According to Latvian Jāņi tradition, men’s festive wreaths are commonly made from oak leaves.
Jāņi is Latvia’s midsummer celebration, observed around June 23 and June 24. Wreaths are an important part of the festival: men traditionally wear oak-leaf wreaths, while women and girls commonly wear wreaths made from flowers.
Oak has a strong symbolic role in Latvian tradition. The oak-leaf wreath is associated with strength and masculinity, while the floral wreath reflects the season’s vegetation and abundance.
These customs are traditional rather than universal rules, and modern celebrations may use many types of greenery. The distinction between oak wreaths for men and flower wreaths for women is the classic ethnographic pattern most often described for Jāņi.