Forget about Valentine’s Day. February is no longer the month of love, because here comes Midsummer’s Eve on June 22 to take the throne. For all you singles, according to Finnish folklore this is the day when magic comes alive with spells that will reveal your future suitor. For example, if you eat salty herring to make you thirsty, the first person to bring you water is the person you’ll marry.
Whether you believe in love spells or not, celebrate Midsummer’s Eve with the Midnight Bonfires in Seurasaari, an island right off the heart of Helsinki, Finland. The celebration takes place in the Open Air Museum, which has an array of picturesque cottages, farmsteads, and manors that preserve Finnish folk culture over the past 400 years. The event gathers around 10,000 people and begins around 10 pm.
If the white night and beautiful water view isn’t romantic enough for you, following Finnish tradition, you’ll be cordially invited to a young couple’s wedding (booked years in advance!) in the quintessential 17th century Karuna Church. As they walk under a colorful canopy, the couple is trailed by folk dancers. They will then proceed to row to another nearby island to light up the main bonfire, which is 10 meters tall. Apparently, the smoke of the bonfires will turn to the person who’ll get married next, so you can forget about elbowing each other to catch the bouquet and garter.
Dance to the beats of folk music as you sip (or chug) on the Finnish gin long drink, a combination of grape soda and gin. They say that if you stand at the edge of the lake at midnight, your future flame will be seen swimming towards you. So maybe you’ll see the love of your life in the crystal blue lake (or maybe it’s just someone who had too many long drinks and fell). Regardless, Finnish folk culture comes alive on this day under the midnight sun of Seurassari.
