In Norway the evening of June 23rd is celebrated as Midsummernight Eve, also named 'St.Hans Aften' or 'Jonsok-kveld', depending on where you are living in the country.
Huge bonfires are burned as part of the celebrations. St. Hans or Jonsok both reveal that the festival has been named after St. John the Baptist, as the 24th is his birthday according to the Festival Calendar of the pre-reformation Church.
As with so many of the church festivals, it was introduced in order to replace an old pre-Christian festival on that same date, thought to be the Summer Solstice, or the longest day of the year.
In Norway, the evening is celebrated with partying, good food, music and dancing, and the burning of huge bonfires. The burning of bonfires has of course survived from heathen times, when it was believed that the fire had special cleansing powers, and was also used to drive away evil powers, witches included.
Medical herbs also had special powers at Midsummernight, and so did water. Dew that fell on that night was believed to have healing properties, particularly for ailments of the eyes.
Midsummernight Eve was a public holiday in Norway until 1771, and has as a matter of fact survived as a day off in several communities to this day.
(The Norway Post)
Statistics show that Norwegians' use of cultural venues and institutions shows a significant decline from 2008 to 2012.(Photo: The Oslo National Theatre)..
Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard's second book in the six-volume success series was released in the U.S. on May 15th.
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Emmelie de Forest from Denmark won first place in the Eurovision Song Contest, and Norway's Margaret Berger ended up in fourth place...
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With all of the important outdoor festivities, the weather is very important on this day, and the whole nation watches the weather forecasts..
The government and the farmers have agreed on this year's settlement, which entails NOK 1,27 billion more funds allocated to Norwegian agriculture.
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The weather prognosis for Norway's National Holiday calls for both rain and sunshine. Bring an umbrella - and your sunglasses, say meterorologists...
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On the second day of the Crown Prince couple's visit in the U.S., Crown Princess Mette-Marit traveled on to San Francisco, where the couple has a busy program over the next few days.
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Norway's King Harald has just fulfilled a long-held dream when he spent four days living with the Yanomami people in a remote part of Brazil's Amazon River basin.
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The Ministry of Environment has set aside an additional NOK 10 million in order to better secure and fireproof Norway's ancient stave churches.
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The Band and Drill team of the Norwegian King’s Guard will perform at Stoddert Elementary School in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, April 30.
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Norway's Queen Sonja this week opened the exhibition entitled “Munch|Warhol and the Multiple Image” in New York City. The exhibition brings together the works of two of the greatest printmakers of the 20th century.
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The Norwegian film "Kon Tiki" opens in theatres in LA and New York today, Friday. The movie is expected to screen in 400 theatres across the U.S.
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