Why do Danes light bonfires with dolls of witches burning inside them every summer? Danes have celebrated Midsummer since Odin and Thor's heydays. Around the 21st of June is summer solstice with the longest day of the year, and Danes always celebrate Midsummer Night, after which the days get shorter until we reach solstice in December.
In ancient times it was believed that nature was filled with a force, which it had absorbed from the sun on the longest days of the year. Midsummer is thus a celebration of joy. Women would collect many of the herbs they would need during the year to cure illnesses. One wonderful thing about Midsummer Night was the miraculous water in certain lakes that were considered holy. It was believed that on Midsummer Night it was transformed into medicine. Some drank from the water and others bathed in it.
This tradition of drinking and bathing in holy water has practically disappeared - in contrast to the tradition of bonfires. People said that they burned the Sankt Hans flames or flames of joy. These bonfires were usually placed in a high spot so that the fire could be seen from far away. The light from the fires, often simply made out of bundles of straw put on stakes, helped to keep all evil away from Midsummer Night. Meanwhile, local minstrels would play and people sang and danced, and the children got to stay up late. 
Although it is said today that the Sankt Hans witch doll that is burned on the bonfire is “to remember the time when witches were persecuted in Denmark,” it can also be seen as a continuation of the belief that witches and evil powers are particularly dangerous during the eve Sankt Hans. This superstition had terrible consequences for many women (and men) all over Europe. In Denmark the first witches were burned on the stake in 1540, and the last official witch stake took place in 1693. However, as late as 1897 a so-called "witch" was lynched in Vensyssel, North Jutland. In Denmark alone several thousand people lost their lives in the flames. There are examples that even up until the Second World War people with the reputation of being "witches" were pursued in Denmark.
Anyone want to join Lars, Joa & me at the Revels tomorrow (Friday), 7:00 p.m., Children's Museum? From the Revels: Happy Summer Solstice from Revels Artistic Director, Patrick Swanson: The sun is the source of all human life. As it rises in the morning we begin our day, and as it sets at dusk, we return to hearth and home for rest. The cycle of human life centers around the sun, it creates all time and all life.At 2:06pm EDT today (the 21st June 2007), towards the end of the longest day of the year, the sun will be at its zenith, at the peak of its power, and for the following two days Revels will celebrate this most ancient of holidays, the Summer Solstice. Over the years folk rituals developed – large bonfires, animals being driven through the flames, communal dancing and singing – all having the similar intention of driving away evil forces and encouraging the well-being of the sun in its course through the heavens. Linking ancient seasonal celebration to the present has become our passion at Revels, and our programs often include time-weathered songs, dances and drama that resonate with modern audiences. This year, for our annual Summer Revels, we introduce you to the Revels touring ensemble Circle of Song performing their program, A Celebration of the Sea, which evokes the Boston whalers and their families, and tells, in song and dance, their story and that of the great maritime heritage that so informs New England.
Join us tomorrow (Friday) at 7pm or Saturday at 4pm at the Boston Children's Museum as we celebrate the Solstice and the true arrival of summer at this year's free open-air Summer Revels performances along Boston's waterfront. Click here for details.
