Next: 23 to 24 Jun 2027
Ligo and Jani
Latvia's midsummer: oak-leaf crowns, caraway cheese, a night of fires and songs that lasts until dawn.
When is Ligo and Jani in 2027?
Ligo and Jani 2027 runs from 23 to 24 June 2027. Other years: 2026, 23 to 24 June 2026; 2028, 23 to 24 June 2028.
About Ligo and Jani
Līgo and Jāņi is the Latvian midsummer festival, held from 23 to 24 June, and is the nation's largest holiday. People travel to the countryside, where houses are decorated with oak leaves, birch branches and wild flowers. Women make crowns of flowers, such as daisies and cornflowers, and men wear oak leaf wreaths, in the old belief that they bring strength. A special cheese, Jāņu siers, flavoured with caraway seeds, is eaten with beer brewed for the occasion. The "līgo" refrain gives its name to the songs which are sung through the night, and bonfires and tar barrels on poles are lit to ward off evil. People jump over the fire, and some search at midnight for the legendary fern flower in the forest. In Lithuania the night is Joninės, and in Estonia Jaanipäev.
Ligo and Jani dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Ligo and Jani date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 to 24 June 2026 |
| 2027 | 23 to 24 June 2027 |
| 2028 | 23 to 24 June 2028 |
What is eaten
- Janu siers
- beer
- grilled meat
- rye bread
Traditions of Ligo and Jani
Also part of it, and being written: Joninės (The Lithuanian version.), Fern flower (The legendary bloom.).
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Jāņi" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.