Midsummer

Midsummer, a holiday celebrating the traditional midpoint of the harvest season and the summer solstice (June 20 or 21), the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Midsummer is celebrated in many countries but is synonymous with Scandinavia, where it is observed as a national holiday in Sweden and Finland. In Sweden it is celebrated on a Friday between June 19th and 25th, while in Finland it is always observed on a Saturday between June 20th and 26th. In Scandinavia and elsewhere, many Midsummer celebrations are held over several days and often occur in tandem with St. John’s Eve festivities, which usher in the feast day of St. John the Baptist (June 24).

The holiday originated as a pagan celebration to welcome the summer season and ensure a successful harvest. It may have been associated with local gods, such as Ukko, the Finnish god of thunder who controlled the rain and thus the fertility of the land. Festivities included dancing, singing, drinking, cleaning house, lighting bonfires, and collecting flowers.

Many of these rituals arose from the belief that Midsummer was a magical time of good fortune and healing. Bonfires were lit and loud behavior was encouraged to drive away evil spirits. Perhaps due to the time of year’s connection with fertility, love spells were often cast at Midsummer, such as placing seven flowers beneath one’s pillow on Midsummer’s Eve to conjure dreams of one’s future partner. One could also see the face of one’s future bride or groom by looking into a well at midnight. Bathing in natural springs and decorating houses with flowers and plants brought good health, as water and greenery were believed to hold special healing powers on Midsummer’s Eve.

With the spread of Christianity, many Midsummer traditions were eventually incorporated into celebrations honoring the feast day of St. John the Baptist, whose birth the Catholic Church had calculated as occurring six months before Christ’s. St. John’s Eve was marked with bonfires, fireworks, dancing, and visiting “holy wells” and springs. The maypole, a tall wooden pole garlanded with flowers around which celebrants dance and sing, became a part of Midsummer celebrations by the 1500s.

In Sweden and Finland, the official date of Midsummer was switched in the 1950s from the fixed date of June 23rd to its current flexible date so that the holiday could always be enjoyed on a weekend. In the 21st century, Midsummer is a popular time for weddings and christenings in Nordic countries, which have seen a revival of large, open-air Midsummer festivals. The biggest of these takes place in Sweden in Sammilsdal, in the central region of Dalarna, where more than 20,000 people come to celebrate Midsummer. Along with the traditional activities that have persisted since pagan times, modern Midsummer festivalgoers indulge in beer and schnapps, eat pickled herring and boiled new potatoes with chives or fresh dill and sour cream, and wear flower wreaths in their hair.