Saint Hans



I am envious. What you see above are our dear friends, Anne Marie and Marian at their local beach, Bellevue on the evening of Saint Hans. Also known as Midsummer or Summer Solstice, it is absolutely one of my all-time favorite days in Denmark--if not the favorite. The longest day of the year, the sun barely goes down at this time, which is probably why it is so widely celebrated in Northern Europe. On this evening, the coast is packed and lined with people who light bonfires, sing folk-songs, grill hotdogs and snobroed (bread dough wrapped around a stick and baked in a campfire), and generally watch the sun not go down. It is so EXTREMELY hyggeligt that I am envious that we were unable to partake in this year's festivities.

(Scandinavians just have completely different ideas about fire safety. One year I had the pleasure of celebrating St. Hans while Norway for a good friends wedding. Her family has a farm on a little island called 'Haus' just outside Bergen. Holy cow, I have never seen a bonfire that huge. I'm not kidding--it was gunormous. Like a small feel for the heat of hell--only set in the verdant hills of Norway, with rosy-cheeked Scandinavians, hotdogs, dancing and other merriment. Anyway, as many of you know, they also decorate their Christmas trees with real live candles. You gotta give it to them--they don't let fear dictate over tradition!)