A Modern Midsummer: Finding Meaning in Ancestral Traditions

I’ve never done much to celebrate Midsummer, but I’ve been feeling its pull for the last few years. My great-great-grandfather immigrated to the United States with his family from Sweden in 1900, at the age of 18. When I think of him and his family, I think of the memories and cherished parts of their culture that they were saying goodbye to. Even with conscious efforts to retain one’s culture within their family, as old generations pass and new generations are born, people tend to assimilate into the customs they’re surrounded by.

I bear a Swedish last name, carrying it around with me wherever I go, but it pains me to admit that, outside of that, I rarely think about the culture my ancestors were connected with for centuries. I want to change that. 

While no culture can be reduced to a single day or holiday, the reason I’ve been drawn to Midsummer in recent years is because it feels like an approachable way to take part in something my ancestors once celebrated.

Midsummer Celebration in Sweden, 1913

I imagine my ancestors celebrating Midsummer by gathering with friends and family for the occasion. They might’ve danced around a maypole, hopefully with some grace. If I inherited my rhythm from their side of the family, I can’t imagine them moving very smoothly. Thankfully, your dancing ability doesn’t seem to be a requirement for enjoying yourself during Midsummer. I also imagine them enjoying traditional Swedish foods like pickled herring, new potatoes with dill, or a strawberry cake while they swap stories late into the light-filled night. All this as a way to mark the height of summer.

If you’re unfamiliar with Midsummer, it’s a centuries-old celebration rooted in the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. It’s celebrated across much of Northern and Central Europe but is most often synonymous with Scandinavia, where it’s observed as a national holiday in Sweden and Finland. It originated as a celebration to welcome the summer season and ensure a successful harvest. Festivities included dancing, singing, feasting, lighting bonfires, and collecting flowers. 

Many of Midsummer’s customs come from the old belief that this time of year held special powers for luck, love, and healing. People would light bonfires and make plenty of noise to scare away harmful spirits. Because of the holiday’s ties to fertility and growth, love rituals were especially common. One example of those rituals is picking seven different flowers and placing them under your pillow in hopes of dreaming about your future spouse. Some traditions suggested that gazing into a well at midnight might reveal the face of the person you were meant to marry. Bathing in springs or decorating homes with greenery and blossoms was also thought to promote good health, as both water and plants were believed to be especially powerful on Midsummer’s Eve.

Over time, Midsummer traditions, although rooted in ancient pagan solstice celebrations, spread across Europe through a combination of cultural exchanges, shared agrarian lifestyles, and later Christian influence. As Christianity expanded throughout Europe, the Church adapted many local solstice practices by aligning them with the feast of St. John the Baptist on June 24, giving Midsummer a religious anchor while allowing traditional festivities to continue. Today, Midsummer isn’t just widely observed in Scandinavia but Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, the United Kingdom, and other countries. While the roots of Midsummer are shared across these places, each has added its own unique and festive touches to the celebration.

Bonfire in Nyhavn Canal during Sankthans Evening in Copenhagen, Denmark

Denmark

Danes celebrate Sankt Hans Aften (St. John’s Eve) by lighting large bonfires, often topped with straw effigies of witches, believed to drive away evil spirits and usher in protection for the community. During these gatherings, the audience typically joins in singing “Midsommervisen”, a cherished hymn celebrating the brilliance of summer’s light. These traditions are well-documented in Danish cultural histories as central to Midsummer festivities.

Finland

In Finland, they mark Midsummer by lighting bonfires by lakesides, sauna sessions with birch whisks, and taking refreshing dips in nearby waters. Evenings are spent grilling, singing, and socializing under the midnight sun.

Latvia

Latvians weave and wear wreaths that represent strength, health, and fertility. Men traditionally wear crowns made of oak leaves, and women wear flower crowns made from local wildflowers. Homes and barns are decorated with greenery, songs are sung, and bonfires are kept burning through the night to protect against misfortune and bring good luck.

Estonia

In Estonia, Jaanipäev (St. John’s Day) is one of the country’s most important holidays, with roots stretching back centuries to ancient summer solstice celebrations. On Jaaniõhtu (the evening of June 23), families and communities gather to light bonfires and celebrate late into the night. According to folk legend, there’s a magical fern flower that blooms only on this night, and whoever finds it is said to gain great fortune.

Stonehenge during the summer solstice

United Kingdom

Midsummer isn’t a national holiday in the UK, but it still shows up in local traditions. One of the most well-known is the gathering at Stonehenge, where thousands of people come together to watch the sunrise on the summer solstice. Attendance can reach up to 10,000 as people gather to witness the sunrise behind the Heel Stone and shine directly into the center of the monument. Stonehenge was built to align with the solstices, and the summer sunrise is a moment many look forward to each year. In other parts of Britain, you’ll find smaller celebrations with folk music, bonfires, fairs, and ceremonies that carry on the country’s ancient Celtic and Anglo-Saxon traditions.

Midsummer Eve bonfire on Skagen beach by P.S. Krøyer, 1903

With so many elaborate and varied traditions throughout the different countries that celebrate, it’s easy to feel like celebrating Midsummer should involve grand gestures, like dancing around a maypole or hosting a full feast. That’s part of why I have yet to observe Midsummer. It’s not often celebrated here in the United States, and trying to recreate those traditions exactly as-is feels intimidating. But the more I’ve learned about how different countries have shaped this day into something meaningful for them, the more I’ve felt inspired to do the same. 

At the heart of all this is a quiet hope to know my ancestors better. I will never meet the ones who left Sweden behind, but I carry their name and their story. Finding small, intentional ways to mark the same season they once did helps me feel rooted in something older than myself. It’s a way of honoring where I came from and acknowledging that their lives continue to echo in mine.

So maybe I won’t be dancing around a maypole this year, but there are other ways to mark the day. I can bring a few fresh flowers inside or share a simple meal outdoors. Maybe I’ll take a quiet walk in the evening and pay attention to how long the light lingers, or bake a delicious Swedish strawberry cake. Even small gestures like these feel meaningful. They help me slow down, take notice, and feel a little closer to the people who came before me. To me, that feels like a midsummer worth celebrating.

If you're looking for meaningful pieces to help you celebrate, explore our Midsummer collection for inspiration and timeless ways to bring the season to life.