Līgo

This is my new music video Līgo, a Latvian traditional folk song.It's a celebration of Summer, love and life!

Līgo (later Jāņi) is a solar Goddess, fertility and Health. Even if in the song translation it says "Goddes of Darkness and Mist" which was the first thing that drew me to this song as I myself had made a song called "In the Mist". She is derived from the Roman Rosmenta (The Great Provider) and Baltic Goddess Saule.
Līgo is one of the main festivities in Latvia and women pick flowers and birch branches and make flower garlands to wear in their heads and also bathe like nymphs in ponds and rivers. Men also wear wreaths made of Oak leaves. People celebrate around born fires and it's tradition to stay up all night until dawn. I hope to visit Latvia one day to see, enjoy and experience this tradition. It was my Latvian friend Linda Hasani who told me about it and encouraged me to do this song. Celebrations with marked pagan roots, and the little pleasures of the rural life by the countryside.
So Linda, thanks very much for introducing me to the music of your country

Also in the song another deity Māra is mentioned who is the highest-ranking goddess in Latvian mythology, Mother Earth and "provider of bread". . She is also a protector of women and children related with many ancient folk traditions relating to renewal and fertility.

Filming the video. A celebration of Nature and Summer

As usual I had the help of my partner @hedac to film, though this time the entire edit is mine and I'm quite proud of the learning process and encouraged to do more of these. Most of the video has been filmed late Spring and this Summer as my surrounding fields have gone from green to golden to celebrate both Summer Solstice and Lammas (Harvest). Locations included the abandoned village of Guendulain that is surrounded by fields and a lovely pond, but also other locations in Navarre and Aragon.
My garland was a birthday gift from my friend and fellow illustrator Lisselotte Eriksson.

We had several animal guests :)

Guest starlet Pikku aka "Cookie Monster" the Duck

There is a little pond in Guendulain (a deserted village in Navarre, Spain) right in Saint James Way we often visit. And there we usually find a fellow duck very fond of cookies. As we have met several times and it grew confident to approach to us (and/or our cookies) we named (him/her) Pikku (Duck in Finn) and filmed several scenes featuring it. This talented bird actor was well paid in treats ;-). The video include also some companions and even baby ducklings (aww factor).

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Other guest animals

There was a corn burnting bird on a blackberry bush for over a month... every day on our morning stroll it would greet us. It appears (and also its chick) at several spots of the video. I grew used to see it perched on the same branch always and I'm happy I've captured that memory in the video as well. I will miss you "Pichuichui" until next year where another corn burning bird goes to that branch... or is it you? like the year before? I fancy to think it's you, the one and only. Thanks for making an appearance in this project too.

Another special moment that appears in the video was a little deer that approached to me :). Oh it was totally a Disney Princess moment (sorry for my hyper of awwws here)

Another location included a field of wild Allium in the woods. This is one picture taking "Behind the Scenes"

Special thanks and dedicatory

Dedicated to my friend  Linda Hasani  who encouraged me to learn a song in her Latvian native language. Thanks very much for introducing me to the lovely traditional music of your country and for recording a spoken version for me to try my best. I a aware my pronunciation is not perfectbut it was done with utter respect. And I have the feeling it won't be the last Latvian traditional I will sing because you know I'm already in love with another.

Lammas: Celebration of the Harvest

It is a period that starts the first of August until the 1st of September in many European countries.
This holiday can be celebrated either as a way to [honor the god Lugh, or as a celebration of the first wheat harvest. t is

Līgo ( A Latvian traditional song)

Lyrics

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