In our homeland of Finland, around the time of Summer Solstice, Finns swarm to the countryside with friends and family to start the annual Midsummer celebration. Bonfires (traditionally lit to ward off evil spirits and promise healthy crops) and sauna are two of the most typical traditions in Finnish Midsummer celebrations, but now barbecuing, fishing, boating and partying have become standard Midsummer pastimes.
At the end of June, particularly in the northern part of Finland, the sun stays visible in the sky throughout the entire night. The Midnight Sun is a key element in the festivities in the northern parts of Finland, but the sky stays light throughout the whole country at this time of year.
In times gone by, Midsummer meant the casting of spells with hopes of fertility, love and finding a spouse. In Finnish folklore, there is a tale that a young woman collected seven flowers under her pillow on Midsummer night, resulting in her future fiancé showing up in her dreams. Today, women pick flowers and craft their own flower crown and proudly exhibit it throughout the day, perhaps before a swim in the lake under the light night sky.
Now, it’s your turn to make your very own flower crown to wear on the longest day of the year. Grab a coffee and get creative!
YOU'LL NEED:
- Floral wire
- Floral tape (green is best)
- Wire cutters
- Greenery / foliage
- Flowers of your choice
HOW TO MAKE A MIDSUMMER FLOWER CROWN
- Take a piece of floral wire and mould it into a circle. Put it on top of your head to test for size. You’ll want it to be quite loose fitting. With some green floral tape, tape the circle firmly shut and wrap some around the entire wire circle to form a cover.
- Now it’s time for the fun bit – choosing your foliage. A layer of green foliage is a good base to start with – don’t go too heavy at this stage – there’s lots more fun stuff to add. Once you've gathered what you’d like, tape it to the crown with the green floral tape.
- Now for the colour – the flowers! You can pick some flowers from the summer hedgerow, or you can steal some from a bouquet. It’s good to make sure the flower stems are at least 3 inches long as you’ll need to tape the stems to the crown. Wrap as much as you like to make them secure.
- Wear with pride!
