Nordic Midsummer Traditions

For Finns and Swedes, who live between the 55th and 90th parallels and who have to endure long, dark winters, it is only natural that they designate the longest day of the year, June 22, as a national holiday. Most of Finland experiences a "white night" because the sun never sets. In Helsinki the sky might look like dusk for a few hours before the sun rises around 3:30am, while in Lapland the sun shines brightly all day and night. Midsummer, the day of the summer solstice, is also known as Johannus (for St. John the Baptist) and marks the official beginning of summer in the Nordic countries. Originally having pagan roots as a celebration of the god of fire, midsummer has evolved into the second largest party of the year, after Vappu Day (May 1). Finns mark the passing of midsummer by retreating to their summer cabins in the countryside, spending time with family and friends, eating fish, and enjoying alcoholic beverages.

A Midsummer’s Day in the Life

Midsummer’s day in a summer cabin starts with breakfast and a refreshing swim in one of Finland’s thousands of lakes. Many summer cabins do not have indoor plumbing (that means no showers, no toilets). Regardless of whether you own, rent, or are a summer cabin guest, everyone gathers firewood for the traditional bonfires that Finns light at midnight.

After all of that manual labor, it is time for a sauna to relax the muscles and the mind. A summer cabin without a sauna is like a restaurant that does not serve food – no such thing exists, and if it did, there would be no purpose to it, in the mind of a Finn. The best way to experience a sauna is to sweat it out inside for about 10 minutes (maybe hit yourself with a birch branch a few times to get your blood flowing), get out and drink a beer or two during the cool down phase, and then repeat this ritual a few times. If the cabin dwellers are lucky enough to have a lake next to the sauna, they’ll usually go for a swim in between their sauna sessions and beer drinking, regardless of the water temperature, which is still quite cool in June. Lunch is usually grilled Finnish sausages, known as makkara.

After the sauna and maybe some board games or a few rounds of horseshoes, it is time to start preparing dinner. A traditional midsummer’s dinner always includes fish, either pickled (herring), smoked, or grilled (salmon). Locally grown potatoes are the rage. The traditional way to prepare them is to boil them and add a touch of parsley, salt, and butter. Shots of Korskenkova (Finnish liquor similar to vodka) often pass as dessert. By 10:00 in the evening, it is time to build the bonfire. The bonfire should be going strong by midnight, at which point it is time to enjoy the company of those with you, reflect on the first six months of the year, and think about what you will do all summer. Inevitably, someone will bring up the fact that the days will start growing shorter from this moment until December 22, the winter solstice, the day when there is the least amount of light in Finland (there are six hours of daylight in Helsinki and zero hours of daylight at the Arctic Circle). But, it is best to just enjoy the moment of seemingly endless daylight and the illusion of an endless summer while celebrating a uniquely Nordic holiday.

Path to the Lake

Midsummer Bonfire

Midsummer Sky at Midnight

Smoking the Salmon

Finnish Summer Cabin

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds