Reply To: Midsummer

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#175517
Anna W
Participant

In Austria, where I grew up, midsummer is referred to as the “Sommersonnenwende” or “Mittsommerfest”.
Bonfires are lit once the sun goes down on the shortest night of the year. This is especially common in mountainous regions of the Alps, such as Tirol. People dance around and jump over the fire, which symbolically stands for the sun and is also meant to ward off negative spirits, illness, etc.
A small posy of 7 wild herbs (“Johanniskrauter”) is often collected, whose properties are supposed to be especially strong if picked exactly on midsummer. I am unsure if the 7 are specified as particular herbs, of if the number is more important than the exact herbs. In any case, popular herbs are St John’s wort, Chamomile, Mallow, Mugwort, and Meadow sweet.

I could not make a bonfire myself this year, but I lit a candle, watched the sun go down from my balcony and stayed up for a while afterwards. On midsummer’s day I took part in a dance performance (without fire 😉 ) and sat in the sun with my fellow dancers between rehearsals.

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