IN PICTURES: Thousands celebrate midsummer night celebrations in Batics

  • 2014-06-24
  • From wire reports, RIGA

Over 80,000 people in Latvia participated in Ligo midsummer night celebrations on June 23, LETA reports.

The annual Ligo! celebrations on the Daugava Embankment featured performances by Maestro Raimonds Pauls, popular actors and singers.

On the other hand, post-folklore band "Ilgi" and other folk and traditional music ensembles participated in the traditional "Ligo!" celebrations at Dzeguzkalns.

In Estonia, thousands celebrated Jaanipaev and St John's Day. Jaanipäev was merged with the celebration of Victory Day (Võidupüha), when Estonian forces defeated German troops in Latvia on June 23, 1919, which marked a high water mark against the region’s long-time occupiers, and linked with it with Estonia’s own ideas of freedom and independence, ERR news reports. 

It shifted from an unofficial time off to a national holiday in 1992, when another occupation was receding. Appropriately this year's Victory Day parade takes place in Valga and Valka, right across the border in Latvia.

 

the linden flower crown from Solstice celebration last night!!! #ligo #festibal #solist (ice #flower #flowercrown #handmade (via instagram)

#Ligo #отдых #друзья #пьянкигулянки #шашлык

Akcija - pazaude atslēgu un turpini līgot #ligo #jāņunakts #priecigu

Авиашоу #airforce #britain #air #sky #plane #red #white #blue #tallinn #tallinnsky #janipaev #2306 #ивановка #янипьяни #неботаллинна

#Janipaev #estonia #part1