Midsummer celebration and fire ritual

On 21 June, the square near the Kazdanga bus stop and the shore of Lake Dzirnavezers will become a site for Midsummer celebration and fire ritual, where local residents of Kazdanga will launch the “Nordic Solstice” project of Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027 in South Kurzeme.

• 19:00 – a games programme with Rucava Ethnographic Ensemble leader and Liepāja 2027 ambassador Staņislavs Skudiķis, together with the Rucava rural kapela “Paurupīte”. At the same time, there will be an opportunity to learn traditional skills – weaving wreaths and making sauna whisks.
• 21:40 – performance on the dižkokle with “Rīgas danči” by Lake Dzirnavezer
• 22:22 – burning of straw figures in Lake Dzirnavezers and bagpipe playing by Ernests Medenis
• 23:00 – dance ball and lipindraks with “Rīgas danči”
• 01:00 – musician Aivars Ērglis

The event is being organised in collaboration with the association “Kazdangas Dzirnavas” and its representatives, Elīna and Ernests Medenis, who have been holding this type of Midsummer ritual since 2021. One of the association’s aims is to preserve, collect, research and revive local traditional cultural heritage. The ritual is based on local traditions: while researching and documenting ancient customs, folklorist Iveta Medene found evidence in her notes that, in the past, a straw figure was burned in Kazdanga during the Midsummer celebrations.

The evening forms part of the Liepāja 2027 project “Nordic Solstice”, which in 2027 will bring together traditional summer solstice celebrations and their contemporary reinterpretations across Liepāja, South Kurzeme, and Kuldīga. In preparation for 2027, Liepāja 2027 organised a series of masterclasses in Kazdanga in April and May of this year, under the title “Midsummer on a Farm”. Participants gained both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in organising traditional Midsummer celebrations. 25 farms took part in the sessions, including 16 from the South Kurzeme region, all of which will be ready to open their farmsteads for shared celebrations with a wider public in 2027.

The “Nordic Solstice” project is being implemented by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation. Total project funding amounts to 468,310 euros, co-financed by the City of Liepāja (33,667 euros), South Kurzeme Municipality (50,000 euros), Kuldīga Municipality (20,000 euros), and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia (364,643 euros). The (un)rest programme of Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027 is implemented by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, with funding allocated by the City of Liepāja, the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities, and the Ministry of Culture. The “Liepāja 2027” programme is supported by its main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa”, Jsc; its main partner in air mobility and international communications, AS “airBaltic Corporation”, legal partner: Sorainen Law Office, Ltd., Jsc; and its land mobility partner, SIA “Lux Express Latvia”, Ltd. Media partners: VSIA “Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs”, Ltd. and AS “Kurzemes Radio”, Jsc.