By James Stone


The summer solstice has long been celebrated by people around the world, firstly by pagans marking the astronomical beginning of the summer and the longest day of the year and later by Christians recognising the nativity of Saint John the Baptist.

Today in Britain, however, the day has become irrevocably associated with images of middle-aged hippies dancing in front of bored looking security guards who block their access to the site of Stonehenge.

Luckily, other parts of Europ e- and indeed around the world, with midwinter celebrated in the Southern Hemisphere - still recognise the day and duly celebrate.

In Scandinavia in particular, both cheaply and easily accessible from the UK, midsummer is seen as more of an excuse for all-night parties and a day off work and, while ancient traditions are still adhered to, visitors can expect fresh-faced Nordic beauties sipping wine on a beach rather than dogs on string and tie-dye vests.

Both in Sweden and Finland, the Saint John's Day celebrations are moved to the nearest Friday, which is then designated a public holiday, in order to give the people a long weekend to escape to the country and to the beaches.

Indeed, while all of the Scandinavian capitals are well worth a visit, with Copenhagen and Stockholm among the most beautiful and safest cities in Europe, it is wise to follow the example of the natives and head out of town for the best mid-summer celebrations.

Luckily, however, the best parties in Denmark happen just outside of Copenhagen on the beach overlooking the impressive bridge linking the country to Sweden.

With the Danes celebrating on June 23rd, revellers flock to the beach and make large bonfires, which can be seen for miles in either direction.

Just like the Brits like to burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes, so too the Danish hold on to their more recent tradition of burning straw witches on their bonfires to remember the church-sponsored witch-burnings, which unofficially continued until the end of the nineteenth century.

Alongside the bonfires, picnics and barbecues are the order of the day and those revellers without the foresight to pack sufficient quantities of wine or beer are easily able to find some budding entrepreneur with ample supplies to buy.

Visitors are enthusiastically encouraged to join in the celebrations, with organisations and clubs setting up their own camps and bonfires on some of the larger beaches, though tourists may be forgiven for simply looking on bemused as the locals break into the traditional midsummer song of Vi elsker vort land (We love our land).

Across the water in Sweden, the festivities are, by way of tradition, somewhat less raucous.

The main celebrations take place in town and village squares during the afternoon, with women in particular donning traditional costumes and dancing and singing around the local-equivalent of a maypole adorned with flowers and greenery.

Though the Swedes certainly enjoy a drink or two during the course of the holidays, the emphasis is much more on the traditional food delicacies, including fresh potatoes with pickled herring or smoked fish followed by the first strawberries of the summer.