Summer soltice and Sankt Hans

Well, technically Wednesday the 20th June was the longest day of the year this year. Apparently it hovers around the 20th/21st depending on the calendar. That means we are in for a celebratory weekend up here in Norway - that's if the weather holds! Sankt Hans is traditionally a time for bonfires, barbecues, letting off fireworks and having fun. Last year, it rained so much even the Bergenese couldn't get the fireworks to work. This year the weather looks a tad better! Some rain is forecast but not much, and temperatures will ne hovering around 10 degrees celcius come the evening! Half-way tropical! Like most festivals, Sankt Hans is rooted deep in pre-Christian traditions, and is celebrated throughout Scandinavia in different ways. The Swedes for example like to dance around a maypole, and weave flower garlands, the Danes burn an effigy of a witch, and the Norwegians just seem to make huge bomfires. Oh and there is often quite alot of alcohol consumed, and also alot of the Norwegian national dish, hotdogs in potato pancakes (pølse i lompe)! A culinary delicacy that challenges me on so many levels (visually, nutritionally and digestively!) Anyway, why burn a witch on the bonfire? Well, according to ancient Scandinavian tradition, at mid-summer, all the witches fly off either to Hekla in Iceland or Bloksbjerg (Brocken mountain) in Harzen, Germany to renew their pact with the devil. In Germany, they say that the witches gather there on Valpurgis night, which is actually the 1st of May - I guess the socialist parties up here must be happy that they have a different date! First of May here is a public holiday and big union day - it would be a bit strange if it was also associated with witches! By burning a witch on the bonfire you are apparently helping them on their way, and presumeably hoping they will not come back! At the moment here in Bergen, the evenings are so light that you can still easily read a book at midnight. It is really difficult going to bed! You are tired, but it is still broad daylight out there at 11pm! I feel like I'm a little kid again! It is far too light outside! I half expect to hear someone mowing the lawn, which I know is daft as here most people do not need a lawn mower. Few houses have any garden to speak of as they are built up steep mountainsides, and gardens are either compact areas of rhododendron and scrub or just plain rock. Lawns are a rarity! Happy Sankt Hans to everyone! If I see a witch, I'll try and get a photo!