Midsummer

A day for warding off dragons

My son’s birthday is tomorrow, and he shall be turning 2 (!)

His highland coo eagerly awaits his awakening from slumber.

Also please note the ‘MaxIsTwo’ CD my father sent him in the post.

I’m glad his musical education isn’t solely in my hands, though very excited for this to become the next Lilith Fair

A rather elegant segue from Lilith Fair, is that tomorrow if also the official day of Midsummer. While the summer solstice moves around, taking place on the shortest night of the year, Midsummer's Day is officially on 24 June and is one of the four Quarter Days in the UK Legal Calendar.

Quarter Days are four traditional dates in the calendar year that mark the beginning of each astronomical quarter.

• Lady Day: March 25

• Midsummer Day: June 24

• Michaelmas: September 29

• Christmas Day: December 25

The only logical conclusion to this auspicious aligning of dates is that Maximillian is a summer witch. Or Oberon.

Here is a photo of us from the future celebrating Max’s birthday.

It is also a still from this iconic rendition of a Midsummer Night’s Dream, by the New York Ballet.

I wanted to research a few traditions we can participate in over the years.

Light a Fire on Midsummer’s Eve

Lighting a bonfire, or a candle, on Midsummer’s Eve was thought to bring good fortune and ward of evil spirits.

We didn’t quite hit a bonfire this year, but we have something to aspire to for next:

Boys burned bones and filth of various kinds to make a foul smoke, and that the smoke drove away certain noxious dragons which at this time, excited by the summer heat, copulated in the air and poisoned the wells and rivers by dropping their seed into them.

Birthday candles are also intended to ward off evil spirits so we’ll be covered for dragons.

It is also tradition to jump over the embers, harnessing the energy of the flame to bring good fortune for the coming year. Max is two and I am prone to falling over so we shall postpone this particular ritual for now.

Collecting dew drops the morning of Midsummer and then washing your face with them is said to bring good fortune. Fun fact, Raviv’s name means ‘dew drop’ so Raviv mushing his face into ours would also count.

Magical Herbs

Herbs are said to be most potent on Midsummer, and some thought them to have magical healing powers when picked on this day. Perhaps a nice mint tea.

Picnic

The most traditional food to feast on in Sweden during Midsummer is pickled herring. But ALSO strawberry cake with cream. Last year we made Max an Eton Mess as his birthday cake so we were channeling this energy before we even knew!

According to visitsweden.com, my only resource for pagan rituals, after making their flower crowns for the festivities, people would:

preserve the flowers’ powers, drying their bouquets and placing them in the Christmas bath to keep the family healthy through the long winter.

But I was also drawn in by The “Seven Flowers” Spell:

According to ancient folklore, Midsommar night is deeply magical. Legend dictates that if a person picks seven different types of wildflowers in complete silence and places them under their pillow, they will dream of their future spouse.

Let me know in the comments if you have any Midsummer Traditions we can glom onto!