Summer Solstice in Suomi

Juhannus - A weekend of summer solstice traditions. 

My family in Australia has always tried to recreate the Finnish atmosphere of Juhannus (usually with much success).  But this weekend made some of my childhood memories come alive when I was able to be in ‘real’ Finland for the special weekend.  Finns celebrate the summer solstice, and have been for hundreds of years, to acknowledge the presence of the sun in summer and the longest day of the year.  So on Friday afternoon, off I flew to Helsinki, Finland to experience the sun festival.

Juhannus Eve (Friday, June 24)

Finland was at its ‘fiery finest’ when I arrived just before 9pm.  This was the first time I have ever been to Finland in summer and so, from the plane, the evergreen trees showed off their bright leaves (now that I could actually see them without snow!!)  The lakes were dazzlingly blue as the sunlight reflected off them (yes, the sun was still very much up – even at 20:50 when I landed!!!)  Then once I disembarked from the plane, there were the familiar smells of kahvia (coffee) and ruisleippä (rye bread) that filled the air.  Mmm… I felt like I was home!

Arrival into Helsinki airport

 Riitta and her daughter Matilda picked me up from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport only to very excitedly announce that the famous Finnish tennis player Jarkko Nieminen had just walked through the gates and right passed them.  I was pretty sure I had seen this guy on my plane and had the sneaking suspicion that he was the man whom I was seated next to.  So I matched their excitement and replied, “I was sitting next to that guy!!!”  Sure enough, my thoughts during the flight had been correct - the tall and tan man bearing a massive bag of tennis racquets was not tennis-mad but rather he was returning home after competing at Wimbledon.  It was rather exciting for me even though I had no idea who he was at the time. 

Riitta drove us through the countryside and stopped by a lake in Nurmijärvi near Aleksis Kivi’s house (Finnish poet and author) to see the first of the Juhannus bonfires (fires are a major tradition at Juhannus.)  

First of the Juhannus fires on the lakeside

 When we drove around to the other side of the lake to see the fires close up, they had already burnt out.  

The charcoal remains

At another lake we saw some Finnish people at a dance at the local hall.  While Matilda and her friend Sara played, Riitta and I walked towards the water’s edge and spotted across the lake, a massive pile of wood, strategically (yet still rather haphazardly) placed in a tall tower-like structure.  

This woodpile would have been no less than 8 or 9 metres tall - and within 10 minutes, the pile of wood had been set on fire.

Juhannus fire
Sara, Matilda, Riitta and me

It was rather thrilling to be looking across the lake as it burned and feel the fire’s warmth from a good 40 metres away.  Here's a movie showing part of the fire burning:

 

We waited and watched it burn for about half an hour and when we left, it was still burning!  We then headed home after 11pm for supper (and at this point in time… the sun was no longer visible but it was still light.)

Night sky after 11pm - the sun had only just set on the horizon

 And after eating, when time was quickly passing, I personally discovered that it really is the land of the midnight sun!!  It never got darker than this outside (see photo below.)  Riitta explained that in Lapland (the north of Finland) the sun never actually sets – it just skims the horizon and rises again! 

Outside Riitta's house at midnight

Earlier in the evening, Riitta had explained the some special traditions of Juhannus.  Traditionally, there is believed to be a lot of magic associated with this celebration.  One such magical event involves the young women.  The practice is for young single women to pick seven wildflowers from the countryside and then place the flowers under their pillow before they go to sleep.  The magic of Juhannus gives them a ‘vision’ or a ‘dream’ of their future husband!!  So on our travels that evening I had found my seven flowers and brought them back to the house ready for when I went to sleep...

Sweet dreams - the seven wildflowers to put under my pillow

Juhannus is meant to be a late night, so after midnight, Riitta invited me to have a traditional sauna, which included whacking myself with some small branches from a ‘koivu’ tree!  When I came out, my skin felt so soft and I felt rather refreshed.  But it was now already 2am.  I looked to the east and I could see the dawn light already approaching the new day!  So eager for bed, the heavy and thick blinds were drawn (finally some darkness!) and off I went to sleep with the seven wildflowers under my soft pillow wondering if the magic would come in my dreams! 

Traditional sauna with koivu branches

Juhannus (Saturday, June 25)

I awoke the next day around 11am (a late night to bed means a late morning rise!) And to be quite honest, I don’t really remember what I dreamt that night but I am not certain it had anything to do with my future man (not sure if that’s a good thing??) :-)

Breakfast meant that my stomach was satisfied with my favourite Karjalanpiiraka (rice boat pastries) and kahvia.  Although there was sata (rain), our plans for the day were not dampened… we still went to a local lake to have a swim.  It was no more than a 16°C day (the water felt very cold too) and I needed a lot of coaxing.  But with some 'sisu' (Finnish word used to describe 'courage' or ‘having guts’ to do something), I took a deep breath and I dived in – the end result definitely worth it!  Despite the cold, it was a refreshing swim in the soft water of the lake. 

An old Finnish saying is to ‘lose your winter coat’ with your first swim of the year and that afternoon I ‘lost’ mine – and now I am ready for a summer filled with swimming!! 

To the right you can see the ripples of my dive underwater 

We went back to Riitta’s house for a relaxed afternoon.  Matilda and her friend Sara took me for a walk into the forest near their house and we picked and ate some wild strawberries.  Delic!  

Feeding the strawberries onto a grass skewer
Matilda and Riitta

Picking wild strawberries from the forest

They are surprisingly sweet!

When we returned in the evening, Matias (Riitta’s son) had returned from his trip to his friend’s summer cottage and I had a brief visit from Vesa.  Riitta then prepared a somewhat traditional Finnish Juhannus meal with nakkis cooked over the grill served with sinappi (mustard), boiled potatoes, haloumi (not so traditional) and salad. 

Nakkis and haloumi on the grill

Riitta and I sat outside enjoying the lovely late sunlight.  She also began to teach me some more Finnish.  It was so helpful for her to explain some of the grammatical things about the language (even though there is so much more to learn) as some word changes make more sense now.  Kiitos, Riitta!

The Finnish flag can be hung all day and night on Juhannus

The evening was then topped off with some rhubarb crumble and ice cream, kahvia and another sauna.  It was an earlier night to bed that night – midnight (with the sunlight still hanging around!)

Sunday, June 26

Before heading back to London I was able to visit Andrew and Kerthy with their three gorgeous children (who have grown SO much since I left five months ago).  

Daddy's boy
Aiden and Andrew 

I also managed to catch up with Raija and Juha (who I stayed with when I arrived in Finland in winter.)  Before jumping on the plane, I bought some Finnish kahvia, Karjalanpiiraka and pulla (sweet bread) to hold me over until Christmas time.

Sharing dinner before I left
Matias, Matilda, Riitta and me

Looking down as I left

Kiitos oikein paljon Suomi… rakaastan sinua.  I already miss this place.

But until next time… Cheers!

Balling at the ballet

This weekend began with an absolute bang - at the ballet.  It was a delight and a dream come true!!  My friend Cara took me to see Strictly Gershwin (- thanks, Champ!!) which was BRILLIANT!

Strictly Gershwin

Strictly Gershwin

Cara works at Royal Albert Hall and so prior to the show she gave me a personal tour of the amazing structure!

Royal Albert Hall

Pretending to be a helpful steward like Cara!

Sneaking into the hall before the performance (on my personal tour!)

I have taken a liking to Queen Victoria since I arrived in London, so I was so pleased to be able to go to the hall - a 'gift' she gave to her husband.

Royal Albert Hall
Queen Victoria & Prince Albert

We spent the evening looking down on the arena from the stalls - such wonderful seats to have to observe such elegance and beauty!  The production was performed by the English National Ballet and included not only ballet but ballroom dancing and tap as well!  The ballet was filled exclusively of spectacular music composed by the Gershwin brothers and conducted by one of the most entertaining and talented men in the business.  He was so entertaining that at times I thought he belonged on the floor and not in front of the orchestra or behind the piano!

In the hall
Cara and me

The tap dancers were a highlight of the evening... including when one of them jumped up on the grand piano and proceeded to stamp it out up on the wooden top!  It was rather funny to see the pianist grab hold of the piano as it shook like mad and then lamp in fear of it shaking right off the piano!  Those tap dancers were so entertaining with their swivelling jazz arms.  Ahh joy!

There were ballroom dancers also that put on some rather sassy performances which were interspersed with other jazz and blues soloists and quartets.

However, the real 'balling' happened (from me... actually more like bawling) when two principal ballet dancers came out and performed alongside the song 'The Man I Love'.  It was just so elegant and graceful (and I could hardly believe I was so blessed to see the ballet - which I have longed to see for as long as I can remember!)  The ballerina and ballerino were magnificent in portraying the lyrics in this beautiful song.
(By the way, if you want to hear a good version, listen to this... Ella Fitzgerald - The Man I Love)

Though the entire night's entertainment was fantastic, the other standouts were Rhapsody in Blue...

Beginning of Rhapsody in Blue

Rhapsody in Blue

...and An American in Paris...

Last dance showing off dancers from Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris

But until next time... Cheers!

(Such an incredibly fun evening... thanks again, Cara!)