The celebration of the Summer solstice is a very ancient practice, dating back to pre-Christian times. Midsummer was originally a fertility festival with many customs and rituals associated with nature and with the hope for a good harvest in the autumn.
Midsummer's Day was later Christianized as the day of John/Juhannus/Hans (the Baptist), an important Christian saint. Yet, many of the ancient pre-Christian customs that marked the Summer solstice have survived to this day and are still being celebrated in Scandinavia and the Baltics as they were many hundreds of years ago.
For the Nordic-Baltic national party of the summer stage 2008 we will recreate some of the customs and use the opportunity to promote the food and culture of our five countries.
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