Old and new traditions meet in modern-day Midsummer celebrations

Midsummer traditions have a long history across the world, including in Finland. 

In Finland, the tradition of celebrating Midsummer dates to pre-Christian times, constituting part of the seasonal cycle of festivals. Midsummer was dedicated to celebrating fertility and the continuation of life, as well as to ensuring good fortune for the year ahead. With the introduction of Christianity, Midsummer was rebranded to mark the birthday of John the Baptist, but old customs prevailed. Some of them are part of Midsummer celebrations even today, while others have evolved over time.

Old traditions that have prevailed include Midsummer bonfires. This tradition originated in Eastern Finland, from where it spread far and wide across the country in the 19th century. Along the coast of the Gulf of Finland, however, the tradition of burning Midsummer fires represents a lineage of its own, with the oldest mention of a Midsummer fire dating back to Turku in 1645.

The burning of Midsummer bonfires and other festival fires, such as Easter bonfires, May fires and harvest fires, was associated with various beliefs about warding off evil, preventing night frosts and ensuring a good harvest. Traditionally, bonfires were also burned in honour of Ukko, the supreme god in Finnish mythology, and also the god of weather and harvest.

Intoxication on Midsummer’s Eve is no coincidence 

The Midsummer bonfire was typically a village-wide event, and everyone had to bring something to burn in the communal bonfire. Bonfires were usually burned on high hills or rocks, but also by lakes and the sea. As dancing became more common, Midsummer bonfires were built near dance venues.

Logs in the Midsummer bonfire were also used to predict future marital happiness. Girls would name a log and watch it burn. If the log burned well, the girl would marry that year. However, if the log did not burn well, bad luck was on the horizon.

Nowadays, people are more familiar with other kind of Midsummer spells that predict marital happiness, with the most well-known ones perhaps including collecting seven flowers to place under the pillow, throwing a Midsummer whisk onto the sauna roof and walking around a well on Midsummer night.

Midsummer has always been celebrated with gusto. Senior Researcher Ismo Björn of the Karelian Institute says it’s no coincidence that people still drink alcohol and get intoxicated on Midsummer’s Eve, as this is part of an old tradition.

“Drinking alcohol on Midsummer’s Eve was a sacred thing. It was a way to ensure future happiness and prosperity,” Björn says.

There are also other Midsummer traditions in Finland that involve a sense of community. In the Swedish-speaking areas of Western Finland, it is traditional for the whole village to build decorated Midsummer poles. Decorating traditions vary slightly from place to place, but Midsummer poles are typically decorated with birch branches and wildflowers, and ribbons may be used, too. 

“Bothe the Midsummer bonfire and the Midsummer pole are about building community. People build these together and gather around them to celebrate,” says Björn.

A tradition will live on if it adapts to changing times and circumstances

Like all traditions, Midsummer traditions, too, evolve and change over time. Midsummer has maintained its status as an important festival among Finns, but the ways of celebrating it have changed, and Midsummer is now increasingly celebrated among family and friends, at summer cottages or in the city.

Midsummer festivals represent a newer tradition that also involves a sense of community. Although such festivals may seem like a modern phenomenon, Anna Kinnunen, University Lecturer in Folklore Studies, says they are part of a continuum. Instead of gathering around a Midsummer bonfire and at village dances, people now gather at festivals, but the purpose remains the same: to celebrate Midsummer, together.

Midsummer festivals are just one example of how traditions evolve and live on. The new is not in conflict with the old, but rather complements it.

“A tradition will survive only if it can adapt to changing times and circumstances – that is essential,” Kinnunen points out.

Traditions can, however, also dwindle and disappear. The dwindling of a tradition is usually related to cultural transformations, societal development or changes in individuals’ lifestyles, and constitutes a natural part of cultural development.

Countless traditions have likely been lost over the centuries. With traditional village communities dispersing and people moving to cities, many local traditions have been forgotten. Harvest festivals and hunting rituals, which were important in agrarian societies, have lost their meaning or disappeared as people’s lifestyles have changed. Certain festivals with a distinctly political or religious flair to them have also faded into the mist of history.

“There are also traditions that people no longer want to remember – they are not conducive to social order are in conflict with contemporary values,” Senior Researcher Ismo Björn says.

Reviving traditions or being inspired by them?

Lost or waning traditions can be revived, but this revival does not necessarily mean restoring them exactly as they were. Traditions are revived, for example, by organising events around which the old tradition can be rebuilt.

According to Postdoctoral Researcher Viliina Silvonen of the Karelian Institute, tradition revivals often involve new interpretations that draw from the old but live in the present. She picks laments as an example, and how their revival has created different kinds of interpretations. In the Karelian culture, laments represent ritual poetry used to express sorrow and they are performed at funerals, for example.

In contemporary folk music, laments are primarily seen as performing arts, while some other new interpretations emphasise their healing or caressing aspect. In addition, some Karelians seek to revive and maintain the lament tradition, and the Karelian language, specifically through their Karelian identity. Silvonen herself is critical of the term revival.

“In the case of laments, so many new interpretations are being made that it warrants asking whether something lost is being revived, or whether something new is being created, based on the old. Both can be valuable, but they are not the same thing,” Silvonen notes.

New traditions are constantly emerging

Besides Midsummer festivals, recent decades have also seen the emergence of other new traditions. In Finland, these include, for example, the Earth Hour campaign in which many municipalities participate every year, Pride parades, as well as gold medal celebrations in the town square after success in sports. The Venetian Festival held to mark the end of the summer is currently gaining popularity, and crayfish parties, traditionally common among the Swedish-speaking population of Finland, are becoming increasingly common in Finnish-speaking circles as well.

Traditions also emerge as part of the internet culture, and memes, for example, can be regarded as a tradition. According to folklore researcher Anna Kinnunen, memes contain folkloristic features, as they have a certain structure or idea that varies according to the context – just as folklore does.

A tradition is not just a relic of the past, but it can also emerge and develop in the present.

“A tradition is something that people do together, repeatedly, and is considered important. A tradition can also be personal, but it often involves community,” Viliina Silvonen says.

The human need to experience community is one of the main reasons why people create traditions. Besides community, traditions also provide continuity and security. Many of them help people navigate major life transitions, such as birth, marriage and death. In addition, various festive traditions offer a momentary escape from the routines of everyday life.

Especially in times of uncertainty, traditions can offer people comfort and meaning.

“During periods of upheaval, people gravitate towards traditions as they provide a link to past generations,” Kinnunen says.

In addition to interviews, the story also references Suomen perinneatlas (2007), authored by Martti Sarmela.