Midsummer (midsommar in Swedish)is now celebrated in Scandinavian nations on June 23rd, which is St. John’s Eve (or Sankthansaften), but can also be celebrated on the eve of the summer solstice, which is generally around June 21st. Unlike other Continental Pagan cultures, the summer solstice was of utmost importance in Scandinavia. The solstice is the longest day of the year, and in all of Scandinavia (except, perhaps, Denmark), the midnight sun (or midnatt sol) is evident, and in the far north, the sun doesn’t set at all, hovering glowingly on the horizon and giving off a soft, diffuse light.
For this celebration, only one of the Norse Gods is truly apt, and that is Sunna, Goddess of the Sun. Unlike other European Pagan cultures, in Scandinavia and the Nordic countries, the sun is a life-giving female image.
Other Scandinavian and Nordic traditions for Midsummer include (perhaps surprisingly to some) a dance around the maypole. Yes, the maypole. In fact, the Swedish word majstang is a direct translation (“may pole”). But Midsummer is in June, right? I haven’t found in my studies why it is that the maypole is used in June in Scandinavia, and not in May, like the British do. My personal theory is that summer comes much later to Scandinavia than the British Isles, and that Midsummer was not only a warmer, but also more important celebration than Ostara.
The maypole itself looks like this:
