OUR MOMS MET UP!! BIGGEST COMPETITION EVER? || JONINES CELEBRATION

LABAS! We are a bit late to the game but it was time to celebrate a traditional Lithuanian holiday: Midsummer solstice, Joninės, otherwise known as Rasos or Midsommer festival. It was finally time for us to have a real nice summer party with a purpose, especially in the world of limited contact between people. We invited people from a lot of different cultures together: Simas family is Lithuanian, Avri and her mom are Jamaican, while others there represented Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala and of course, the US. We love to share this special holiday that started with pre-Christian pagan traditions and is still widely celebrated in Lithuania and by Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Finns, Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, Icelanders, Brits and Irish alike, all over the world. It’s a Northern European tradition to celebrate the longest day of the year: the summer solstice. It doesn’t get dark at all (or barely) in the Baltics or Scandinavia. People party all night long.

#lithuanian #jonines #midsommar

We Love Lithuania has a beautiful description of the holiday in depth:

Nature was worshiped In Lithuania for centuries. Before the country became Christianised, Lithuanians were pagan who praised and venerated nature. They believed in nature deities because they were wholly dependent on nature and its whims.
It is said that when the Teutonic Knights came to Lithuania in the 13th century, they were frightened to enter forests even in the daytime: they believed that the forests were swarming with devils and demons that could grab passers-by and carry them off, never to be seen again. Many legends were told about Lithuanian customs and the local reverence for nature. Newcomers believed that the health, beauty and bravery of Lithuanian people was a gift from the wondrous and generous nature of Lithuania.
It's a magical night that everyone in Lithuania waits for impatiently, just as their ancestors did: the shortest night of the year. The sun’s victory against night and darkness. On this night, vegetation is more lush and luxuriant than ever and every tiny plant reaches maturity, ready to create new life. It's a celebration of rebirth for nature and every living creature.
In the past the celebration was called Rasos, a name derived from rasa– the glistening droplets of dew covering meadows at daybreak. It was believed that washing your face with dew collected from rye could rejuvenate it; dew was used to moisten bed linen for the sick in the belief it would heal them. It was used to water vegetable gardens, believing this would make the soil more fertile & even given to animals to drink.
As you arrive, you must first walk through the special gates of Kupolės, decorated with herbs. Walking through the gates is a symbol of rebirth and you may be asked to dance or sing.
Unmarried girls make wreaths from different herbs before midnight: it's not only a traditional accessory, but also a mystical charm to draw the attention of your true love. The wreath is set afloat in a river, and the faster the current carries it, the sooner the girl gets married.
One of the main rituals is the lighting of the fire. The fire is lit on a hill at dusk and burns all through the night until dawn. It's believed that the lighter the fields are, the greater the harvest will be. An important custom is jumping over the fire of Joninės, as jumping guarantees good health and cleanses you of your sins. If you jump holding hands with your loved one, you will get married that same year.
The most important & mysterious tradition of Joninės night is the search for the fern flower. The fern is said to bloom at midnight, and anyone who finds its flower, which only blooms for a short moment, will gain incredible power: they will understand all the mysteries of nature, read minds, see what is invisible and acquire wealth and lasting happiness. Traditionally, people are supposed to look for the fern flower alone but for some reason most people return in twos!
It's crucial to stay up all night and see the sun rise. By then you will be charged with enough mystical healing energy for the whole year. What, only for a year? Of course: you will return next year.

The holiday is also known as:
Feast of Saint John the Baptist, Summer Solstice, St. John's Feast Day, Jāņi, Enyovden, Liða / Litha, Midsommar, Ivan Kupala Day, Juhannus, Mittumaari, Alban Hefin, Gŵyl Ganol yr Haf, Sankthans, Joninės, Jaanipäev, Keskikesä
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Видео OUR MOMS MET UP!! BIGGEST COMPETITION EVER? || JONINES CELEBRATION канала Avri & Simas