Mid-Summers Day, St. Hansaften

Tue, 23-Jun-2009

The Norway Post - Doorway to Norway

Midsummer celebrations in Norway

Tonight, the evening of June 23rd is celebrated as Midsummernight Eve in Norway, also known as 'St.Hans Aften' or 'Jonsok-kveld', depending on where you are 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 heathen 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)
Rolleiv Solholm

Article Link: http://www.norwaypost.no/content/view/22175/1/

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St. Hans: Eat Your Porridge and Light Your Fire

St. Hansaften is the ultimate summer feast in Norway.

On the evening of June 23, Norwegians light bonfires, pick flowers to put under their pillows, and celebrate summer and light.

11/17/2008 :: The St. Hans celebrations have roots across northern Europe, and were also brought to Canada with the first French colonialists...

The celebrations take on somewhat different forms in the different countries, but the origins are much the same. St. Hans is a Christian holiday to honor Saint John the Baptist (also called Saint Hans).

The day of celebration was set to June 24 to outdo the pagan celebrations of midsummer or summer solstice. However, it is the celebration of summer, sun, and light that has survived in countries such as Norway.

In Norway, celebrations take place the evening before June 24. Aften, as in St. Hansaften, means evening.

The tradition of lighting bonfires on this occasion came from the pagan belief in fire as the protector against evil spirits.

The sun, which in the Northern hemisphere is at its highest at midsummer, probably inspired this belief.

The night of St. Hans was supposedly a night of magic.

If, for instance, a young girl picked seven flowers and put them under her pillow, she would dream of her future husband...

When asked what she associates with St. Hansaften, Ingeborg Nygaard, the chef at the Norwegian Embassy, said: “bonfire, rømmegrøt (sour cream porridge), cured ham, barbeque, midsummer, sun, family, friends, children, and my childhood.

On St. Hansaften I get together with my family and friends and go to a field to make a bonfire. We bring sour cream porridge, cured ham, barbeque food like sausages, and just have a good time for as long as we can stay awake...

When I was little I was very superstitious.

I made sure to jump seven fences and pick seven different flowers, put them under my pillow, and try hard to dream about a boy I liked.”

“Why we eat sour cream porridge on this day? Well, it is a tradition. Eating sour cream porridge on special holidays is a strong tradition in Norway, and St. Hans is a special holiday...

Photo: courtesy of Tine (http://www.jarlsberg.com)/

Rømmegrøt (Sour Cream Porridge)Often served with cured meats and flatbrød (crisp bread)

This recipe serves 4

Ingredients

1 pint thick sour cream

12 tablespoons flour

1 pint milk

Salt

Preparation

1. Boil the sour cream, covered, for 2 minutes.

Add half of the flour and stir carefully to bring the butter to the surface.

Skim it off, reserve it and keep it warm.

2. Stir in the rest of the flour and add the milk.

Simmer the porridge for 5-6 minutes.

Season to taste with salt.

If one prefers a slightly tangy sour flavor, half of the milk added may be sour milk or kefir.

Sour cream porridge is eaten sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and with the reserved warm melted butter.

Some people also like to add raisins on top, as pictured above.

Red juice, such as raspberry or currant, is usually served with the porridge.

Caroline Schonheyder/ Royal Norwegian Embassy

Article Link: http://www.norway.org/culture/food/sourcreamporridge.htm