Original Publication: Pagan Chronicle – Issue: 02 – MIDSUMMER 2023
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Midsummer, Midsommar, or Midsommar: The celebration of the summer solstice, when the shortest night of the year, transformed into a time of rejoicing and honoring the sun as she comes back into full rotation. Seen throughout history as a solstice feast, and though the dates vary in different origins and practices across heathenry, the ritual can be held anywhere from end of May through June 24th. This particular ritual is observed in Germanic, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse heathenry, and is one of two main rites and rituals. The sun is honored for returning, when the crops are beginning to grow, and oftentimes where the goddess of the sun, or known as Sunna or Litha are also honored. While there are some historic accounts, many of the Germanic practices were often not written down during the Iron Age. Much of the knowledge and truth of the rites were lost or misconstrued, and some of the surviving accounts are from Tacitus, Snorri Stulston, and Bede, who were all affiliated with Roman culture or Christianity. It is from these accounts and writings we attempt to reconstruct and envision what our ancestors would have done during this period of celebration, and delve deeper into the multitude of perceptions and interpretations from the several cultures.
The ancestry of Anglo-Saxon Heathenry stems from tribal religions of the Germanic peoples from the Baltic seashores and Northern Europe, which includes the Angles, the Jutes, and the Saxons; all these encompassed the Germanic tribes. For the Anglo-Saxon culture it has been the rite of Litha, Midsummer, to include community bonfires. During this time the bonfires were lit in a method known as “Need Fire”, as they were used in times of need, to drive away pestilence from cattle and livestock. Folks would gather Midsummer night to light the fires in order to make sure the light came back for the crops and cattle. Processions would form to go to the place of the fire, with everyone carrying a torch, and every house would be lit; then the next day decorated with flowers and greenery in a way to honor the land. Some Anglo-Saxon medical manuscripts specified that certain herbs should be prepared at Midsummer to be used by the community.
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In the Denmark region, one tradition was that before the sun left the sky on Midsummer eve, the people would “adorn” or “ birch” the flax fields by placing greenery which included herbs and leaves from poplar trees. The length of time the greenery lasted was an indication of how long life would stay in the fields. In the early 1500s, it was common to decorate one’s home with sprigs of birch, fennel, and flowers.
In parts of Norway during their Midtsommer they burn a manlike figure of straw, called kallen, the carle or oldman. Throughout much of Scandinavia at Midsummer they would seek out the very high places, or howes, on which to burn their bonfires. Sun-wheel fires, like those of Yule, are also burned on Midsummer’s Eve to bring in the new warmth and burn away the old. For the Swedes, they would wear their white dresses and clothes for Smörgåsbord – a Swedish word for giant feast – while dancing around the Maistang – the Maypole – and singing their traditional songs and drinking loads of aquavit, a distilled spirit produced in Scandinavia. This would take place the first Friday after Midsummer.
In today’s modern Asatru, or Heathenry practices, Midsummer is a feast of the sun, or Sunna in her strength. We see a variety of ways kindreds – or groups – celebrate this time of year, some the more traditional festival of Sunna; others Baldr in his brightness; or of Tyr as he brings the balance of nature, community, and the returning of life. In a number of modern kindreds the focus is on how to emulate the manner in which our ancestors did ritual. Trying to bring understanding that there is no one true way to worship or celebrate, they approach the celebration of Midsommer as they have seen most depicted throughout history and what resonates with what they have studied of their ancestors.
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Current observation of Midsommer – from a personal experience – is a night to join others that are part of a kindred, who share values and eagerness to learn and grow in understanding of the past and how it affects us in our daily actions. It is a night where individuals can come together around a flickering fire as it illuminates the faces of their kindred, as it illuminates the intentions and hopes each one has for themselves, and lets them see how they can be bolstered up by their community; a night to give thanks to the gods for what has already been received and to ask for help on the journey forward. As a cold night is warmed by the flames and by the shared mead, we are reminded that being more true to the old ways can bring meaning to the new ways of life.With this condensed exploration of Midsommer, we have the means to focus on the coming forth of the light, the lessening of the darkness. Although there is no one way to practice this beautiful, traditional, and enlivening time of year, we can all find a path to be more aware of how Sunna shares with us new life, and how we can grow in ourselves and in our communities. We honor each other and ourselves by rekindling our oaths we made during the Midwinter celebration, drinking good spirits, and giving offerings to the land spirits and gods/goddesses that will join us at our table, thanking them again for the bounty of crops, good weather, and our continued health.
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Past Issue: MIDSUMMER 2023 – Pagan Chronicle
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