Juhannus 2017
This post is part of a series named “Europe 2017” where I share photos from my adventures in Europe during the summer 2017.
You may have noticed that I was a bit quiet during the last summer. I have a really good reason for it: I spent five months in Helsinki for work. On weekends, Holly and I got to explore, which led me to accumulate approximately 12000 photos. Sadly, I am quite behind on post processing them all, but I will get through them eventually.
This post is about how I spent 
Juhannus last year.
Juhannus is the name of the Finnish summer solstice holiday. It is a time to relax, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy oneself. Every year, a nearby island, Seurasaari, has an afternoon and evening with an assortment of traditional events and bonfires.
There is of course a gallery of my photos.
Every year, one couple is selected to have their wedding on Seurasaari during Juhannus. Here is 2017’s lucky couple:
Before about half a dozen bonfires are set ablaze, a number of “can fires” is lit:
The largest bonfire gets lit by the newlyweds—from a boat:
I’m not sure how exactly the big bonfire pile was constructed, but it didn’t take long for it to grow:
So, that was Juhannus on Seurasaari in 2017. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon and evening, and if I happen to be in Helsinki around Juhannus in the future, I’ll likely spend the day on Seurasaari.
I’m going to end this post with a bit of Finnish (from finland.fi) because languages can be fun:
– Kokoo koko kokko kokoon!
– Koko kokkoko?
– Koko kokko.
Meaning:
– Assemble the Midsummer bonfire!
– The whole Midsummer bonfire?
– Yes, the whole Midsummer bonfire.
(I’m told that kokoo is a dialect form of kokoa.)