Glad midsommar / HyvÀÀ Juhannusta / Happy Midsummer!
Rushed again but let say they just practicing before the other characters arrive to the celebration.
The most overdesigned ultimate Finnish midsummer pole I have designed! You can see the influences of the various unique Finnish midsummer pole designs HERE! I'm also really disappointed how tiny it looks on Tumblr.
Midsummer depiction in Midsummer Madness 1954
The Magical Feel
Original Swedish: Solen hade gÄtt ner, men nu i juni fanns det inget mörker att tala om. Natten var blek och drömmande och full av trolldom. My English Translation: The sun have set, but now in July there's no darkness to speak of. The night was pale and dreamy and full of magic.
The first passage of Mumintrollet and Snorkfröken [Snorkmaiden] realizing it's midsummer.
Magic-related words were mentioned throughout the sections with Mumintrollet, Snorkfröken and Filifjonkan. Actual magic throughout the Mumin books is relatively rare except in connotation with mystery, tradition, rituals and folk medicine whose effects are ambiguous with few exception being anything with Trollkarlen [the Sorcerer] (F the English name, he's literally towering everyone and even almost as tall as Muminhuset [Moominhouse] itself!) in the 3rd book Trollkarlens hatt 1948 who's like a cosmic figure and some beings having extraordinary abilities like MÄrran, Ninni and Hattifnattarna. Most of the time, magic-related terms are more like non-literal idioms and expressions of mystery, the unknown as well as wonder and whimsical vibes. Some of these terms, idioms and expressions might not be entirely accurate to just be simply translated as "magic".
Historically, midsummer, especially at night, had various strong magical connotations. Often having connotations with fate, romance, marriage and fertility. It was like Valentines day where courting and wedding was popular (some areas still have this connotations).
Bonfires
Snorkfröken [Snorkmaiden] and Mumintrollet watching small beings preparing midsummer bonfire at night.
When Mumintrollet and Snorkfröken walked together, lost in the woods after got separated from the others and woke up at night alone at the 5th chapter, they realize it's midsummer from seeing a bunch of small beings preparing a bonfire. In 7th chapter, after they found Filifjonkan's house (just like Mymlorna [the Mymbles] it's unknown if this is the same recurring Filifjonka, different individual or prototype consider being very different however theater adaptation of this book do depict her as the recurring one) and celebrated midsummer with her in her house, they decided to have a bonfire. They decided to use the stolen park signs that Snusmumriken stole in the previous 6th chapter which will get them in trouble later by the park keeper.
Finland and rest of the Nordic countries except Sweden very commonly celebrates midsummer/sankhans with bonfires. Why Sweden don't celebrate bonfires might be due to historical restriction on lighting fires outdoors for safety reason. Bonfires in Finnish is Kokko and midsummer bonfires are called Johannuskokko. Meanwhile in Swedish, bonfires are called Brasa and midsummer bonfires are called Midsommarbrasa.
Historically, bonfires on midsummer was a fertility ritual and represent passion and romance. I'm not sure if it still is.
The 9 Flowers underneath the pillows
Snorkfröken and Filifjonkan picking 9 different flowers.
At the 5th chapter when Snorkfröken and Mumintrollet discuss about memories of previous midsummers, Snorkfröken mentioned everytime the bonfire burnt down, they will put 9 different flowers underneath their pillows however they were never allowed to tell what they dreamt. Mumintrollet asks abruptly if Snorkfröken's dream was true, which she told him "of course" amongst other pleasant things.
This is the reference to an old Nordic practice of maidens (or anyone unmarried) picking 7 different flowers to lay underneath their pillows to summon their future husband (or any romantic partner) in their dreams. The number 9 is a classic magical number throughout Europe but so is number 7. I heard few areas in Finland and Sweden still does this flower under pillow practice. Despite often commonly performed by maidens wanting husband, this ritual can be inclusive to any genders, orientations and status which could be seen in this case, where all three perform this ritual. Snorkfröken didn't mention this ritual being particularly romantic really.
Well if you don't want to put flowers under your pillow because that's too boring, you can as well do the same ritual with the much common classic Finnish tradition of rolling naked in a rye field until you sleep which I already think plenty of drunk Finns are doing and having wet dreams about harems of future hot babes and dudes! No, seriously it's said you get the same freaking effect from that except you literally get dirty from it!
The Well Scene
Snorkfröken whispers to Filifjonkan about the well ritual.
After the bonfire celebration with Filifjonkan is done, Mumintrollet and Snorkfröken are about to do the 9 flowers ritual as they departs until next morning. Filifjonkan doesn't seem to know the ritual but want to join which Snorkfröken invite her over. Filifjonkan also want to get to know more rituals. Snorkfröken whisper about the ritual of spinning around oneself 7 time while humming and stomping the ground. Then later go backwards to a well to look down to see one's future husband. As they picked flowers, they saw a well which they felt like they must take the opportunity to perform this well ritual. However when they looked down at the well, they only saw their own reflections and the angry police chief behind them, arresting them for the park signs previously.
This scene is based on an old Finnish practice of maidens looking down at a well to see their future husbands at midsummer night (it can also be a window instead of a well). However the original tradition requires them do it nude... well Snorkfröken is already is naturally but we are at least glad she don't tell Filifjonkan to do it since that would be really awkward and I really don't want to see that! I know that's double-standard racism but I don't want to see certain folk groups who normally wears clothes without clothes here.
I'm not sure about spinning, humming and stomping their feet while walking backwards to the well. Some sources say that maidens will go around a sauna 3 times before going to the well. Well saunas doesn't seem to exist in Mumindalen, well except this HERE!
Are Swedish-speakers the only Nordic people celebrating midsummer?
Many Swedes on the internet asks Norwegians and Danes how they celebrates midsummer and the most common reply is that they just don't celebrate midsummer. They instead celebrates Sankt Hans or Sankhans on 24 July, referring to John the Baptist (Johannes or Hans as he's called here). While midsummer is likely pre-Christian and nowadays there's not much Christian elements in Sweden but in middle ages, it's mostly John the Baptist's holiday. I think Midsummer have been syncretized with celebrating Sankhans after Christianization and later midsummer and later might have split again (John the Baptist is sometimes referred within the Swedish church on midsummer).
Midsummer/KeskikesÀ/Mittumaari and Juhannus/Johanne seems to be interchangeable in Finland (or at least Finland-Swedes, I'm not sure). Filifjonkan greeted "Glad Johanne" when being greeted "Glad midsommar", seemingly it's just synonyms. Barbro Gustafson recorded a quote where Tove Jansson confirmed these characters aren't Christians (despite being a Christian herself) and she intentionally avoided to depict the characters being dependent on supernatural deities. The characters don't really worship but they do seem to honor nature and ancestors a lot. Trollkarlen seems more like a rumored cosmic being treated as a normal guest when being met meanwhile "Alla smÄdjurs beskyddare" [The patron of small animals] is mostly used as an expression like "Oh my God!" (although Tove Jansson imagined him to be a friendly Pan-like figure).
Sources:
https://finland.fi/life-society/enjoying-midsummer-the-finnish-way/
https://fiftydegreesnorth.com/eu/article/magical-midsummer-in-finland
https://finlandabroad.fi/web/swe/aktuellt/-/asset_publisher/T01HPEq0q7JC/content/tukholman-suurlahetysto-toivottaa-hyvaa-juhannust-1/384951
https://www.finavia.fi/sv/nyhetsrum/2023/visit-finland-allt-du-behover-veta-om-midsommar
https://www.nordiskamuseet.se/utforska/livet-i-norden/midsommarfirande-och-traditioner/
https://www.isof.se/folkminnen/kunskapsbanker-och-webbutstallningar/sommar-sommar-sommar/massa-midsommar
My Delays
Yesterday I spent whole night awake for feeling hopeless and anxious with the future and our society that made me deeply depressed. I really hate when people become more radicalized and polarized from all directions. So I slept half a day yesterday.
When I woke up and searches through Swedish midsummer poles, I started to wonder if my blog exists on Google since other Tumblr blogs do. When searching how to check that, Gemini told me doing the "site:[URL]" method which actually only show my two recent posts but nothing else. I started to panicked thinking something went wrong and Gemini gave me instructions of Google Search Console which requires verification through implanting HTML-tags which never works. So I spend the whole day trying to make it verified and it just caused my blog to crash a lot. Later Gemini told me that Tumblr recently blocks Google Search Console but Gemini has "workarounds" which I tried follow and none works. Later I just tried to just simply search my blog's name normally on Google where it reveals my blog shows up as intended there. Goddammit I should just use common sense but I just make it more complicated than it should. That "site:" method no longer works for Tumblr blogs and Gemini keeps giving me unnecessary and outdated advices that distract me that day.
