Mille & Soeren - Picture Gallery - Sankt Hans evening 2011

LO / AOF 's selection of cultural activities in Silkeborg, again this year invite to
the local area's largest Midsummer event on Thursday 23 June
in "Lunden" Vestergade, Silkeborg.

This year's event starts at. 19:00 with various children's activities around the lawn.

Besides the many children's activities will also be entertainment from the stage.

Midsummer bonfire lit at. 21:00, Bonfire-speech by
leader of "Artcenter Silkeborg Bad", Iben From.

As in previous years have also drawn up a bouncy castle on the lawn,
and there will be able to buy beer, water, wine and ice like
world's fastest hot dog men, of course, is in place.

Our evening began with eating grilled food with our oldest granddaughter,
her husband and their daughter.
(Our great-granddaughter - Alberte - 3 year).

In Denmark, the solstitial celebration is called Sankt Hans aften ("St. John's Eve").
It was an official holiday until 1770, and in accordance with the Danish tradition of celebrating
a holiday on the evening before the actual day, it takes place on the evening of 23 June.

It is the day where the medieval wise men and women (the doctors of that time)
would gather special herbs that they needed for the rest of the year to cure people.

It has been celebrated since the times of the Vikings by visiting healing water wells and
making a large bonfire to ward away evil spirits. Today the water well tradition is gone.

Bonfires on the beach, speeches, picnics and songs are traditional, although bonfires are built in
many other places where beaches may not be close by (i.e. on the shores of lakes and other waterways, parks, etc.)

In the 1920s a tradition of putting a witch made of straw and cloth (probably made by the elder women of the family)
on the bonfire emerged as a remembrance of the church's witch burnings from 1540 to 1693.

This burning sends the "witch" away to Bloksbjerg, the mountain 'Brocken' in the Harz region of Germany
where the great witch gathering was thought to be held on this day.

Holger Drachmann and P. E. Lange-Müller wrote a midsommervise (Midsummer hymn) in 1885
called "Vi elsker vort land..." ("We Love Our Country") that is sung at every bonfire on this evening
(From Wikipedia)

Midsommervisen ”Vi elsker vort land”

Tekst: Holger Drachmann, 1885 (fra eventyrspillet ”Der var en Gang”) | Melodi: P. E. Lange-Müller, 1885

1 Vi elsker vort land, når den signede jul
tænder stjernen i træet med glans i hvert øje,
når om våren hver fugl
over mark under strand
lader stemmen til hilsende triller sig bøje
vi synger din lov over vej, over gade,
vi kranser dit navn, når vor høst er i lade,
:/: men den skønneste krans, bli'r dog din, sankte Hans,
den er bunden af sommerens hjerter så varme, så glade :/:

2 Vi elsker vort land,
men ved midsommer mest,
når hver sky over marken velsignelsen sender,
når af blomster er flest,
og når kvæget i spand giver rigeligst gave til flittige hænder;
når ikke vi pløjer og harver og tromler,
når koen sin middag i kløveren gumler
:/: da går ungdom til dans, på dit bud sankte Hans!
ret som føllet og lammet, der frit over engen sig tumler. :/:

3 Vi elsker vort land,
og med sværdet i hånd
skal hver udenvælts fjende beredte os kende,
men mod ufredens ånd
over mark, under strand
vil vi bålet på fædrenes gravhøje tænde
hver by har sin heks, og hvert sogn sine trolde,
dem vil vi fra livet med glædesblus holde,
:/: - vi vil fred her til lands, sankte Hans, sankte Hans!
den kan vindes, hvor hjerterne aldrig bli'r tvivlende kolde. :/:

4 Vi elsker vort land,
og vi hilser den drot,
som har prøvet og valgt sig den rette fyrstinde:
på hans eventyrslot
kan hver kvinde, hver mand
et eksempel for livet i kærlighed finde!
Lad tiderne ældes, lad farverne blegne,
et minde vi vil dog i hjertet os tegne:
:/: - fra sagnrige nord, går en glans over jord -
Det er genskær af vidunderlandets fortryllende enge! :/: