Happy Holiday & Fashion Fun! Mid-summer Holidays at N’62’, E’29’

20-25 of June 2013 Jyväskylä

At mid-summer holidays, Helsinki is the City of Deserted. Finnish either spend time at lake houses, or stay at their friends’ summer cottages. On the road we head to Jyväskylä, a university city in central Finland in the western part of Finnish Lakeland. Taking Jyväskylän Express from Helsinki Kamppi Station, it takes about 3h5m to arrive. After short light meal break, we folks haul the mini truck, drive yet another 1h30m to N’62’, E’29’ lakeshore.

In Finnish, mid-summer day is called Juhannus, translated as John the Baptist Day. Originally the pagan holiday, before 1316, the summer solstice was called Ukon Juhla, (Ukko’s celebration) after the Finnish god Ukko. Traditionally, midsummer is a potent night for many small rituals, such as young ladies collecting seven different flowers and placing them under her pillow, or knitting the flora crowns and taking sun dance, for seeking suitors and fertility. Bonfires at midnight, sausages cookouts, tent sauna, boat trip or drinking parties are ritual activities in Finland. Juhannus is also Finnish Flag Day, which the flag is hoisted at 6 pm on Midsummer’s Eve and flown all night till 9 pm the following evening.

Handmade apple jam with pancakes, lakeshore picnic, forest hiking, white night and mid-night sun, forget about annoying mosquitoes and super large ants, making flower tiara by my own hands is unforgettable summer holiday experience.

Photography: Mindy Yuan 
Special Thanks: PH