Midsummer celebrations begin Friday evening

People from all walks of life are poised to celebrate the Juhannus (Midsummer), one of the largest traditional festivals set to begin on Friday evening.

People will throng the banks of lakes, rivers and sea along with their family, relations and friends and light bonfires to add colours to the festival.

There will be exotic foods and drinks, besides music, dance, songs and making fun, on the occasion of the biggest summer celebration.

Meanwhile, the Midsummer eve will be celebrated in chilly weather according to the Met Office forecast. Constant rainfall is also likely in many area of the country.

Temperature levels will remain between 6 and 13 degrees Celsius on Friday, and 9 and15 degrees Celsius on Saturday, according to the Met office forecast.

The midsummer traffics progressed smoothly on Thursday evening. The traffic began to pick up in the afternoon from 2 pm and levelled off by the time it reached 7 pm.

The traffic has calmed but in some places there is still some minor congestion, sources at the Finnish Transport Agency said.

The tradition of lighting midsummer bonfires is still strong across the major cities of the country. No midsummer holiday is complete without them.

For 60 years, many residents of Helsinki flock to Seurasaari, an island in the greater region of Helsinki to watch midsummer bonfires.

Nowadays, Finnish Silverline offers boat trips from the Laukontori harbour. The cruise rate includes midsummer bonfire, dance and a coupe for sauna.

The boat trip from the harbour to the island is less than 20 minutes.

The current unstable and chilly weather will help reduce the risk of forest fires.

It is believed that the biblical John the Baptist was born on the Midsummer Day.