A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Why we celebrate the year’s longest day: 10 slow-living ways to mark the solstice

The summer solstice offers the chance to connect deeply with nature and celebrate the cycle of life: it’s one of my favourite days of the year, as it reminds me of the reasons we set up OFF GRID HIDEAWAYS, combining mindful journeys with the uplifting pleasure that comes from engaging the senses at a slower pace. 

Some of the countries best-known for their midsummer festivals and feasts are those whose culture is already very much in tune with slow living, rural landscapes and the rhythm of light: Sweden and Finland, for example, where the season is spent on shorelines and in shady forests escaping the hustle-bustle of life in towns and cities.

There’s a deep-rooted connection with magic and mystery on midsummer night, from the pagan rituals of Stonehenge and harvest protection to medieval love spells and fairy enchantments. For the more scientifically minded, the solstice is a reminder that our planet’s North Pole is tilting towards the sun. Whatever your take on this ‘super-natural’ day, take time to mark the occasion in your own way.

Here’s some OFF GRID inspiration to help you enjoy a dreamy midsummer evening wherever you are…

10 WAYS TO WELCOME THE SUMMER

Glad Midsommar! 

1

Rise at dawn and unroll your yoga mat: of all the year’s days, this is the one for Sun Salutations!

2

Gather wildflowers to garland your table with blooms; don a flower crown and dress in light linen; settle down to dine alfresco with loved ones.

3

Dip in the sea or go wild swimming – make the most of every drop of daylight.

4

Prepare light, healthy dishes with seasonal ingredients. Try a typical Scandinavian midsummer meal of freshly caught fish, cooked over a fire with lemon and dill. Or pack a picnic of smoked fish, rye bread and fresh berries to eat in the park.

5

Read poetry aloud: the rhythm will slow your breathing and create calm. Why not revisit Shakespeare’s iconic midsummer fantasy?

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,

Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:

There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,

Lull’d in these flowers with dances and delight.

6

Go out barefoot under the stars; light a bonfire as the dark draws in and watch the sparks fly up to meet the moon, counting your blessings as each one disappears.

7

Write a list of dreams to fulfill between now and the next summer solstice: a destination to visit; an aspiration to reconnect with; a promise to yourself to live in the present.

8

Fall in love! With your life, with your environment, with your experience.

9

Light a circle of candles to commit your dreams to action, or to send light and love to absent friends.

10

Lay hand-picked herbs and blossoms beneath your pillow and see what sweet dreams are conjured…

Hyvää Juhannusta!

Wishing you all a wonderful summer solstice,

x Sina