Finnish Pagan Midsummer - history & traditions

#finnishmythology #juhannus #midsummer
The Finnish Midsummer (juhannus) with its crazy pagan roots is one of the most important celebrations of the year. Originally a festival of Ukko, the Finnish sky/thunder god, it gathers the Finns to celebrate the brightest days and nightless night. What's the origin and meaning of it, and what pagan rituals and customs are still practiced today? Let's find out.
00:00 Midsummer's origins
02:31 Ukko's pagan celebration in the 1500s
04:33 Midsummer, romance and fertility
07:40 Magic, rituals and spells
11:25 The darker side of Midsummer
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[@Anttimation]

Here's the Taivaannaula video I mentioned: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJCuhKqei7Z3pJI Great channel and website in general for Finnish folklore and tradition! This was a lighter episode this time and relatively quickly put together. That's why the music is too loud. Well, these things happen sometimes. Happy Midsummer.

[@angelsmagick]

Hyvää Juhannusta !

[@Anttimation]

Hyvää juhannusta my friend!

[@R2-D292]

Samoin !

[@valerijsduboviks]

Priecīgus Jāņus !!!Greeting's from Latvia.

[@Brunavargen]

Hyvää Juhannusta ja glad midsommar from Sweden! Brilliant video as alwas 😃

[@Anttimation]

Glad midsommar! I wonder if you sacrificed any foreign tourists this year?

[@Brunavargen]

@@Anttimation Sadly no... I will have to lure a whole bussload of germans here next year to repent before our goddess of the sun!

[@kissalanpojat]

Hyvää Ukon juhlaa! Mahtava video niinkuin aina!

[@Anttimation]

Kiitos ja sitä samaa!

[@Deseko]

Feed the Algorithm

[@Anttimation]

Can't let it starve, can we

[@rogersittnikow]

​@@Anttimation no we cannot!

[@tedr.5978]

I for one appreciate "bad" taste joke endings.

[@Anttimation]

Noted... 😉

[@sijaltainen]

Kiintoisa video! Mukavaa juhannusta ja kesää! 🌞

[@Anttimation]

Kiitos ja sitä samaa!

[@Peter-ri9ie]

Klockrent. Kollar denna på midsommardagen. Riktigt bra. Och musiken passar som handen i handsken. Ser fram emot fler filmer! 👊🏻

[@Anttimation]

Tack och glad midsommar! Hoppas att ni sakrificerar många turister i år 🎉

[@Peter-ri9ie]

@@Anttimation he he he *tittar över åkern mot skogsbrynet där asken i solnedgången står, den månghundraåriga, som sett vattnet sakta försvinna och människor komma och gå, den välvattnade.*

[@Ardabor-GyB]

Thnks for the video, I really enjoyed 🧙‍♂

[@Anttimation]

Thank you. That's great to hear!

[@jake-rg3fd]

The great famine joke was hilarious 😂

[@berrymcockiner3906]

Saint Johns is celebrated in Upper Michigan

[@Anttimation]

Interesting! How is it celebrated? Anything similar to Finnish/Nordic midsummer?

[@berrymcockiner3906]

@@Anttimation big bonfires on the beach with food, lots of people from all over USA/Finland and Sweden come to congregate for two weeks

[@MessiahsandMythology]

At last! Antti reveals his true form. I knew there was a reason the trolls were so well-endowed in his comic.

[@Anttimation]

😆

[@WillBosch-Vuononen]

I laughed so hard with the Juhannus sacrifices for Ahti 😂😂😂

[@Loveolin]

Jeeee mahtava video jälleen ja hyvää juhannusta🥳

[@Anttimation]

Kiitos ja sitä samaa!

[@BorgonOfTheSnows]

Happy Juhannus from Upper Michigan! we have bonfires here as well as midsummer poles from the swedes.

[@Anttimation]

Nice! Keep the (bonfire) flames alive!

[@BlackArtBMX]

Mahtavia videoita, hienoo animaatiota (etenkin Suomen historia -sarjassa) ja mielettömät musiikit. Puskista tuleva kuiva huumorikin toimii. Kiitos.

[@Anttimation]

Kiitos paljon! Musiikki on Karneh-nimisen artistin biisejä. Kannattaa tutustua suoratoistosta, someista ym.!

[@BlackArtBMX]

@@Anttimation Laitoin Spotifyssä seurantaan ja linkkasin Wardruna -fani kaverille

[@zoolkhan]

HYVÄÄ UKON JUHLA! ja kiitos antti

[@Anttimation]

Kiitos samoin!

[@HS-su3cf]

To prepare for midsummer, one can use this Forest-finn runo from Grue, Norway. Written down by C. A. Gottlund in 1821. Kyrpeä karastaminen Nouse noukka, kasva kulli, Lämpoisille lähtehillen, Karvaisille kaukaloillen Iltayöstä istumahan, Puoliyöstä valvomahan, Nosta piäsi, muista työsi, Niin kuin äskön äimistelit! 😉

[@Anttimation]

That's some proper magic right there! 😆

[@metaldiver]

Hyvää juhannusta! Hieno video jälleen

[@Anttimation]

Kiitos jälleen kerran ja hyvää juhannusta sinnekin!

[@anderpanders6210]

Teet tosi hyviä videoita! Kyllä saa kaimasta olla ylpeä. Tiedätkin varmaan, mutta etunimesi tulee tuolta etelästä Andres, Antros nimestä, ja tarkoittaa miestä. Antti Palosaari - Man Burn-Island

[@Anttimation]

Kiitos paljon! Joo. Tavallaan harmi, ettei ole muinaissuomalainen nimi, mutta ihan mielenkiintoinen historia tälläkin.

[@elenaylitalo1624]

Here’s a couple of midsummer traditions I used to do, when I tired to find out who my future husband is: 1. Collect 7 different flowers and place them under your pillow on midsummer eve and then you will see your future spouse in your dreams when you sleep on them. 2. Dance around a well 7 times and look at the reflection on the water and you will see your future partner. I recently found out Swedes and Danes have similar traditions, so I’m not sure where these “spells” originate from.

[@vickis.9363]

Great presentation, kiitos! Do you ever look at the Bock Saga? Any opinions?

[@Anttimation]

Thanks! I get asked that every now and then but I don't find it worth it other than as a peculiar work of fiction maybe

[@karnehfolk]

Hyvää Ukon juhlaa!

[@Anttimation]

Kiitos ja sitä samaa!

[@karnehfolk]

@@Anttimation

[@Robert-gc9gc]

I don't live somewhere that you can do bonfires, although that would be fun. I have an Ukonvasara that I recently put in my car to hang in the window for Midsommar. All I can do. I think ancient Finns would have had a level of fun in their rituals despite the hard times. Just my opinion ❤

[@Anttimation]

That should keep any trolls away from the car! I think so too re: ancient Finns. I could easily see how our trollish, morbid humour would have developed over centuries. Hyvää juhannusta!

[@overconfidentcat]

hyvää Ukon Juhla

[@Anttimation]

Likewise!

[@SuperEohippus]

Latviasta tunnetaan keksikesän juhlintaan liittyen tapa, jonka mukaan juhannusyönä "jokainen nainen on neito" eli naimaton. Toisin sanoen jokainen nainen on vapaa avioliiton rajoitteista, ja juhannusyönä oli lupa mennä ja rakastella kenen kanssa mieli teki. Tällä on kenties haluttu turvata myös hedelmättömien aviomiesten vaimojen mahdollisuus lapsensaantiin.

[@Anttimation]

Mielenkiintoista! Sopii hyvin käsitykseeni suomalaisenkin juhannuksen eroottisesta luonteesta. Kiitos valistamisesta.

[@kaamoshaamu]

You're speaking the word. But I hate that troll figure. :D Kept on listening mode.

[@PipiErareika]

Spending the midsummer alone :(

[@Anttimation]

That's the best company if you ask me

[@N_0968]

Hyvää juhannusta! Nyt kelpaisi Karhu tai mikä tahansa oikea olut.

[@Anttimation]

Kiitos samoin! Sahti vois olla sopiva juoma 🤔

[@deathfalcon602]

I think its the same with anything, some thought the rituals had power and most went along mindless. In this capitalistic world every weekend has sort of become Juhannus...before the dreaded workweek. Id be interested to know were there any athiest minded "trolls" back then who thought the rituals were stupid, i am guessing a member of a town maybe had to take part in them to some extent...they were very tight communities who relied on eachother to survive. Love the videos!

[@Anttimation]

Yeah I've wondered that too sometimes. Maybe with the tight-knittedness of the communities, someone doubting the beliefs or rather knowledge of the time might have also often been smart enough not to bring it up...

[@WMfin]

I was worshiping Satan at metal festivals but hail Ukko as well! I didn't do any spell-casting other than heavy drinking but I did see my potential partner as I went there with her!

[@Anttimation]

Good! Would have been alarming if you didn't see her 😆

[@jortekariko]

megapussi after megapussi... repesin. mut anyway! hyvää juhannusta!

[@N_0968]

Samoin.

[@Anttimation]

Hyvää juhannusta megapusseilla tai ilman!

[@alananimus9145]

Thor isn't a sky god. I've come to believe he is Hercules. The sky god was first Tyr then Odin.

[@Anttimation]

Ah yeah. From what little I have read the Eddas, he did seem very focused on fighting Jörmungandr, if I remember correctly at all

[@herrakaarme]

Ukko won't let go of his party that easily, even if it needs to happen under someone else's name. That being said, John the Baptist might wonder why he is celebrated by drinking booze and burning bonfires.

[@thatwhitewolf5222]

Drinking alcohole isint a sin, drunkness is a sin. And bonfires and fire, gose far back as the old testament. if Fire was just pagan alone, the whos paganism is the true Bonfire?

[@herrakaarme]

@@thatwhitewolf5222 Considering bonfires, the elements seem to clash. If John the Baptist is known for the ritual of baptism, which is performed with water, then bonfires, which are all about fire, the element opposite to water, doesn't seem fitting. Juhannus has traditionally had quite a lot of drinking in excess.

[@MangoTV9040]

Suomi prkl

[@Anttimation]

[@deathfalcon602]

I love the butthurtness towards christianity in these videos 😂 as if Christianity wrecked all the fun everyone was having. I truly relish the videos though! Love them.

[@Anttimation]

Thanks! It did destroy a lot of our old traditions which I would very much have liked to have survived. But the remarks are not without some degree of jest ;)

[@deathfalcon602]

I get it, it would be super interesting! I love the stories of Finns trolling the Christian priests coming from Sweden😂. Would love to hear more of them. I noticed in Lohja last week there was a waterway called "ämmänperse" 😅...love it.

[@Anttimation]

Would be fun to share when/if I come across more of those 😁

[@JarkkoToivonen]

Horrible Finnish language accent.😢

[@Anttimation]

You mean *awesome*

[@Silveirias]

Ei suomalaisessa aksentissa oo mitään vikaa tai hävettävää.