Midsummer is celebrated annually in June and across Nordic Europe with vibrant, raucous festivals with ancient roots.
In Finland summers are characterised by the long white night in the south, when the sun only sets for a few hours at a time, whilst the north experiences the natural phenomena of total daylight.
Finland is a country bordering Sweden, Norway and Russia with its capital, Helsinki, located on a peninsula and surrounding islands in the Baltic Sea.
The ancient midsummer celebrations in Finland honour Ukko, the Finnish god of weather and harvest to ensure a robust harvest come autumn.
Folklore dictates the louder the celebrations, the further away evil spirits will be driven and Finns and visitors will gather to party through the white night.
During Midsummer, the country's outdoor spaces see bonfires, open air dance parties, night swims and traditional Finnish saunas.
The Midsummer sauna
The Midsummer sauna, (or Juhannussauna) has been an integral part of Midsummer celebrations for generations.
The ritual of heating the sauna and using a traditional vihta, made from birch branches, to gently whack the back of those taking part is an important part of the sauna experience. Midsummer birch
The Finnish name for traditional Midsummer birch is Juhannuskoivu and this is used for both decoration and age-old beliefs in the power the plant holds.
The Finnish custom involves the birch being cut down and hung on front doors during Midsummer, the tree branches were used to keep evil spirits away and bring good health to the household.
Magic rituals
Magic rituals, or juhannustaika, are one of the oldest traditions of Finnish Midsummer.
It is believed that rituals for Midsummer are particularly powerful, with many focussed on finding the perfect match.
Examples of old Finnish rituals involve young women picking seven different wildflowers from a field and placing them under a pillow - according to ancient folklore, the face of their true love will appear in their dreams that night.
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