Ukon Juhla, the Finnish Midsummer Festival!
This weekend I went to a Finnish Midsummer Party! It was the Ukon Juhla (Midsummer Festival). Originally celebrated in honor of the God of the Sky and Thunder, Ukko, the name was later Christianized. So, because we couldn’t go into a pub and start a bonfire, we just gathered in one with the purpose of drinking and celebrating the light. The Midsummer Festival is a huge thing in Finland. Think about it: half of the year you live in darkness, so you’re going to party a lot once the sun knocks on your door!
The first thing that we encountered was Long Drinks! I had no idea whatsoever this existed. So, I decided to give it a go. Lonkero is delicious and dangerous. The taste is sweet (cranberry, the one I went for), or bitter (the original). It doesn’t look like so, but it goes up like hell! According to the Finns in the party, teens drink Lonkero, and many have their first hangover thank to it.
Lonkero reminded me of Chuhai, a Japanese drink that I used to drink a lot during summer. So, primarily during summer I would go next to the river, buy a cold beer or chuhai, and eat some fried chicken. I know: super healthy. But, I had that in my memory, and so it was nice to do something similar. There were some differences though: I just drank, and I was in a pub.
We also had some shots of Salmiakki and some beer. If you decide to go to a Finnish Party, prepare yourself to drink a lot. Don’t try to enter into any competition: you’ll fail. I’ve never seen people drink so much in my entire life!! So, forget getting funky because you’re bound to have a massive hangover.
I had tons of fun. So, if you happen to have the opportunity to attend a Finnish Party, please go! I had a great time talking with all the people in the party and discovering more about Finland. It’s a shame that the only word I know is “kipis,” which means cheers. But I guess that was enough for the mood of the day. Don’t you think?
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Note: no Finn has paid me to promote the Midsummer festivities nor the Lonkero. I only share things that I love! And now Lonkero is one of them. Ha! Featured image from here.
