The 12th volume of the academic edition “Latviešu tautasdziesmas” – “Weddings. Part 2” – has been published

The 12th volume of the academic edition “Latviešu tautasdziesmas” — “Weddings. Part 2” — has been published, concluding the publication of songs dedicated to the wedding cycle. The volume contains 107,572 song variants, including teasing songs (apdziedāšanās dziesmas), as well as songs associated with the rituals of the wedding ceremony such as the bride’s capping (mičošana), gift-giving, bedding and other related customs.

The academic edition “Latviešu tautasdziesmas” (Ltdz) is the complete publication of the folk song collection preserved in the Latviešu folkloras krātuve (LFK). The archive holds the largest collection of Latvian folk songs — approximately one million song texts collected after the publication of Latvju dainas (around 219,000 texts) compiled by Krišjānis Barons. Together, these materials document the living tradition of folk song in Latvia over more than a century.

Latvian weddings are among the most tradition-rich rites of passage, and this is reflected in folk songs — nearly one fifth of the entire LFK song corpus relates to wedding ceremonies. Their publication required two volumes. Volume 11, “Weddings. Part 1” (published in 2018), includes songs describing the beginning of the wedding: the bride’s farewell from her family, the transporting of the dowry, the wedding procession, as well as feast and celebration songs.

The newly published 12th volume contains the largest portion of wedding songs — 107,572 variants — continuing with teasing songs, the bride’s capping ritual, bedding and awakening rituals, reciprocal gift-giving, ceremonial visits to the bride’s new home, and other ritual texts. The index at the end of the book, which references songs from “Latvju dainas” alongside those included in this volume, offers insight into changes in wedding ceremonies over time. The editorial practice initiated in the previous volume has also been continued: songs that Krišjānis Barons had previously separated as “indecent songs” in “Latvju dainas” have now been restored to their original functional and thematic contexts — for example, songs teasing wedding guests or commenting on bedding rituals.

With the publication of this volume, we commemorate the late contributors to the academic edition: folklorist Baiba Krogzeme-Mosgorda (1966–1921), the volume’s scientific editor, and artist Dainis Rožkalns (1928–2018), who both contributed to the creation of this book.

Volume 12 of Ltdz was published in cooperation with the publishing house Zinātne. It is available in bookstores throughout Latvia, and from July 3 to 9 at the “Zinātne” book tent during the Song and Dance Festival market in Vērmanes Garden.