Family of Sites 
Every summer solstice, Latvians gather to celebrate Ligo, one of their biggest national holidays. Originally a pagan holiday celebrating Ligo, the god of fertility, this is a colorful and boisterous holiday that many might see at odds with the otherwise famously reserved Latvian demeanor.
Walking the streets of Riga on this day, you will see locals wearing traditional striped outfits and bright wreaths in their hair. Pass by the market where families are selling their special holiday goods, and you can watch the children of Latvia dance to traditional music. Everywhere, food, drink, and joviality abound. When night falls, follow the locals out of the city and witness the dancing and community building continue around large bonfires.
As an American student studying abroad in Latvia, I was excited to experience this local tradition myself. However, I made the very rude and culturally insensitive decision of falling ill for the solstice and was unable to attend. However, I was still privy to the excitement and colorful days leading up to the celebrations. In the week after Ligo, I interviewed several locals who had celebrated Ligo their whole life to ask them about their traditions.
Everyone I spoke to agreed that Latvian families tend to have the same traditions for Ligo, and this universality is one aspect of the holiday that makes it so special.
Food and Dress
For food, the main staples are barbequed meat kebabs (shashlik) and a special yellow Ligo cheese, made with cumin. These are washed down with beer. Lots and lots of beer. As one Latvian explained: “You have to drink the beer all night, because you need to say goodbye to the sun, and then hello to the sun.” It is an all-day, all-night party. Children who cannot drink the beer typically enjoy kvass, a kind of non-alcoholic fermented soda.
Men and women will wear crowns woven from plants. These are rich with symbolic meaning. The boys and men wear oak leaves, representing strong character, while the girls wear fresh flowers, representing beauty and femininity. Married women or women who have children do not wear flower crowns until nightfall around 10 p.m., when every woman becomes young again and all women can crown themselves with flowers. Some girls throw their flower crowns onto trees while making wishes, but many will save their crowns to burn at the start of next year’s Ligo.
Specific flowers for the crowns are not as important as freshness. Any flowers you can take from your garden or nature in your area can be used. However, rarely do people do roses – which are often featured in Latvian folktales as symbols of love and beauty – but most likely people prefer flowers that do not usually come with thorns. Occasionally people will do plastic flowers, but it is not very traditional – and of course, you can’t burn them the next year.
When asked about the traditional clothing Latvians wear (and if a non-Latvian should wear them to the celebrations), one local explained, “I don’t wear traditional clothes, because the clothes have traditional stripes that signify what region and village your family is from. Because my family is from Ukraine and elsewhere, I don’t have stripes. I prefer to wear something comfortable, because late in the night we take turns jumping over the big fire and I don’t want to wear anything that will catch fire.”
Song, Dance, and Ritual on Ligo
If leaping across the bonfire is not your thing, there are a lot of other Ligo traditions to partake in. The main event is the search for the mystical fern flower, a magic flower that, according to legend, appears only once every hundred years. Details about what the fern flower does are often general, like imparting the ability to talk to animals or to be led to a secret treasure. This custom is held in common with most Slavic cultures as well.
Most commonly, this simply a way to have a bit of an adventure in the woods at night, similar to a “snipe hunt.” It is also said to be a way for young couples to escape to the woods to spend time together in honor of the fertility god. Couples who entered the woods separately but returned together were said to be destined to marry soon.
One Latvian was very eager to explain the summer solstice market and dance performances in Riga, the tradition that takes place in the heart of Old Town:
“We love dancing, even in our anthem we say, “We People Are Dancing And Singing.” This is the Latvian culture, it is in our blood. We dance and we sing songs. When our children are young, we send them to dance classes. Especially if you are fully Latvian, you will send your kids to dance classes. For most types of dance, of course you pay, but for traditional Latvian dance classes it is incredibly cheap. Sometimes, you just pay for the dresses.
On all our holidays, we have people who perform songs and dances. Every four years we will also have a song and dance competition which goes seven days.”
Surrounding the dance performances are tents and tables full of holiday goods: “It is all families who hand make things. It is a holiday market, for selling your holiday wares. You can make beer, food, dresses, honey, and meat.” She explained that certain vendors will even become family staples: “My family knows somebody with a farm and he does different types of meat. You can only buy it at the holiday market or the central market, but it is special meat, just for the people who know to ask for it.”
Ligo as a Bond Between Latvians
Ligo is a time of food, song, dance, sharing, and celebrating. Above all, however, Ligo is a time of community. Every Latvian I asked to describe the most important part about Ligo said something similar to this person’s quote:
“Usually we are cold people, we are not super friendly when you see us, we don’t smile or say ‘Hi! How are you?’ at all, but during Ligo, everyone is friendly. You can say ‘hi’ to everyone, you can give them beers and laugh. That is the most special part.”
Or, for example:
“Meeting friends and family is the most important part. We meet with all our relatives, and everyone in the community. You shouldn’t just celebrate with your small circle, you need to celebrate with everyone and say hello to the neighbors you won’t speak to next week.”
Or a quote about putting aside differences and just being neighbors:
“Russian-Latvians celebrate New Year’s Day more than Christmas. Latvians celebrate Christmas more than New Year. But on Ligo, everyone celebrates. Everyone loves Ligo. There is no politics, we just go outside, eat, and enjoy the night. This is very important, we don’t care about politics or religion on this day.”
People and community are simply the most important part of Ligo. That is what makes Ligo so special for Latvians, and makes participating in the celebrations such a treat to experience while in the country.
You’ll Also Love
Latvian Rye Bread Desserts: Rupjmaizes Kārtojums and Rupjmaizes Zupa
Rye has been grown in Latvia for more than 1200 years and rye bread (rudzu maize or rupjmaize) has been a staple of Latvian cuisine for nearly as long. The reason why is simple: rye grows well in moist soil and can be planted in spring and fall and is thus exceptionally well adapted to […]
Dictionary of Latvian Food
Latvian cuisine shows strong influence from German, Scandinavian, and Slavic sources. It also has many fundamentally Latvian traditions that are often overlooked by outsiders but which are deeply cherished locally. Latvian cuisine is heavy on pork, potatoes, fermented dairy, and pickled vegetables. Herring and lampreys from the Baltic Sea and local rivers provide delicacies that […]
Latvian Holidays 2025: A Complete Guide
Latvian holidays are steeped in ancient pagan tradition. Most important are the winter and summer solstices. Connections with the ancient past are thought to be the most authentic connections with being Latvian. Other major holidays celebrate the hard-won independence and sovereignty of Latvia. Soviet influence, especially as compared to other former Soviet republics, is minimal, […]
Draniki, Latkes, Kartupeļu Pankūkas: The Simple Deliciousness of Potato Pancakes
Potato pancakes dominate coffee shop menus in Riga, Latvia—and for good reason! Meticulously prepared using grated potatoes, eggs, and flour, these pancakes are crisped to a brilliant golden hue, reaching a level of perfection that rivals the shining sun itself. The mouthwatering allure of this delightful dish is recognized worldwide. Following their inception in Eastern […]
Pierogi, Pīrāgi, Varenyky: A Tour of Pastries and Dumplings
The dumplings and pastries of Europe’s northeastern flank have a story to tell. Their recipes, etymologies, and related traditions are intertwined in a complex historical knot. There are so many ancient connections that it is almost impossible to say which influenced the next. And yet, each dish is held up as a unique and integral […]
