Midsummer festival gives Latvians a break from slump

Locked in one of the deepest economic slumps in Europe, Latvians are getting some respite thanks to their annual pagan-rooted Midsummer festival, when the Baltic nation goes wild.

Residents of this nation of 2.2 million let loose every June 23 for "Jani", which officially honours Saint John the Baptist but taps pre-Christian roots.

Latvians jump at their annual chance to flock to the countryside, adorn their hair with flowers and fill their stomachs with beer and "sasliki" or meat barbecued on a skewer.

The crowning point comes when the sun finally goes down after 18 hours of daylight, as partygoers light bonfires and leap over the flames.

The festivities stretch well into the following morning.

"I will celebrate by cooking sasliki, before enjoying a sauna and a swim in the River Lielupe. There will certainly be plenty of singing too," 58-year-old Igors Umeckis told AFP.

For Janis Isaks, 23, whose first name is the equivalent of John, the festival has a double meaning. Name-day celebrations are important to Latvians and other east Europeans, like a second birthday.

"As it is my name-day I like to think that everybody's drinking for me," joked Isaks, ahead of a countryside party with around 200 friends.

Latvia converted to Christianity in the 13th century, far later than western Europe. Many ingrained pagan traditions, such as sun-worship, were simply taken on board by the church.

It's a similar story in Baltic neighbours Lithuania and Estonia, where locals likewise look forward to their annual "Jonines" and "Jaanilaupaev" party.

Like its two neighbours, Latvia won independence from the crumbling Soviet bloc in 1991 and joined the European Union in 2004 after which it saw double-digit growth.

But its credit-fuelled boom, fast-rising wages and a real estate bubble, went off the rails and now those good times seem a distant memory.

The economy shrank by 18 percent in 2009 and around a fifth of the population is out of a job.

As they strive to stick to a biting austerity drive under an EU and International Monetary Fund bailout, Latvia's leaders are using the annual festival to take a break.

President Valdis Zatlers is planning a low-key Jani with family at his country house, while Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis is getting out of the capital Riga to celebrate with friends, national newspaper Diena reported.

Latvian police will be out in force to ensure revellers enjoy themselves without crossing the line.

Under a new law, partygoers who take the wheel after more than one drink can face a four-year driving ban, 15 days in jail and a fine of 1,000 lats (1,415 euros, 1,733 dollars), nearly treble the average monthly wage.