Midsummer!

Mats_A · Jun 25, 2010

Today is Midsummer Day in Finland and other Nordic countries. A holiday where we get to celebrate 'around the clock light' and this year, a faboulus weather. It is 9:30 in the morning and already it's +24 C outside.
Sometimes life is good in the Arctic.

On this my first year as an APUG-subscriber I would like to wish all of you a Happy Midsummer as we say here. I look forward to spend many years on this site in your excellent company.

r

Mats

perkeleellinen · Jun 25, 2010

Glad midsommar!

werra · Jun 25, 2010

Yeah, Head Jaani.

Although it's already over here (June 23rd-24th).

kraker · Jun 25, 2010

Ha en trevlig bra midsommar!

One question, though... why is *today* midsommer, why not the 21st? Is it common to move it to a Friday, or is there some other reason?

Q.G. · Jun 25, 2010

It's the result of 'christianizing' a pagan festival.

Have a good midsummer!
And don't let the rest of the year be any less.

Mats_A · Jun 25, 2010

kraker said:
Ha en trevlig bra midsommar!

One question, though... why is *today* midsommer, why not the 21st? Is it common to move it to a Friday, or is there some other reason?

It is moved around to the friday nearest the 21:st. This year it is later than it "should" be. Sometimes earlier.

r

Mats

Mats_A · Jun 25, 2010

Q.G. said:
It's the result of 'christianizing' a pagan festival.

Have a good midsummer!
And don't let the rest of the year be any less.

That is correct. It's originally a pagan festival to celebrate light, summer and fertility. The church changed it to John the Babtist's day and you can still hear elderly people refer to it as "Johanne" and wish you a "god Johanne".

r

Mats

Steve Smith · Jun 25, 2010

It's strange that some people (mainly in the US) consider June 21st to be the start of summer. So if mid summer is the 24th, summer is only six days long!

Steve.

Q.G. · Jun 25, 2010

Indeed.

What i find even stranger is that meteorologists let the beginning of a season coincide with the first of the month the 'astronomical event' falls in, even though the weather always lags behind.

Over here, St. John's day is remembered too, as the end of the asparagus season.

Rick A · Jun 25, 2010

Danke! I had no idea there was such a celebration, now I have another excuse for something I'm doing.

kraker · Jun 25, 2010

Q.G. said:
Over here, St. John's day is remembered too, as the end of the asparagus season.

I didn't know that until now. But the *end* of the asparagus season is certainly something worth celebrating. White gold? I beg to differ...

36cm2 · Jun 25, 2010

Posted wirelessly..

Yeah midsummer! Boo asparagus!! Very interesting post.

Philippe T · Jun 25, 2010

Hi Shimoda,
I'm in France and I wish you a good Midsummer Day !
Photographiquement,
Philippe

Silence · Jun 25, 2010

Here goes my futile comment... Midsommar equals great Ikea promotions

Have a nice one!

M.A.Longmore · Jun 25, 2010

Celebrate Well !
Enjoy The Day !
I Love Asparagus !

Rick A · Jun 25, 2010

Yeah to asperagus!! I love the stuff so much i could eat a ton of it daily.

M.A.Longmore · Jun 25, 2010

Hey Rick, You really love asparagus that much ?
I would settle for a pound of asparagus, and four pounds of lobster, and two ounces of melted butter.
And a quart of grog !

Enjoy The Weekend, And Dinner !

Mats_A · Jun 25, 2010

Philippe T said:
Hi Shimoda,
I'm in France and I wish you a good Midsummer Day !
Photographiquement,
Philippe

Thank you. We are at the summer cottage. Have eaten "new potatoes", "sill", salmon, "laxrom" and other delicacies. Had a beer and one or two Skåne Akvavit. Life is good. Rolleicord loaded with Ilford and ICA folder with Fomapan.

I wish you all a good Midsummer.

r

mats

MikeSeb · Jun 25, 2010

Mats, if I visit during Midsummer, can I be an honorary Finn?

This sounds like my kinda holiday!

slumry · Jun 25, 2010

It is not summer until the crayfish season...yum.

lxdude · Jun 25, 2010

Steve Smith said:
It's strange that some people (mainly in the US) consider June 21st to be the start of summer. So if mid summer is the 24th, summer is only six days long!

Steve.

That's because we think of summer as "the hot season", and it starts warming up around now, and the hottest days are over by late September. That's how I look at it, anyway.

Q.G. · Jun 25, 2010

lxdude said:
That's because we think of summer as "the hot season", and it starts warming up around now, and the hottest days are over by late September. That's how I look at it, anyway.

Yes. I do too.

It obviously still is mid-point nonetheless, between days getting longer and days getting shorter.
Not as significant as the winter solstice, which marks the changeover from nature dying to nature reviving.
But still something to mark.
And a good opportunity to have a celebration should never be allowed to go to waste.

JPD · Jun 25, 2010

I'm too lazy to celebrate midsommar this year.

My parents, sisters and their boyfriends are at our summer home, celebrating with gravlax, sill, potatis, sallader, öl and akvavit*, playing kubb while the dog is having fun hunting mice... and I'm sitting here at the computer, eating microwave meals. :rolleyes: But I've bought cigars to enjoy during the weekend. I don't drink alcohol.

*salt-cured salmon, pickled atlantic herring, potatoes, salads, beer and akvavit

Nothing christian with the way we celebrate midsummer. No special rituals except for the maypole, food and alcohol.

Trevlig midsommar!

Q.G. · Jun 25, 2010

JPD said:
I'm too lazy to celebrate midsommar this year.

Well shame on you!
Just for that, i'll treat myself to some more ice cream!

JPD · Jun 25, 2010

Q.G. said:
Well shame on you!
Just for that, i'll treat myself to some more ice cream!

Now you got me planning on going through my parents freezer for ice cream. It's in the middle of the night, but they live close to me and aren't home...

Midsummer!

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