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Midsummer Traditions Across the World
Midsummer is a movable feast among many cultures across the world; different countries celebrate it in different ways, and even on different days.
Hamiltons Removals are experts in organising removals to Europe and many worldwide destinations, including the USA and Australia. Here we look at Midsummer traditions in various European countries and overseas, so, if you are thinking of moving there, some of the more unusual customs and practices won’t come as a surprise.
What is Midsummer?
Midsummer is generally acknowledged as the official start of the summer season. However, weather forecasters and astronomers disagree on when exactly this is; meteorologists say it is June 1st, whereas stargazers say it is June 22nd, to mark the summer solstice, which is both the longest day of the year and the shortest night. Others say Midsummer is the feast day of St John the Baptist, an early Christian martyr, which the Church says is on June 24th.
Midsummer is reflected in different celebrations across the world, while some, particularly in the southern hemisphere, such as Australia, do not mark it because for them, the longest day falls on December 22nd, which is so close to Christmas.
Sweden
Here it is known as Midsommarstang and is typically celebrated on the Friday which falls between June 19th and 26th. Swedes use it as a reason to eat, drink and be merry, often starting with a family picnic in a local park.
Dancing round the maypole is a centrepiece of the traditional festivities in Sweden and everyone joins in. Other classic games are also played by children. Later in the evening, a proper meal is served with a typical Swedish dish, including marinated salmon with dill and potatoes, or Skagen, a toast with prawns or shrimps. This meal will usually be followed by drinking a schnapps or two.
Younger children may collect seven flowers and leave them under their pillow; legend has it they then dream about the love of their life.
Austria
In Austria, Midsummer is celebrated in a variety of ways. A procession of traditional ships makes its way down the River Danube north of Vienna and fireworks are let off on the riverbanks.
Another fiery way of marking Midsummer is by lighting bonfires, particularly in the Tirol mountains. This is believed to be a medieval tradition and that the fires are a way of worshipping the earth. The actual day Midsummer is celebrated in Austria may vary so that it coincides with the weekend.
Portugal
There are many different festivities in Portugal, as the different cities mark them with different celebrations of a popular saints. For example, in Lisbon and Vila Real, they honour St Anthony’s Day on June 13th; on June 24th they mark St John’s Day in Porto, Braga, Almada and other cities; and on June 29th St Peter’s Day is commemorated in Seixal, Sintra and Barcelos.
Generally, these festivities are an excuse for fun and merriment. For example, on St John’s Day, people sometimes hit their neighbour over the head with a plastic hammer because the saint was reputed to have had a bad reputation in his youth.
In Lisbon on June 13th, there is a parade of folklore and costumes, while if you fancy someone, you can offer them a flower pot containing a sweet basil plant, as Anthony is thought to be a matchmaker saint.
USA
Midsummer in America varies from state to state, partly because of the immigrant population, which brought their own cultures with them. Generally, Midsummer takes the form of a summer solstice celebration on June 22nd.
In New York City, thousands of yoga enthusiasts gather in Times Square to mark the summer solstice by practising their hobby; equally, Battery Park in the Big Apple is turned Swedish for the day. Other places with a Swedish Midsummer celebration include Illinois, Chicago and Minneapolis.
Americans can and do celebrate in their own way, too; in Fairbanks, Alaska, they have been playing a Midnight Sun baseball game for more than a century! The first pitch is thrown at 10.30pm and the game continues into the following morning.
How Hamiltons Removals Can Help You
Hamiltons Removals offers competitively-priced professional removals to all parts of Europe, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
We provide you with either your own container for shipping or will provide a groupage service for customers who do not have enough items to fill a whole container. We can pack, load and export your items to the appropriate port and then forward it to your chosen destination. As well as European removals, Hamiltons can ship items to every corner of the globe, including USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
If you are planning a move abroad and need a removals service to Europe or further, speak to Hamiltons today on 01379 855203 or use our contact page.
The Changing Tastes in Property Names
If you are thinking about removals to Norfolk, then you may well have the choice of a new home with an unusual moniker. The county has one of the highest numbers of ‘named’ houses in the whole of the UK, so you could find yourself moving to a Rose Cottage, an Orchard House – or even a Hogwarts or a Tardis!
Hamiltons Removals, who have more than 20 years’ experience in helping people move to and from the county, always keep up to date with the latest trends in the property market. Here we look at the official procedures you must go through for naming or renaming your home, and how classic literature and modern TV programmes are providing the inspiration for many homeowners today.
The Vital Statistics
312,000 properties across the UK have individual names, and not just a number on a street. Norfolk has the greatest concentration of these named homes in the UK. Norwich is currently in the lead for the title city with the most named properties, closely followed by London, Bristol, York, Southampton and Leeds.
As far as the actual names go, the most popular are Orchard (11,900), Meadow (11,473) and Rose Cottage (11,308).
The Current Crazes
An increasing number of homeowners have named their properties after fictional places featured in TV series, films and books. Ross Poldark’s ‘Nampara’ cottage can be found on 116 addresses in the UK, Doctor Who has influenced several ‘Tardis’ houses, while the popularity of Harry Potter has led to a number of Hogwarts houses springing up around the country.
Medieval fantasy TV series Game of Thrones is also particularly popular with homeowners, with more than 800 properties across the UK named ‘Stark,’ ‘Tyrell’ and ‘Frey’ after characters from the books and TV series.
The popularity of the TV series Downton Abbey has led to the creation of several properties named Highclere, while there are a few Thornfields in the UK, named after the home in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre.
Adding Value
While it was once deemed bad luck, changing the name of a house to something that has significant meaning to you or your family can give your home more an individual feel.
Studies have also suggested that it can actually add value to your home, particularly if it attracts interest from fans of the film, TV series or book the property is named after.
The English love their gardens, so houses named after mulberry and chestnut trees do better than the national average selling price by almost a fifth (20%). Similarly, homes with flowers such as foxglove and wisteria in the title could also prove profitable should you ever want to sell it – these are up by more than 5% compared to the average house price.
How Do You Change It?
You may be moving to a home with an unusual name you don’t like, or you want to give your home a touch more individuality than just a street name or number. So, what do you do?
It is important to remember that you are legally obliged to keep the same house number, in case of emergencies. If you want to add a house name, then contact your local council with your suggestion and they will check that the name isn’t already being used locally as duplications aren’t allowed.
Your local council will then contact Royal Mail for their approval. If they give it the all-clear, you will then have to make sure you sort out all the necessary paperwork with the Land Registry, utility providers and the electoral roll. However, there may be some small costs involved with these processes.
Hamiltons Removals is a leading supplier of commercial and domestic removals to Norfolk. We are based close to the Norfolk/Suffolk border, and offer domestic and commercial removals, as well as specialist moving services, including pets, equine services and vehicles, tractors and machinery.
We also have Safe N Stored self-storage at Harleston and Aldeby, so you have somewhere secure to put your items if you are between moves, or just need somewhere to store your possessions while they are not being used, such as seasonal items like boats, summer clothing or garden furniture.
If you are moving into, out of or within Norfolk, speak to one of our friendly team today on 01379 855203 to arrange professional, stress-free move. Click here for a free, no-obligation removals quote.