The Midsummer Festival, more than a hundred-year-old tradition in Scandinavia1 falls on June 22 or 23, when the sun will reach its highest point in the sky, to create the longest day of the year. In northern part of the Scandinavia, one can see the midnight sun as the sun drops to just below the horizon and the night never reaches complete darkness.
Many places celebrate Midsummer on June 24, while in Sweden it is honored on the Friday closest to June 20. Many centuries ago this day was to pay respect to2 water, fire and plants. It was also a time to clean one's soul. However, over time, this holiday lost much of its religious meaning. Actually, midsummer marks a change in the farming year, specially the break between the completion of spring sowing and the hard work of summer hay-making in Scandinavia, and in such Eastern countries as Estonia and Litua.
How did and do people celebrate the festival?
Bonfires3
Huge fires are built. In Sweden the fire is still called “bonfire”.
Long long ago—even today in some places, people would jump over the fire—to not light a fire is to invite a destruction of one's own house by fire! The fire was thought to frighten away the spirit who would avoid fire at any cost. The bigger the fire, the farther the spirits ran away. Usually it is the president of a country that lights the first fire in the early morning of the Midsummer Festival to begin the holiday celebration.
The wood that's used for the fire has been collected throughout the year, to suggest that a big harvest does not come suddenly, but bit by bit.
Flowers
Homes are decorated with wild flowers and greenery4. Flowers are an important aspect of the Midsummer. A flower wreath5 may be hung from the ceiling, a pair of birch6 branches put at the front door, just to bring blessing to the house. Women wear wreaths of flowers in their hair for the day.
Girls would collect 7 to 9 different wild flowers and place them under their pillows in hopes of dreaming their future lovers. Girls also wore wreathes and later set them afloat on rivers and lakes to find out if they would marry or not in the following year. Midsummer was and is a popular time to wed—to get married with the one beloved—under the midnight sun.
It was believed that on this very night ferns7 would open, but only the true of heart would be able to find the rare flower. It is easy to understand that people take pride in finding the ferns.
Dews
Young people gathered grasses with which they predicted their futures. Dew was collected that gathered on the leaves and flowers on the Midsummer's night as it was believed to have magical power in medicine.
As cows play a great role in people's life, great attention is still paid to protection of cows—people will keep the cows safe inside. Only after the dews have gone away the cows go out to enjoy the grasses.
Gathering
Family and friends get together to treat themselves with such wonderful food as herring8 , boiled potatoes, sour cream, bread, beer, followed by strawberries or fresh fruit. After the meal, people would dance. Dancing which was meant to drive away evil spirits and ensure a big harvest, is just for fun. They sing traditional songs, play games into the next day—remember, the sun does not set at all in Scandinavia at this time of year!
Today, Midsummer is celebrated all over, including parts of the USA and China. It is believed that A Midsummer's Dream was written in the midsummer of 1594 or 1595. Have a look at the delicious play and wonder: so wonderful as it is why do we not celebrate the Festival by all means9?
庆祝6月22日或23日的仲夏节，已经是斯堪的纳维亚100多年的传统了。仲夏节那天太阳位于最高点，也是一年中白昼最长的一天。在斯堪的纳维亚北部，人们还能看到午夜太阳：太阳刚刚坠落到地平线以下，夜晚永远不会全黑！
许多地方在6月24日庆祝仲夏节，而瑞典是在最靠近6月20日的那个周五欢庆仲夏节。数百年前，仲夏节本是祭祀水、火与植物的日子，也是净化灵魂的日子。但随着时间的流逝，这一节日慢慢失去了其宗教意义。仲夏节其实是一年农事中的一个更替期，它标志着斯堪的纳维亚及东欧爱沙尼亚、立陶宛等国春耕已结束，夏季割晒干草的辛苦劳作来临之前的空档。
过去与现在，人们是怎样庆祝仲夏节的呢？
祝火
人们燃起巨大的篝火。在瑞典“火”至今还被称为“祝火”（bonfire）。
很久很久以前，人们要跳过火堆——如今有些地方还保留着这一习俗。如果不点祝火，就等于会引来大火烧毁自己的房子！相传祝火还可以驱逐妖魔：这些妖怪尤其怕火。火烧得越旺，妖怪逃得越远。通常由一国总统在仲夏节清晨点燃第一把篝火，从而宣告庆祝活动开始。
祝火所用木材要用整整一年的功夫收集，暗示着大丰收绝非骤然降临，而是日积月累的结果。
鲜花
人们用野外采集的鲜花和草木装饰房间。鲜花是仲夏节重要的一环。人们把鲜花编成花环吊挂在天花板上，把两截桦树枝放在大门前，是为了给家人祈福。当天女子则把花冠戴在头上。
女孩们将采集7至9种不同的野花放在枕下，以祈求能梦到未来的爱人。她们还会把花冠戴过之后扔进小河或湖泊里，根据其漂浮情况，来推测自己来年是否会结婚。仲夏日也一直都是举办婚宴的大好日子——在午夜的太阳下，与心爱的人举行婚礼。
据说蕨类植物就在仲夏节深夜会开花，但只有真心真意的人才能找到这种罕见的花。所以，也就不难理解人们为何以采到这种花为荣了。
露水
年轻人采集各种草来预测未来。仲夏节深夜凝结在叶子、花朵上的露水也是收集的对象，因为人们相信它有神奇的疗效。
奶牛在生活中扮演着重要的角色，人们直到今天还格外注重对奶牛的保护：要让它安安全全地待在厩内，只有露水散去之后才放它们出来吃草。
聚会
亲朋好友会相聚一堂，享受着美味食品，有鲱鱼、煮土豆、酸乳酪、面包和啤酒，随后还有草莓和新鲜水果。餐后人们开始跳舞。跳舞原是为了驱走邪魔，确保大丰收，现在则纯粹只是娱乐。人们唱着传统歌谣，通宵达旦地玩游戏——请记住，一年中的此时，斯堪的纳维亚的太阳永远不落！
现在世界各地都在庆祝仲夏节，包括美国和中国的某些地区。据说莎士比亚的《仲夏夜之梦》就创作于1594年或1595年的仲夏节。读一读这部有意思的名著吧——仲夏节如此有趣，不管怎样，我们都得好好庆祝一番啦！
1. Scandinavia n. 斯堪的纳维亚半岛，是瑞典、挪威、丹麦、冰岛的泛称。
2. pay respect to 表示敬意； 此处指祭奉
3. bonfire n. 篝火；大火堆
4. greenery n. 草木
5. wreath n. 花环，花冠
6. birch n. 桦树
7. fern n. 蕨类植物
8. herring n. 鲱鱼
9. by all means 必定，无论如何