We got to experience Latvian midsummer eve (summer solstice) or Ligo as they call it, for the first time! This is a pagan holiday with the worshiping of nature and is apparently an even bigger holiday here than Christmas! Latvians celebrate midsummer eve by doing a number of things. They make oak wreaths, some with flowers for the women looking for love, to wear on their head, and they even put them on their animals to protect them as it's believed that evil spirits are lurking about. There were locals all over the place, including off the freeway, selling their homemade wreaths.
Latvians also celebrate by drinking lots and lots of beer, light bonfires to jump over as it guarantees wealth, luck and love, and they sing traditional Latvian songs and even run around naked. All night. No sleep, as they try to greet the rising sun.
The N family was nice enough to host some embassy families in their own midsummer eve celebration. They are LDS are we are, so people brought their own beer if they wanted, and everyone contributed to the potluck with Cherylyn and Tanner providing much of the meat and barbecuing it for us.
Savannah and me with little Scarlett and her sister Audrey behind.
Savannah and me with little Scarlett and her sister Audrey behind.
Briant hanging out with our friend John.
Thomas and Zara playing some type of sword game...
And of course what's an American bonfire without s'mores?! Kendra, Cherylyn and Amy had fun putting them together. 
And Scarlett, our little 3 year old friend, had fun eating them!
And the littles had fun coloring:
Our family decided to head out around 9:30pm to get the kids to bed. There was no way we were going to make it all night, and our kids can't handle going to bed too late without us regretting it the next day. ;) So we enjoyed the party, and while it was still bright outside at 9:30pm, we went home and cozied up to sleep. A fun night with our friends celebrating as much as we could like the Latvians.
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