Happy Midsummer!

[Asta Kask]

Anyways, Happy Midsummer!

This is the true national day of Sweden, when we celebrate like no other day of the year. It's also the festival that proved the most difficult for the church to subvert - they tried calling it St John's Day, but it never really caught on. It's a fertility festival and always has been. Lots of drinking, lots of dancing and lots of... other fertility-related activities.

[Serpentine]

>puts on snuggly hoodie, Big Green Coat, scarf and gloves in preparation for the long, cold, dark 4km 9pm walk home<

*grumblegrumblegrumbleWHYIOUGHTAgrumblemumblegrouc h*

[Teddy]

Woot, midsummer! I'm currently sitting in the middle of nowhere and was almost drenched by a short but intensive downpour. Well, I plan on sticking my nose out of the door soon, and start exploring the surroundings before lunch.

[Asta Kask]

>puts on snuggly hoodie, Big Green Coat, scarf and gloves in preparation for the long, cold, dark 4km 9pm walk home<

*grumblegrumblegrumbleWHYIOUGHTAgrumblemumblegrouc h*

Say Hello to the drop bears from me... :smallbiggrin:

[Serpentine]

OI POSSUM! SOME NERD FROM THE 'NET SAYS G'DAY!

I saw a possum on my way home. Our possums > your opossums.

[Eadin]

Yay for parties and lots of drinking!
Can I come?:smallbiggrin:

[The Vorpal Tribble]

*points and laughs at the entire southern Hemisphere*

:smallbiggrin:

[Jokasti]

Wasn't midsummer on the 21st? :smallconfused:

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Wasn't midsummer on the 21st? :smallconfused:
Svedes have a delayed reaction maybe.

[Vargtass]

Summer solstice and Swedish Midsummer do not coincide, strangely enough. I think it is in order to ensure that the celebrations are always on a Friday, which intervenes less with work. So we celebrate on the first Friday after June 20.

@ Asta: Även i Holland är vi några tappra själar som kommer att dansa Små Grodorna ikväll!

(translation: Some brave expatriate Swedes will dance the Little Frogs dance tonight, also in Holland!)

Happy Midsummer indeed!

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Summer solstice and Swedish Midsummer do not coincide, strangely enough. I think it is in order to ensure that the celebrations are always on a Friday, which intervenes less with work. So we celebrate on the first Friday after June 20.
In America we delay it for 2 weeks and called it Independence Day. It's odd how even when totally unrelated we have a holiday next to nearly every solstice-based day.

[Weimann]

Hooray! Swedish Midsummer! :D

I work all damn day! :D

At least the sun is shining.

[Eadin]

In America we delay it for 2 weeks and called it Independence Day. It's odd how even when totally unrelated we have a holiday next to nearly every solstice-based day.

Most holidays are based on pagan feasts , like All Saint's day is the day after Halloween or Samhain , a Celtic Harvest Festival that also has some elements of a festival to honor the dead...
Christmas around the day of the winter solstice, when the pagans celebrated Yule
:smallbiggrin:

[Serpentine]

*points and laughs at the entire southern Hemisphere*

:smallbiggrin:http://ihasahotdog.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/funny-dog-pictures-sad-face.jpg
Meaniepants :smallfrown:

[Syka]

Hey Serp, we should pair up. Spend April-September in the Northern Hemisphere and October-March in the Southern. :smallbiggrin:

*mutters about how unsure she is she'll survive her first northern winter in a year and a half...*

[UnChosenOne]

Ah, this time of year already? Well, greetings from your old possession Swedes and happy midsummer for you too.

[Castaras]

Silly peoples, midsummer's day was on the 21st.

Keep up don't you? :smallbiggrin:

[Teddy]

Silly peoples, midsummer's day was on the 21st.

Keep up don't you? :smallbiggrin:

Since the summer usually starts somwhere in the middle/end of May, and ends at the beginning of September, I'd say that the true midsummer should be somewhere in the middle of July. :smalltongue:

[Dallas-Dakota]

Wrong, look at the sun, looks at the days.

21st is the longest day of the year, which is midsummer.

As for me, well I celebrated it the 19th at the Midsummerfair over here in The Netherlands, with lots of mead, good friends and cute girls.:smallcool:

[Blue Ghost]

Doesn't the summer solstice mark the beginning of summer? :smallconfused:

[Teddy]

Wrong, look at the sun, looks at the days.

21st is the longest day of the year, which is midsummer.

Midsummer implies the middle of the summer, right? So, either the summer starts somewhere in the middle of April, or ends in middle/late July. Or, you just cut some slack on the naming conventions and leave it at that.

[Eadin]

As for me, well I celebrated it the 19th at the Midsummerfair over here in The Netherlands, with lots of mead, good friends and cute girls.:smallcool:

I so wanted to go to the Midsummerfair!
Damn you netherlands and your expensive train tickets!
Also : Damn you Belgium for not having those kinds of festivals!

[CWater]

Happy Midsummer! :smallbiggrin: We celebrate it here in Finland too! In Finnish it's called juhannus*.

(*Not a literal translation, that one would be keskikesä.)

[Nameless]

>puts on snuggly hoodie, Big Green Coat, scarf and gloves in preparation for the long, cold, dark 4km 9pm walk home<

*grumblegrumblegrumbleWHYIOUGHTAgrumblemumblegrouc h*

I would kill for some cold right now. :smallannoyed:

[Asta Kask]

Yay for parties and lots of drinking!
Can I come?:smallbiggrin:

Women are always welcome. Fertility festival, remember? :smallbiggrin:

[d13]

*points and laughs at the entire southern Hemisphere*

:smallbiggrin:

You will burn.

And I'll make sure of that o_ó

[Orzel]

Hooray for Heat and Sun.

I celebrate Midsummer on the June 26th in the Orzellandi Calender because that's when my friend's mom turns on the grill.

Technically It's the "First Day in the Summer my stomach gets full midway".

*totally didn't get add that to the calender*

[The Vorpal Tribble]

You will burn.

And I'll make sure of that o_ó
Already am, but I put on some sun screen before it got too bad. Beach and stuff, y'know.

:belkar:

[Asta Kask]

OI POSSUM! SOME NERD FROM THE 'NET SAYS G'DAY!

I saw a possum on my way home. Our possums > your opossums.

http://www.kadaitcha.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/dropbear1.jpg

Actual picture of a drop bear eating.