Bonus

That means traditional celebrations like bonfires on the beach (although they are built in many other places where beaches may not be close) complete with speeches, picnics and songs.

In Denmark, the bonfires are lit in order to repel witches and other evil spirits, with the burnings sending the "witch" away to Bloksbjerg, the Brocken mountain in the Harz region of Germany where the great witch gathering was thought to be held on this day.

It's also a great time for family reunions!

In Western Norway, a custom of arranging mock weddings, both between adults and between children, is still kept alive. The wedding was meant to symbolize the blossoming of new life.

Raising and dancing around a maypole (majstång or midsommarstång) is an activity that attracts families and many others across Sweden. Greenery placed over houses and barns was supposed to bring good fortune and health to people and livestock. This old tradition of decorating with greens continues, though most people no longer take it seriously.

Like in Norway and Finland, in Sweden it is believed that if a girl picks 7 different flowers in the silence of a midsummer night and puts them underneath her pillow, she will dream of her future husband.

Another tradition on a Swedish Midsommer is to end it with a skinny dip at night. It's not mandatory to be naked, but many will be completely naked accompanied with an old or new partner after a couple of the famous schnapps.