When is Midsummer's Day?
This Swedish public holiday (Midsommardagen) is celebrated each year on the Saturday falling between June 20th - 26th. The actual date of Midsummer's day and the Summer Solstice may vary between the June 20th - 21st.
Midsummer is one of the oldest and most important holidays in Sweden. Festivities start on the Friday before - Midsummer's Eve (Midsommarafton).
Traditions of Midsummer's Day
Similar to New Year, the main celebrations take place on the eve of the day. Traditional events include raising and dancing around a huge maypole, in Swedish called the Midsommarstången.
Some believe it originated as a symbol of fertility. Even though the major fertility rites in ancient times, centre around the beginning of spring, Midsummer was linked to an ancient fertility festival, as conception at this time would lead to a birth in March, which was traditionally seen as a good time for children to be born. Others think the shape of the pole has its roots in Norse mythology, and that it represents an axis linking the underworld, earth, and heavens. Many people will wear traditional folk costumes and listen to traditional music. It is also a holiday on which the Swedish will consume a large amount of alcohol and raucous drinking songs are a common sound during the celebrations.
Midsummer was considered to be one of the key times in the year when the power of magic was strongest and at it was thought to be a good time to perform rituals, particularly those which related to predicting the future. A tradition of this is one in which young people pick bouquets of seven or nine different flowers and put them under their pillow in the hope of dreaming about their future spouse.
Flowers are also used to dress up the maypole. One of the reasons these celebrations happen in late June, rather than on May 1st in other countries that have similar festivals like Germany, Ireland and the UK, is that in Sweden it's more difficult to find flowers and greenery earlier in spring.
Did you know?
The word Solstice comes from the Latin ‘solstitium’ meaning ‘Sun stands still’ because the movement of the Sun’s path north or south appears to stop before changing direction
St. John's Day
In Christianity, Midsummer Day is associated with the nativity of John the Baptist, which is observed on the same day, June 24th, in the Catholic, Orthodox and some Protestant churches.
