It’s nearing the end of June, and in Scandinavia, that can only mean one thing – midsummer! To clarify, midsummer is a term I am using here to include a lot of the summer festivities that take place around this time of year. Identifying a linear history of these celebrations is nearly impossible, so please excuse anything unclear in this post. I am confused too! Do bear with me as I try to explain how these holidays came about and what traditions and celebrations still exist to this day.
The History of Midsummer Holidays
The origins of Sankthansaften (Saint John’s Eve) are unclear. Many believe that the tradition stems from paganist traditions that celebrated the summer solstice. However, once the Christian church decided to designate June 24th as Saint John’s Day to celebrate the birth of Saint John the Baptist at midsummer (or exactly six months after the birth of Jesus on December 25th), this became a Christian holiday. Both Denmark and Norway celebrate Sankthansaften.
Midsommar, on the other hand, is celebrated more widely in Sweden. It is held on a Friday between June 19-25, and celebrates the start of summer and the season of fertility. However, since these two holidays coincide and likely stem from the same pagan traditions, it is impossible and confusing to discern which traditions belong to which holiday and which country!
Sankthansaften (Saint John’s Eve)
Denmark and Norway (as well as many other countries) celebrate Sankthansaften on the eve of Saint John’s Day (June 23). Traditions include picnics, singing, speeches, drinking, but most importantly…bonfires! These bonfires are usually held on the beach and effigies of witches are sometimes burned. There is an old Scandinavian superstition that evil spirits and witches roam freely on this day. The burning of a witch effigy is meant to repel them and keep them away. Of course, some people now do not agree with the idea of burning witches, so an effigy-less bonfire can also do the job.
At this time of year, big lunches with family and celebrations of summer are also common in Denmark and Norway. Technically, people do not directly associate them with the holiday of Sankthansaften, but they do coincide. At these lunches, people eat lots of food and drink lots of schnapps, embracing the long hours of daylight and arrival of summer. These large gatherings are definitely a key part of midsummer traditions in Scandinavia, even though they are not as organized as Midsommar in Sweden.
Midsommar (Midsummer Celebrations)
That brings me to probably the biggest midsummer celebration in Scandinavia, which is Midsommar in Sweden. This holiday celebrates the arrival of summer and truly embraces the the long and sunny Scandinavian summer nights. There are large gatherings among family and friends, which always include a huge meal. The food is delicious and includes a lot of pickled herring, new potatoes, and large quantities of schnapps. The group erects a maypole in an open area and people (often children) will dance around it. This is a long-cherished tradition that dates back as far as the 16th century! Otherwise, the party continues long into the night, with people dancing, singing, and just enjoying each other’s company.
We hope you learned something new in today’s blog post about these Scandinavian midsummer celebrations! They are certainly a bit confusing, as the two we discussed here are similar but also quite different holidays. However, at the end of the day, they both involve a celebration of summer, nature, and daylight! Embracing midsummer and this time of year is a great way to remember the simple things in life that bring us all joy, like spending time with family and friends, eating good food, and enjoying the sunshine.
