On the left we see another young woman in a different Latvian folk costume. Notice the brooch she is wearing (at the base of her neck). This represents the moon (Mēness). One basic variant of the moon symbol is seen on the right.Mēness was a male deity; it appears that he was a war god. Apparently Latvian warriors marched by night, and, thus, he was sacred to warriors. In ancient times, his symbol was often seen on weapons, and men's jewellery. In these modern, non-sexist times, anybody can wear a moon symbol, and does!
On the right we see an enlargement of her cape (shawl? - in Latvian it's called a villaine because it's made from villa or vilna "wool"). This is a particularly fancy villaine, since it is decorated with bits of metal. The enlargement shows a couple of repetitions of the sign of Jumis.
Jumis was a fertility deity who lived in the fields. The basic sign represents two crossed stalks of grain.
At the end of each harvest (i.e. the autumn festival Miķeļi) a special ritual, "the catching of Jumis" was performed so that the fields would produce good crops.
Country of Latvia | Travel in Latvia | Latvian Language | History of Latvia | Latvian Cuisine | Latvian Folklore and Folk Costumes | Latvian Music, Songs, and Dances
Last revised September 19, 2008