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DANISH TRADITIONS

Denmark likely to ban Sankt Hans bonfires due to dry weather

Denmark’s customary midsummer Sankt Hans celebrations are likely to be partially curtailed this year with bans on bonfires likely due to the risk of wildfire.

Denmark likely to ban Sankt Hans bonfires due to dry weather
Sankt Hans celebrations in 2015. The bonfires could be cancelled this year due to wildfire risk. Photo: Sophia Juliane Lydolph/Ritzau Scanpix

Emergency services consider bonfires unlikely to be permitted on Sankt Hans, June 23rd, unless there is rainfall between now and then, broadcaster DR reports.

“Unfortunately we already have to state that, provided the weather leading up to Sankt Hans doesn’t offer up a certain amount of water, [bonfires] don’t look very likely,” the Danish Emergency Management Agency (Beredsskabstyrelsen, DEMA), said in a press statement.

That is because “the overall risk level with many small fires simultaneously across the country, in towns and all types of nature” would be too high in relation to wildfire risk, the agency said.

DEMA is scheduled to hold a national meeting on June 19th, where a final decision will be made on this year’s Sankt Hans bonfires.

READ ALSO: Why does Denmark celebrate Sankt Hans Aften?

“We are following the situation closely in all fire service districts and conditions will be taken into account day by day and hour by hour,” the statement read.

Weather forecasts currently do not suggest rain is likely to be forthcoming.

Last month was the driest May in Denmark for 15 years, and meteorologists are not predicting any rain in the coming days.

Much of the Nordics are in the midst of an unusually spring dry spell, raising concerns about forest fires, particularly in Sweden.

Sankt Hans Aften, when people sing in chorus before lighting a giant bonfire and eating and drinking late into the light summer night, is normally one of the highlights of the Danish calendar.

In addition to bonfires, Danes gather to sing in chorus on June 23rd, with Midsommervisen (“Midsummer’s Song”), also called Vi elsker vort land (“We Love our Country”) the traditional song for the occasion.

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DANISH TRADITIONS

Summer solstice: Today is Denmark’s lightest day this year

The summer solstice falls on Wednesday, meaning there will be more daylight hours in Denmark than on any other day this year.

Summer solstice: Today is Denmark’s lightest day this year

The summer solstice – the point on the calendar when one of the earth’s poles is most tilted towards the sun – occurs on Wednesday, meaning it will be light for almost three-quarters of the day in Denmark.

Some 17 hours and 32 minutes of daylight will bathe the country, with the exact solstice falling at 10:51pm.

This contrasts to the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year on December 21st, when the hours of daylight only total 7.

The summer or June solstice is the day which (in the northern hemisphere) has the most daylight hours and is therefore closely related to midsummer celebrations in northern Europe. 

Of course, passing the solstice means that the days are now getting shorter, so you could say that technically, the dark of winter is already beginning to close in.

Because of Denmark’s relatively northerly location, though, this will happen very slowly – almost imperceptibly so – to begin with.

In the first days after the solstice, there will only be a few seconds’ change in the length of the day. By June 30th, the day will be around a minute shorter than it is on June 20th.

While Denmark does not have a traditional midsummer celebration, the calendar milestone is closely linked to the Danish celebration of Sankt Hans Aften on June 23rd.

A celebration marking the shortest night of the year, Sankt Hans night is infused with customs that harken back to darker and more superstitious times in Denmark’s history. 

The traditional bonfires and singing in chorus on June 23rd are a community event valued by many across the country, with thousands of Sankt Hans bonfires taking place everywhere from small parks to nationally recognisable locations.

The celebration usually includes a speech by a prominent local figure, the lighting of the bonfire and an atmospheric rendition in chorus of the song Midsommervisen.

The chances of a glorious long red summer sunset or a grey, damp squib are probably about even. Although Sankt Hans Aften is traditionally seen as the peak of summer, Denmark’s climate often sees to it ending up a very wet affair.

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