up all the evil and misfortunes of the past year and cleanse ourselves for the coming year; we of course sing and chant the entire time. After the bonfire we go indoors for a festive meal, and for singing, dancing, games, fortune-telling, and gifts for kids. Diesveta has a hill for sledding and surrounding fields for cross-country skiing.

Find links to photos of past Ziemassvētki celebrations here.

Find links to videos of past Ziemassvētki celeberations here.