Festivals
Midsummer is a hundred years old tradition in Finland.
The tradition started when Finns started celebrating it, because it is the longest day in the year. We call it Juhannus according to Saint John.
It's part of the tradition to burn a big bonfire, which is called kokko here. The wood for the kokko is gathered the whole tear and in spring birds make their nests in the bonfire, and their nestlings die when the kokko is burnt. Conservationists oppose to it.
It is part of the midsummer tradition that women roll around in the fields naked, and collect seven different flowers and hope that they could dream about their future husband.
In Finland, it is an old pagan celebration, people are awake all night, watching the midnight sun :
In Finland, the sun doesn't go down in the middle of the Summer, so it is so light in the night that you can read outside !
We have thousands of lakes here, so most of the population try to go to their Summer cottages and spend Midsummer eve on a lake. It can be a very beautiful sight.
The nightless day or white night, or day without end is the shorstest Saturday night for some people here.
Many people get married at Midsummer because it is so romantic to have a Midsummer wedding in the countryside.
We celebrate with various kinds of rituals like getting drunk, jumping aroud a biiiiig bonfire, which is meant to banish evil spirits.
Boating is a very popular way to celebrate too. Everybody knows that boating and drinking don't fit together...Every year, over 10 people drown with a lot of alcohol in their blood. It is a huge loss for our country, which is not so big.
Spiritual rituals are also very popular in midsummer, Finnish people are not crazy but they fraek around in the bushes naked at midsummer.