Juhannus 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.

All offices including government and private excepting the emergency services will remain closed till Monday.

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.

Meanwhile, the weather forecast said that the midsummer holiday weekend will be wet and windy with the Midsummer break featuring a low pressure front moving in from the south-west, bringing rain and wind nationwide, reported national broadcaster Yle.

A strong low pressure likely to come from the south west and feared to bring wind and rain to the country on Midsummer Eve, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute's (FMI).

Met office, however, said on Thursday it's still too difficult to predict the direction and severity of the coming low pressure, said the Yle report.

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.