Bon Midsummer Day

Soon after celebrating the solstice with a few of my female friends, I am thrilled to be able to celebrate yet another lovely seasonal tribute to Midsummer! We read poems and beat on a small drum and tossed in some mugwort and sage leaves, along with some sacred Hawaiian incense. Some of us had a sip of elderflower cordial I had on hand.

It's been raining for two days now (yesterday it came down in buckets) and will probably do so again today - however, I will pull my fire pit under the back porch a little bit further and light another small fire to celebrate Mother Nature and the planet.

(Image: Midsummer Eve ~ Edward Hughes ~ 1908)

Here are two short passages about Midsummer:

Midsummer’s Eve is, as its name implies, the night before Midsummer Day. A national holiday in Nordic countries, this holiday celebrates what was formally the longest day of the year, June 24 (Midsummer’s Day).


According to ancient European traditions, this is a time for fairies and fortune telling. Today, each Scandinavian country celebrates this tradition in their own unique way. According to the website Genuine Scandinavia the Swedes dance around a maypole, a symbol of fertility, that is trimmed with garlands of flowers. The celebrants join hands and dance around it to tunes played on an accordion and a fiddle. In Finland, "midsommar" is known as Juhannus and is celebrated with a bonfire by the lakeshore with dancing into the morning hours. Juhannus is also Finland’s Flag Day.

In Norway and Denmark bonfires are an important part of the celebration. The customs date back to pagan times when tribute was paid to the powers of the sun god with bonfires signifying the defeat of darkness. The Norwegians form processions early in the evening, usually led by a musician.

Source:
www.holidayforeveryday.com

Midsummer’s Eve, Swedish Midsommar, Finnish Juhannus, Danish Sankt Hans Aften, Norwegian Sankhansaften, holiday celebrating the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice (June 21). Midsummer’s Eve is observed in several countries. It is a national holiday in Sweden and Finland, and the official holiday is typically observed on the third Friday in June to allow a three-day weekend. During this time many Scandinavians travel to rural parts of the country. Midsummer’s Eve activities in Sweden include gathering around a flower-festooned maypole (majstång) to sing and dance, an ancient custom probably related to fertility rites. Before the holiday Scandinavians thoroughly clean their houses and decorate them with flowers and other greenery. In Denmark holiday traditions include singing “Vi elsker vort land” (“We Love Our Land”) and building a bonfire where a symbolic straw witch is sacrificed in remembrance of church-sanctioned witch burnings in the 16th and 17th centuries. Traditional foods, such as pickled herring, smoked fish, new potatoes, and strawberries are served, along with beer and schnapps.

The celebration predates Christianity and is likely related to ancient fertility practices and ceremonies performed to ensure a successful harvest. The holiday was later rededicated to honour St. John the Baptist in Christian times. Although the meaning of the holiday has changed, some pagan customs still persist, such as the bonfires, which originally were believed to ward off evil spirits, and the focus on nature, which harkens back to when plants and water were thought to have magical healing powers on Midsummer’s Eve.

Source:

Encyclopædia Britannica

www.britannica.com