Thread: Happy Midsummer Day

Happy Midsummer Day from Finland

Today we celebrate the nightless night and the longest day of the year. Although actual summer solstice was already few days ago, the celebration day is held today.

Midsummer day (Juhannus, Mittumaari) is the oldest and maybe still most popular of the annual celebrations here. Historically it was the day to celebrate the new harvest by burning the bonfires and also to make some small rituals: young maidens make tricks to find new suitors and fertility. If you are lucky/unlucky, you might see 'will-o'-the-wisp' and find the hidden treasure or, bunch of dead souls.
Nowadays young maidens have maybe better ways to find handsome boyfriends but the bonfires are still very common. Also, since 1316 and crusades Midsummer Day has also been a Christian celebration associated somehow to John the Babtist.
As a sign of the Midsummer, we cut two young birch trees and place them on either side of the front door to welcome visitors and friends.

On Midsummer many people leave cities and spend their holiday on the countryside at their summer cottages with their family and friends. Cities get quiet and almost empty, but in our case it goes the other way: on our home island the population doubles or triples as so many people have their summer cottages here.
Our midsummer includes just being together with some family friends, eat well (we've just got our first new potatoes this year from our garden), sauna, few beers, relax and watch the bonfire on the nearby beach later next night. And, of course, watch Portugal - Brasilia from TV.

Out of curiosity, how did official midsummersday get moved away from the solstice?

Congrats!
In Norway we do the celebration on solstice day(night).
I believe the swedes do as you Finns do?
Anyway. The sun is still up, will be so for a few hours more. It's now Nine PM.
Life is good!

Originally Posted by MasterRolf

Out of curiosity, how did official midsummersday get moved away from the solstice?

For some reason the official midsummer holiday is always on the next weekend after solstice.

Morning after with nice and sweet hangover. Night (dark time) lasted only about 2 hours at these latitudes. Now summer has officially started.

Happpy midsummer Sailor! We do pretty much the same as the finns, but it´s an old wiking tradition here (was the same in Norway, I guess) that turned christian.

The Swedes are a little less ... hard core than Finns though and do silly dances and songs, a Finn would rather die than do that. That said, I´m a half Finn, so I do silly dances and silly songs in a more manly way than the pure Swedes

Younger generations have luckily mostly given up the old heavy traditional ways to celebrate and so have i. I rather relax and have just easy time.
Women here did some traditional and modern dances but there's so much old school in me that i wouldn't ever do such things as dancing or singing. Would be sort of a blaspheme for a grown up man to do such things and wouldn't sound or look nice either

Sadly old traditions sit tight in this country; midsummer is still most likely time for a Finn to die. In fact i've had a bet with my friends for many years for how many casualties there will be in the midsummer.

Hope that you all have had a wonderful celebration!

Enjoy!

Lu

We celebrated STK Hans with a bunch of expat Danes with a huge bonfire and burning of the witch, very propitious night as we had the partial eclipse of the Moon, the old Gods would have been ver pleased !!

Cheers

Originally Posted by Sailor

young maidens make tricks to find new suitors and fertility.

Oh man, I'm in the wrong country! Young maidens turning tricks in search of suitors and fertility!!!!

Originally Posted by Sailor

Nowadays young maidens have maybe better ways to find handsome boyfriends

Dunno, I can't imagine any better way to do it than that custom of yours



Sorry, I just couldn't resist the opportunity (look up 'turning tricks' on google and you'll know), I know that's not what you meant. Sounds like you had fun.

Originally Posted by gugi

Sorry, I just couldn't resist the opportunity (look up 'turning tricks' on google and you'll know), I know that's not what you meant. Sounds like you had fun.

Thanks