Human Flower Project

Monday, June 23, 2008

Ligo—Prove It All Night!

The herbs in Latvia are at full potency, and so are the people.

Ivan Kupala Day in the Ukraine, a.k.a. Jani
Photo: via flickzzz

A couple of decades ago, during the last few days before summer vacation, we were “teaching” in a rural high school. Teaching belongs in scare quotes because in fact we were hanging on for dear life. Neither Socrates nor Pamela Anderson would have been able to capture the attention of these sixteen year olds. They were beautiful, loud, excited and completely oblivious to anything a thirty-something had to say. We turned helplessly to the old principal, a man who had seen the phenomenon many times before. He grinned: “The sap is risin’!”

Sap-apogee is the theme tonight in much of Eastern Europe. In Poland, Russia and the Ukraine it’s Ivan Kupala (St. John’s Day). Yes, yes, let’s take all that concupiscence and dedicate it to John the Baptist! (Kind of like the desperate schoolmarm who shows movies the last two weeks of school in the name of education.)

Janis Rapa sports respectable Ligo-wear, an oak sombrero
Photo: Janis Rapa

In Latvia, the festival near the summer solstice is Ligo, meaning “grass” (the 23rd of June) followed by Jani (the 24th). Thus the Latvians make a national holiday out of what we used to call “pulling an all-nighter.” And this being the fullness of midsummer, there are many bows to flora. Women make and wear floral chaplets, and for the guys there are splendid headpieces of oakleaves. We’re not talking about tidy little Greco-Roman laurel crowns but something tire-sized and very shaggy, enough to jolt a wood nymph into acquiescence— or maybe get the attention of a 16-year old.

Osmunda regalis unfurling
Not truly a fern flower but a good excuse for disappearing
Photo: Wiki

From what we understand of botany (not a whole lot) ferns don’t flower – except on this magic night. According to lore, young people will wander into the woods in search of “the fern flower”—Papardes zieds in Latvian, known in Poland as Kwiat paproci (in either language, a polite way of saying “looking to get laid”). An NGO called Papardes zieds seems to be Latvia’s version of Planned Parenthood.

Ligo and Jani, like lots of festivals rooted in paganism, are celebrated today with great variety. There are family picnics with middle-aged women wearing aprons and singing; bagpipers (sorry); community bonfires, wholesome as St. John would have it. There are other celebrations where a drop or two of sap shines. Many involve what appears to be whiskey. Others, skipping floral trappings entirely, head straight for the water – which ferns, being seedless, require for reproduction. (Check out this good site for more about the fascinating sex lives of ferns.)

Floating a wreath of flowers in a lake and wishing for husband, jumping over a fire, eating homemade cheese, skinny dipping – while we’re revving up, how about a little Bruce Springsteen. ( “A little” Springsteen is like “a little” pregnant—make that nine minutes....)