Midsummer Day 2031

What is Midsummer Day?

Midsummer is the celebration of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. In Sweden and Finland, it is one of the biggest holidays of the year, often compared to Christmas, with families leaving the cities for summer cottages, dancing around a flower-decked pole, and a table of herring, new potatoes and strawberries. The Åland Islands also keep a maypole tradition. The Åland Islands, which are Swedish-speaking, share the Nordic traditions. In Sweden and Finland the holiday has a very visible effect: cities become quiet as people leave for the countryside.

In Estonia and Latvia, the festival is called Jaanipäev in Estonian and Jāņi in Latvian. It is celebrated with bonfires, songs, flower and oak-leaf wreaths, and in Latvia with caraway cheese and beer, and with the tradition of staying up through the short night. The night is also associated with folk beliefs about magical plants and the search for a fern flower, which is said to bloom only on this night. In Sweden, the weather is a favourite topic of conversation, because a wet Midsummer is a familiar disappointment. Confirm the date for each year.

Why it is observed

The feast has pre-Christian roots in solstice celebrations across Europe, which were later linked to the Christian feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist on 24 June, six months before Christmas. In Sweden and Finland, the holiday was originally kept on 24 June, and in 1953 Sweden fixed Midsommardagen to a Saturday between 20 and 26 June, with Finland adopting a similar rule, so that the holiday always falls on a weekend. Estonia and Latvia kept 24 June, and in Latvia the festival was restored as a national holiday after independence.

How the date is set

The date depends on the country. In Sweden and Finland, Midsummer Day is the Saturday between 20 and 26 June. In Estonia and Latvia it is fixed on 24 June, the feast of Saint John the Baptist, and the festival is usually celebrated on the night of 23 June.

How it is observed

Midsummer Day is a public holiday in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and the Åland Islands. In Sweden and Finland, the preceding Midsummer Eve is treated as a holiday in practice, so shops, banks and many offices close on the Friday, and cities become quiet. Alcohol shops close, and public transport runs a reduced timetable. Travellers should book transport and accommodation early. Pay and time off depend on national law, collective agreements and the contract. Check dates each year. Because the Saturday date varies from year to year, check the current year's date on the country page, since it differs from the fixed 24 June observed in Estonia and Latvia.