After many years, we are back in Finland for Midsummer celebrations and the nightless night. The weather wasn’t co-operating with us in the beginning, but we were jet lagged anyway, so we were OK with that. Finally the winds and the rain stopped on Saturday, so we headed out to meet some of our friends at their summer house, and started to get into some midsummer spirit.
TRADITIONS OF MIDSUMMER
Midsummer (Juhannus) is celebrated in Finland on the week of summer solstice. The celebrations will start on Friday, and for many, this means the start of a summer vacation. This weekend people will enjoy the nightless nights at their summer houses which are usually located by lakes or the sea. The sun will stay up all night, so if the weather is good, Finns will sit outside eating and drinking even in the night time. The celebrations will continue through the weekend and most businesses will be closed.
Traditionally, Finns decorate their summer cottages by putting up branches from birch trees by the door way. In some Swedish speaking areas a midsummer pole, or a maypole, might be built in the village. Another way to use birch trees at midsummer is in the saunas. Saunas are an important element of midsummer and every summer house in Finland has one. Traditionally people will dip into the lake or the sea in between the sauna session, and sauna vihta made out of birch branches is used to stimulate the skin in the heat.
In some parts of Finland they will also burn juhannuskokko, a bonfires which are built by the lake side. According to old beliefs, the fires will keep away all the bad spirits. People used to think that the nightless nights will make spirits restless so that they will start to wander around. It was also believed that by celebrating loudly (which included heavy drinking) the spirits would stay away.
MIDSUMMER MAGIC
Over time there have been many beliefs and traditions practiced during midsummer nights. In most of the old folk magic rituals, young maidens can do different things to divine their future, or ensure they get married and are fertile. There are many different ways to do the rituals, but in some of the most popular ones, the maid must collect seven different flowers from seven different fields and then put them under the pillow for the night. During the night, the future husband will appear in the maiden’s dream. To ensure yourself good luck in marriage, you can go out in the midsummer night, find a field with some morning mist, and roll around on it naked. Much of the magic includes nudity or is somehow connected with sauna culture.
If you can hear the cuckoo in the midsummer night, you can count how many years it will take to find a spouse from it. If there is no cuckooing at all, the spouse will be found in the same year.
in addition to luck with finding a spouse or fertility, there are also some magics that will predict success in future crops.
This midsummer we didn’t do any magical rites. We sat with our friends talking and laughing, eating well and drinking some wine. Of course we also sat in the sauna at midnight and dipped into the chilly ocean water. It was such a great midsummer and it felt good to be back in Finland after such a long time.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
That is such an interesting post. Somehow, I did not know that you might have areas also in Europe where you would have daylight at all times – silly me! I am not sure, though, if I would be able to accommodate to that, since I sleep only when it’s dark outside… 🙂 however, I think that it would be an interesting location to spend a few days. If there are celebrations going on, the better 🙂
I friend of mine was in Finland recently and she couldn’t stop praising it. Now I know why she loved it so much. It is a great idea to visit during summer solstice. I might not go nude though, but the tradition sounds fun. It is such a good idea to celebrate summer solstice with close ones. I loved reading this.
Midsummer sounds like such a wonderfully fun time of the year! I love the idea of the sun being up for hours on end, which means you can continue partying through the night…even if its feels like the day because the sun is out. What a unique experience that would totally be. I hope to experience this one day.
A great way to mark the summer solstice. Keeping in mind the long hours of light truely great to celebrate outside even when it’s night as you stated. Decorating their simmer houses with birch again a maybe a tradition. Wish I could visit this sometime. Thanks for sharing a great post.
Wow, I never there were so many traditions related to nightless nights in Finland. Nevertheless, it is all very interesting, would love witness at least some them someday. Dip in the lake and the sauna sounds fun for a summer day with friends and family. Thanks for the share.
Thanks Suma! The sauna and swimming afterwards is very typical in Finland in all the celebrations.
I’ve never been to Finland but now I want to go in the summer! Thanks for sharing some great traditions. What a great way to catch up with friends by staying up all night.
Thank you Annick! It sure is fun! You should try visiting someday.
Wow what lovely summer traditions! Especially the bonfire by the lake, and in house saunas. Such a different life they lead in Finland, lovely to imagine. I’d want to experience it too, sometime!
Thank you Medha! I hope you get to experience it too.
I never knew that Finland celebrates Summer Solstice festival so differently. I loved reading interesting rituals, especially that maid keeping all 7 flowers under the pillow and future husband appears in the dream. I would love to attend this nightless night in Finland in next summers.
Thank you for commenting! I’m sure you would have fun in Finland.