During summer solstice when the longest day is followed by the shortest night, our nation celebrates John's Day. This festivity is considered the most Lettic and popular festivity of the year. There exists an assumption that the oldest denomination of this solstice festivity was Herbal. Healing force of herbs is the strongest during solstice night. This is the time when man comes close to the miraculous life-blood of nature to recieve blessing upon himself and to give it to surroundings.
Latvian traditional bathhouse is wet bathhouse, where one gets use of the hot air, steam, water and plants as they work on human organism. Several types of bathhouses are accessible in Latvia, and one of them is smoke or black bathhouse. It is the oldest bathhouse that Latvians have used over many centuries.
Works are finished a day before John's Day, then also a bathhouse is heated. There were used to be different traditions regarding John's Day's steam-bathing. Steam-bath is both physical and spiritual purification, self harmonization, evening up of all functions, and source of energy.