- Midsummer Bonfire in Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland - Ralf Roletschek (Wikimedia Commons)
Midsummer in Finland is celebrated in the middle of the Finnish summer, when the days are long and in some areas the sun does not set at all. Hundreds of festivals and events take place in Finland during the Midsummer weekend, and friends and family members gather together for smaller celebrations.
In Finland Midsummer Day falls on the Saturday between the 20th and the 26th of June, and Midsummer Eve is the Friday night before Midsummer Day.
Midsummer Bonfire Tradition in Finland
Midsummer celebrations in Finland originate from old pagan traditions. After the arrival of Christianity in Finland in the Middle Ages, the festival has been associated with the birthday of John the Baptist but ancient pagan traditions are still popular.
Bonfires are an essential part of Midsummer celebrations in Finland. Bonfires are lit on Midsummer Eve, often by a lake or by the sea. Family and friends gather together around the bonfire to eat, drink and celebrate. Going to the sauna is another essential part of Finnish Midsummer celebrations.
Midsummer Magic Rituals and Customs in Finland
Midsummer magic is an important part of Finnish folk tradition. The Midsummer night was believed to be a potent time for magic, and magic tricks and rituals were performed mostly for love, fertility and marriage. A person’s future could also be predicted by performing certain rituals on Midsummer Eve. Some of the customs are still popular today and Midsummer is also a very popular time for marriages.
One of the most widespread Midsummer Eve traditions in Finland is for a woman to gather seven (or in some parts of Finland nine) different flowers, tie them together and place the bouquet under her pillow on Midsummer Eve. Her future husband would then appear to her in a dream that night.
An image of a future husband or wife could also be seen by looking into a well or a spring at midnight on Midsummer Eve. Rolling around naked in a dew-covered field was another trick that was believed to lead to a good marriage. Unmarried women looking for a marriage proposal could also roll around naked in a field that belonged to a household with unmarried sons, in order to get the sons to propose.
A specific type of fern was also believed to blossom on Midsummer Eve, and anyone who saw the flower and was smart enough to pick it would gain magic powers, or, according to some traditions, become rich.
Midsummer Events for Visitors in Finland
Many Finns spend the whole Midsummer weekend at their summer cabin. Visitors to Finland will find that offices, shops and many services close early on Friday, Midsummer Eve, as Finland prepares to celebrate Midsummer.
Visitors to Helsinki can join a traditional Finnish Midsummer festival in Seurasaari where celebrations include Midsummer customs, folk music and dancing and bonfires.
