Midsummer is very special time of the year in North as the sun does not go down at all. The nights are light and beautiful.

As the summer in Finland gets warmer and warmer each day, the noghts become more nightless here in Lapland. The sun stays above the horizon even at times like midnight. This means only one thing – the Midsummer is getting closer! 

Today, the 19th of June, begins the time period in which the Midsummer celebration can take place. Midsummer celebration, also known as St. John’s Feast Day or Juhannus in Finland (and in many more names around the world) is celebrated between June 19th and June 25th. ☀️

This is a celebration, which marks the middle of summer (Midsummer), the beginning of the Astronomical summer and the nativity of St. John the Baptist. Usually it is celebrated on the 21st, 24th, 25th of June or the days closest to the summer solstice 19th-25th of June.

But how do Finns celebrate Juhannus?

Well, as the english name hints us, the Finns have a feast! They would go together with friends or family to a summer cottage close by a lake (mökki) and they would bring a lot of food and beverages. Some of them might do some fishing in the lake as well. And as we all know – the sauna in the cottage must be used !

Long story – short: Finns would spend the time with their companions having lots of fun, food, drinks and sauna.

Some traditions, like the Juhannuskokko, would include the building of a huge bonfire. And, of course, there are also some superstitions related to Juhannus, one of them being that if you put flowers underneath your pillow you would catch a glimpse of your future husband/wife.

So, if you celebrate Juhannus where you’re coming from, how do you celebrate it? Is it anything simillar to the way we do here? And if you’re spending the summer in Finland, remember, you can now celebrate Juhannus with your friends/family and also see the magnificent Midnight Sun (or as it is called in Finnish Yötön Yö)!

– Boris Stoev, tourism student –