School vacation, Midsummer and Bonfire

This week ends off in style for many around Denmark. First, it is last school day and second, it′s midsummer and bonfire practice.

Firstly, the 23. of June is last day of school for the year, and feeling so energized and proud on this morning (ps: I enjoyed a fat-based and plant-enriched meal the evening before and that kept me going until after noon, where I normally break my fast), I joined my kids in school, together with like-minded parents. 

In Denmark, it is a norm for families to create a considerable balance between family life and work life. As a full-time career woman with multiple cultural backgrounds to consider at the home- and work-front (while embracing parenthood with daily working progress and still struggling to appease myself in my “new” country- Denmark, regardless of the fact that I have spent 17+ years in Denmark), I was full with joy and content to hang out with kids and parents over warm cups of coffee and tea, with an array of different delights that each parent brought along. The kids were stuffed! After an hour or so, it was time for parents to get to work; you just kind of know, after all, you are in a reasonable environment where circumstances allow you to manage life and work favorably.

Secondly, it turns out that this year, the 23. of June, is also midsummer eve, the day before the longest day of the year. It is a popular day in Denmark, where most workers get a free day or half day off work to engage in community services connected with midsummer arrangements. And employers are usually fine with that. In some nordic countries like Finland, midsummer has been taken one step further; midsummer eve is a public holiday.

In Denmark, midsummer is not just popular for bonfires. It is diligently and discreetly used as a community magnet and a political arena. At every single district in the country, small communities gather over evening meals, songs, gestures and speeches, to socialize and mobilize political goals. Midsummer is also an ancient ecclesiastical tradition in memory of John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, who was born half a year before Jesus.  

The most exciting tradition of midsummer eve, for adults and children alike, is the burning of bonfires, which crowns off the evening. A doll-like figure of a witch is made and burnt in a big pile of woods. This practice originates from a belief to dispel evil spirits and bad fortunes, or to enhance warmth and fertility of animals, crops and people.

The practice of bonfires is actually a replacement of true execution of people that were considered witches and wizards, the case being more common for women/witches. We would heartily wish that such replacements were actual in many cultural communities around the globe, where bonfires are a reality and innocent humans are burnt alive, with the popular belief that they are actually witches or wizards. 

Around Denmark, legend has it that the spirit of the burnt witch escapes to Brocken, a mountain in Germany where it finds sanctuary with the Devil.

Lastly, is work-life balance reasonable in your community, and do you practice bonfire or midsummer in your community, culture or country? Share with us how it′s like