Sankt Hans Aften på Langeland og Strynø
Join us for a bonfire on Langeland and Strynø 23 June
Sankt Hans Sunday 23 June 2024.
- Lohals Havn 18:00 (bål 21:00) + Restaurant Kaos 18:00
- Restaurant Generalen 18:00
- Restaurant Skudehavnen Rudkøbing 17:00
- Broløkke Herregård 18:00 (bål 21:30)
- Spodsbjerg Borgerforening (bål 21:30)
- Tullebølle Fritidspark 17:00 (bål 19:30)
- Naturdestination Skovsgaard 14:00 (19-21 båltalk)
- Ristinge Havn 18:00 (bål 21:00)
- Bagenkop Havn
- Humble, pladsen ved Lærkevej 18:00 (bål 21:00)
- Dageløkke Havn 19:00 (bål 21:00)
- Longelse Præstegårdshave AFLYST
The list is updated regularly.
If your event is not on the list, you can register it here.
Why do we celebrate Sankt Hans?
Midsummer's Eve, 23 June, is the evening before Midsummer's Day, which is the birthday of John the Baptist.
Although the summer solstice falls on 21 June, Midsummer's Eve in Denmark has been considered midsummer's Eve and therefore the shortest night of the year.
According to folklore, Midsummer's Eve was charged with a special power. It was believed that medicinal herbs gathered on Midsummer's Eve were more powerful, just as the dew on the grass itself had a healing effect.
So did the water in the holy springs, which is why the sick flocked to them on this evening and night. The so-called spring markets with tents, stalls and fun and games developed in connection with this. The most famous is the Dyrehavsbakken amusement centre north of Copenhagen, which emerged in the 1700s. It provided material for Adam Oehlenschläger's Sanct Hansaften-Spil (1803).
But evil forces were also at work on such a powerful night; for example, witches flew past on their broomsticks on their way to Bloksbjerg or Hekkenfeldt.
To keep evil at bay, bonfires were lit, preferably in high places, or flames were lit in tar barrels or straw bundles on sticks.
Putting a witch figure on the bonfire is a tradition that only became common in the 1900s, when it also became common to give a bonfire speech and sing Holger Drachmann's midsummer song from the fairytale comedy Once Upon a Time (1885).