Midsummer Day

Midsummer Day Facts & Quotes

• Näcken is the Evil Spirit of the Water in Swedish folklore whom people must watch out for if they’re taking a swim during Midsummer.
• Branches from birch trees are placed around the front door to the home, welcoming guests.
• Midsummer brings with it the midnight sun, because of Finland’s northerly location night ceases to exist for a few days. In Helsinki, Finland's capital, the sun sets at 10:50pm on Midsummer’s Eve and rises at 3:56am on Midsummer’s Day.
• Midsummer is the time of the summer solstice, in the northern hemisphere this festival varies between June 21 and 24 depending on which specific geographical locale
• The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact. ― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

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Midsummer Day Top Events and Things to Do

• Visit the vast countryside and enjoy the natural beauty of the north. Midsummer is a peak time for the Nordic nations to get sunlight, they have days that eclipse nights. It is also one of the warmest times a year and allows access to many remote places that aren't accessible during the long snowy winter months.
• Eat, drink and be merry. Try some typical dishes for Midsummer, have you tried Leipäjuusto (bread cheese), pickled herring, beer, schnapps, Mustikkapiirakka (blueberry pie), or Pyttipannu (bubble and squeak)?
• Get married! Like Whitsun Midsummer is a very popular time of year for weddings. Despite not being very religious, the Swedish love a big wedding.
• Pick seven different types of flower. If you're a woman, Midsummer is said to be a time when future husbands are revealed if you place flowers under your pillow.
• Read some magical literature to celebrate pagan history. Our favourites: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and Sag Harbour by Colson Whitehead.

Midsummer Day References and Related Sites