What do Latvians do during the Jāņi midsummer festival?
Latvia's Jāņi is a summer solstice festival that runs from the evening of June 23 to June 24. Around the solstice, Latvia has long days and short nights, so outdoor gatherings can continue late into the evening. People gather in country-house yards or other outdoor places, make oak-leaf wreaths and wildflower wreaths, eat Jāņu siers, a caraway cheese, with rye bread, and drink Jāņu alus, a Jāņi beer.
In the evening, they sing or dance near the table and spend time eating and drinking together. At night, they light a small bonfire and gather around it; in some places, people can also be seen jumping over the bonfire. Jāņu siers was registered in 2015 under the EU Traditiona Speciality Guaranteed scheme, or TSG.