Tag: Midsummer in Finland

Midsummer Magic – Try these Finnish Love Spells

If you want to experience a little Midsummer magic yourself, here are some Finnish Midsummer love spells to try

Magic and love spells have been an important part of Finnish Midsummer traditions. In the old days bonfires were burnt to scare the evil spirits. Midsummer was also a tribute to ancient Finnish god Ukko, who hopefully blessed us with a good harvest.

Midsummer was believed to bring good luck also to love life. It was a popular time for weddings, and different kinds of spells were cast to see a glimpse of future fiance.

If you want to experience a little Midsummer magic yourself, here are some traditional Finnish Midsummer love spells to try. Unfortunately we can’t guarantee the outcome, but you never know for sure untill you try…

Finnish Midsummer Love Spells

Who gets married first?

When group of people stand by bonfire, in whose direction the smoke turns, gets married first

How many years to wait to get married?

If you hear a cuckoo in the forest, the number of times you hear it cuckoo, that’s the number of years it takes for you to get married. And if you don’t here at all, it might be this year…

Want to see your future fiance?

During Midsummer night, try peeking into a well or pond naked. You might see your future fiance’s face on the surface of the water.

Another traditional Midsummer love spell is to collect seven different flowers under the pillow. Do this and you might see your future fiance in a dream.

Good Luck in Marriage?

Rolling around naked in a meadow on a Midsummer night has been said to bring good luck in marriage.

How to Guarantee Fertility?

By placing birch branches on both sides of the door of the house in Midsummer is said to guarantee fertility.

Happy Midsummer…and good luck with love spells!

Thanks to Annika for being a model for the photo.

Finnish Midsummer Traditions

What things are included in Finnish Midsummer traditions? If you want to celebrate Midsummer in traditional way, here are some good “ingredients”!

What things are included in Finnish Midsummer traditions?
If you want to celebrate Midsummer (juhannus in Finnish) in traditional way, here are some good “ingredients”!

Finnish Midsummer Traditions:

Bonfire

One of the most common Midsummer traditions in Finland is the Midsummer bonfire (juhannuskokko in Finnish). The bonfire is burnt on Midsummer Eve. In a land of a thousand lakes, it is usually burnt by the lakeshore, or by the sea. Or in some other place with open space. So that many people as possible get to enjoy it. In the old days burning the bonfire was believed to scare the evil spirits away. These days it is burnt mostly just for the nice atmosphere.

Midsummer Pole

One common Misummer tradition is the Midsummer Pole or Maypole (juhannussalko in Finnish). This is popular especially among the Swedish-speaking Finns.

Birch Brances and Meadow Flowers

Birch leaves are a sign of summer and therefore brances of birch trees are placed on both side of the front door as a decoration. This is usually done in the countryside (or at the summer cottage) where birch trees are available. Also meadow flowers are picked for vases as Midsummer decorations.

Midnight Sun

Midsummer is celebrated approximately at the same time as the summer solstice. This means that day is long, and in Lapland almost endless. So one part of celebration is to stay up as late as possible and admire the sunset. And perhaps watch also the sunrise just a few hours later. In Northern Finland it is possible to admire the nightless nights of Lapland.

Magic Spells

Midsummer is believed to bring good luck. in the old days bonfires were burnt to scare the evil spirits away and magic spells were cast to improve love life.

Not to forget these:

  • Sauna
  • Barbeque
  • Wild Swimming

And remember that in Finland Midsummer is celebrated outdoors!

Sources:
Visit Finland

Image features Finnish Midsummer celebrations in Helsinki in 1970s. Image by Finnish Heritage Agency, photographer Teuvo Kanerva

What Midsummer is called in Finnish?

What Midsummer is called in Finnish?
In Finland Midsummer celebration is known as juhannus.

What Midsummer is called in Finnish?
In Finland Midsummer celebration is known as juhannus.
Midsummer is very important to Finns. To get started with celebrations, here are 10 Finnish words related to Midsummer in Finland and Finnish Midsummer traditions.

10 Finnish Words Related to Midsummer

  • Midsummer traditions = Juhannusperinteet
  • Midsummer Eve = Juhannusaatto
  • Midsummer Day = Juhannuspäivä
  • Midsummer Pole = Juhannussalko
  • Midsummer bonfire = Juhannuskokko
  • Midsummer party = Juhannusjuhlat
  • Midsummer festival = Juhannusfestarit
  • Midsummer spell = Juhannustaika
  • Midnight sun = Keskiyön aurinko
  • Happy Midsummer! = Hyvää juhannusta!

Experience the Nightless Nights of Lapland

Unfortunately summer ends eventually, but in Lapland it is possible to experience endless summer days. This phenomenon is known as midnight sun

-Wouldn’t it be cool if the summer days were endless?
-Absolutely. Sounds like a perfect summer experience. If only it was possible!
-Well, in Northern Finland it is. Thanks to the phenomenon known as the midnight sun, you can experience the nightless nights of Lapland!

Days are Getting Longer…

After long dark winter, the sun is finally making longer appearances in Finland. Days are are getting longer and longer as we go towards summer. And in some point during the summer, sun doesn’t set at all, not even during the mid of the night. This phenomenon is known as the midnight sun. In Finland midnight sun can be experienced in Lapland.

Enjoy the Nightless Nights of Lapland

The most southern place where you can admire the midnight sun in the northern hemisphere is the Arctic Circle. The nightless night can be experienced at around summer solstice on June 21st. On the Arctic Circle, the nightless night lasts basically just one day. However, the length of the phenomenon depends how far north you are in.

So if you want to enjoy many nigtless nights in a row, you head up farther north. At the Artic Circle nightless night lasts for a day, but in the most northern part of Finland, it is lasts for 73 days. And this happens every summer. Think of 73 days without sun setting below horizon.

Finnish Summer Nights are Bright

So the midnight sun can be experienced only in Northern Finland, but don’t worry if you haven’t got that far on your summer journey in Finland. Finnish summer nights are nice and bright, no matter where you are. In southern Finland the longest day is almost 19 hours long. So around summer solstice it feels almost like a a nightless also in the southern parts of Finland.

Sources:
Seasons in Finland by Finnish Meteorological Institute

What is Juhannus in Finland?

Is you have visited Finland in summer, you have probably heard the word juhannus. So what is juhannus, and why it means so much to Finns?

Is you have visited Finland in summer, you have probably heard the word juhannus. So what is juhannus, and why it means so much to Finns?

What is Juhannus?

Juhannus is the Finnish word for Midsummer celebration. Although you can celebrate Midsummer anywhere in the world, you can celebrate juhannus only in Finland. That’s because it is so strongly connected this country. It doesn’t feel the same in any other place. You need the right weather, the landscape, and most importantly the right people, the Finns!

It’s a Sign of Summer!

Juhannus is very important to Finns because it is the best sign of summer. Even though we are celebrating Midsummer, the best of summer is yet to come. Officially summer begins about a month earlier in the southern Finland, but the best summer weather arrives usually in July.

Many of the Finns also start their summer vacation at around midsummer, so juhannus is also the unofficial start of the summer vacation season in Finland.

Summer Weather?

So how about the weather. What can we expect?
Well, we all hope that it would be sunny and temperature +20 °C. But unfortunately, that’s not always the case. It might rain, or there might be a storm, and don’t be shocked if the temperature is below 10 °C.
But you know what. It doesn’t really matter. No matter what the weather is like, it can’t spoil the Finns’ mood. And think positive. It hardly ever snows on juhannus day!

Why Midsummer is Celebrated in Finland?

Most Finns would probably say that we are celebrating the summer solstice and the midnight sun. But did you know that the name for juhannus actually comes from Christian tradition. Saint John the Baptist is celebrated on June 24th. Hence the Finnish name for the holiday.

Midsummer was originally a pagan celebration. Bonfires were burnt during Midsummer to keep evil spirits away. It was also a tribute to ancient Finnish god Ukko, who controlled the rain. If Ukko was happy, he allowed us to get a good harvest.

When is Juhannus celebrated?

Midsummer celebration in Finland takes place on a Saturday at the end of June. The date varies between the 20th and 26th of June. The birth of the Saint John the Baptist is honoured on June 24th, and the Juhannus is celebrated on the Saturday closest to that date.

The summer solstice, when the day is longest in the northern hemisphere, takes place on June 21st. So there is a good chance for the juhannus to be at the same time with summer solstice.

Most of the celebration however takes place on Midsummer Eve, on Friday.

Sources:
Seasons in Finland by Finnish Meteorological Institute