Suomalainen juhannus tunnettiin ennen Ukon juhlana

Postannut annikka

24 kesäkuun, 2023

The Finnish Midsummer has its roots in an ancient pagan festival dedicated to the summer solstice and the growth of grain. This celebration was known as Uko juhla or Midsummer. Uko’s festival was an important festival for the ancient Finns, and it was associated with fertility, the beginning of new growth and favorable weather.

Midsummer was originally a church holiday

When Finland and the North gradually converted to Christianity with the help of Christianity, Uko’s celebration began to be celebrated in conjunction with Midsummer’s Day. Midsummer got a new name after Johannes the Baptist, who was a significant figure in the Christian tradition. Midsummer was originally a church holiday, but at the same time it also retained old pagan features.

Girl with roses – Uusikaupunki museum collections, colored with MyHeritage’s In Color

Try coloring your own old Midsummer pictures !

In Finland, Midsummer has traditionally been celebrated around June 24, near the summer solstice. Midsummer is associated with many traditions and rituals that have their roots in both pagan and Christian traditions.

Finnish midsummer traditions

One of the most famous Midsummer traditions is burning bonfires. The bonfire symbolizes purification and the victory of light over darkness. Traditionally, people danced, sang and spent the evening together around bonfires. On Midsummer night, it was also believed that various magic works particularly well.

Another important midsummer tradition is the midsummer sauna. Taking a sauna during Midsummer is related to cleanliness and purification. In the midsummer sauna, one sows and washes away evil, and it is believed that various diseases and accidents can be prevented by taking a sauna.

smoke sauna

Today Midsummer is one of the biggest celebrations of the summer in Finland, which is celebrated with family and friends. Many Finns travel to their cabins or organize midsummer parties in the heart of nature. On Midsummer, good food is traditionally enjoyed, such as grilled food and smoked fish, and the summer season is celebrated with various activities, such as boating, sauna and outdoor activities.

The history of Finnish Midsummer therefore includes both pagan and Christian traditions, which have merged into a unique celebration. Midsummer is an important part of Finnish culture and it symbolizes the beginning of summer, the victory of light and community.

At Midsummer, at midnight, various magics were performed and omens were read from nature

In the beginning, magic was used to secure marital happiness, but also livestock happiness. Especially unmarried young women, according to tradition, performed various tricks during Midsummer to see their future groom. We collected a few of these in this blog post. If you get excited to try these, please let us know about the possible results! Did you manage to see your future fiance or something else exciting?

An image produced by artificial intelligence with the theme Midsummer

Have you tried these?

Sneak to the rye field, with different colored threads in your hand, which you tie, one for each carder, at the joint. The corsage that grows better will promise you next year what the thread shows. Red thread means joy, yellow means love, blue means hope, white means purity and black means sadness, etc.

When the clock has struck 12, take the bucket with water and go to the crossroads. Pour water on the ground and put the bucket upside down in that place and sit on it. Wish for something, and your wish will surely come true.

Before going to bed, eat very old and salty herring, don’t drink water, no matter how thirsty you are. In a dream, the future groom or bride brings something to drink.

An image produced by artificial intelligence with the theme Midsummer

On Midsummer’s Eve, when you leave the sauna, take a bowl with a little water with you. Then run to the well and go around it three times. After that, throw the water in the keel into the well, and the ghost of your future spouse will rise to look at you.

Before midnight, collect nine different flowers from the land of three different houses, three types of each. Don’t talk to anyone all night and put this bouquet of nine flowers in the shed under your pillow. Your dream will then lead your crush to appear, but something else can happen. The method is good, but maybe still a bit uncertain. It is not guaranteed that you will dream! And it’s hard not to talk about the same things when meeting friends!

What could modern Midsummer’s Eve be playfully?

Our summer team came up with at least the following:
When you throw your cell phone on the roof of the sauna the night before, you can notice how the party crowd wants to talk to you.

Swipe right six times on Tinder and leave your phone in the sauna hall – your future spouse will send you a message in the wee hours of the morning.