This celebration has some religious significance, but in recent years religion has been not the foremost reason for celebrating. It is said that there is something metaphysical about the approach of Midsummer Eve that stirs inside every Finn. Midsummer celebrates the longest day of summer. Once, Midsummer was a celebration that honored pagan gods. Now, with the Christian influence the festival honors St. John the Baptist. Because of the influence of Christianity, who is honored may change, but for most Finns many of the traditions are the same. In addition, the influence of Christianity has made it so now the whole country and all of Scandinavia celebrates Midsummer ( www.web-holidays.com ).

  Scandinavian winters are long and dark. Much of The Midsummer holiday is spent celebrating because the warm weather has come and the severe winter is over. With the arrival of the warm weather, people are free to pursue activities that they were unable to do with the cold weather. There is a real emphasis on being with nature, and being outside. Picnics are the order of the day, and it is unthinkable to eat inside. It is a time to appreciate the world outdoors (Hatch 1978c).

  The Midsummer holiday is based on the summer solstice which is the mark of the beginning of summer. It is held on June 24th of every year. For Finns June 24th is the longest day and the shortest night of the year (Trawicky 2000c). One point in history it was believed that all natural waters contained medicinal powers. With the water containing these magical powers people would bathe in rivers and streams to cure any illnesses they had and to try and prevent from catching any diseases (Thompson 2000c).   

  Now, even though more than two-thirds of Finns live in urban settings, they still migrate to the countryside for the Midsummer holiday. They want to spend the holiday in the forests that they love and on the shores of the beautiful lakes. Getting back to nature with the forests and the lakes is for them like getting back to earlier times. They want to feel how simple life used to be and this holiday helps them obtain the simplicity. Every Finn seems to find somewhere special to spend time with their families and celebrate. Due to the large amount of vacationers that come in during the Midsummer holidays, Finland has more private holiday residences then any other country. These residences give patrons the opportunity to sleep little, take a lot of saunas, and eat and drink well. They also provide the traditional bonfires ( www.publiscan.fi ).

Bonfires are a major part of celebrating Midsummer, especially during pre-Christian times. The summer solstice is the turning point of the sun's journey. It is the point that after it has climbed as high as it can it stops and retraces its steps. People of ancient times believed that if they built their own “sun” by building a bonfire they could stop the sun from going back down. They were also later associated with fertility rituals and courtship that young girls would participate in (Thompson 2000c). Before the fir was lit the town would gather around the bonfire the town members would set strict ground rules that had to be followed as to how the fire was lit. The lighting of the bonfire was an honor, and it was usually the oldest man in the village who received the great honor of lighting the fire ( www.finnguide.fi ).

A well known practice of Midsummer is decorating houses and doorways with young birch trees and flowers. These decorations represent the beginning of summer. Many farmers and herdsman from the countryside also decorated their cattle to ensure a good milk production. Many traditional Midsummer foods are dairy products because cows can finally produce rich milk. After being confined indoors all winter the cattle can now graze and eat lush green grass making their milk better ( www.finnguide.fi ).

Although the Midsummer holiday is meant to be a fun, relaxing and enjoyable holiday there is a sad side to it. Every year there are statistics that indicate that many people drown during the celebrations because the parties are held so close to water. The celebrations all include food, and with food alcoholic beverages are also brought into the parties. People then become under the influence and lose their common sense and inhibitions, resulting in unnecessary and unwanted accidents that could have been easily prevented ( www.finnguide.fi ).

Overall, this celebration can be celebrated by the young and the old all over the country. The history behind the holiday will stay with its celebrators while each time a family celebrates it they bring a little bit of their own tradition into the holiday (Hofstadter 1989c). This holiday continues to hold meaning to the country of Finland and to its entire people.