Hot Mindsummer Festival in Finland火熱的芬蘭仲夏節

江蘇省連云港市贛榆區教育局教研室 顧光才 供稿

The Midsummer Festival is the greatest summer holiday in Finland. The Finns celebrate it from the heart， let themselves relax and welcome the summer. Cities have official celebrations， but most Finns gather with families and friends at their summer cottages1 for a sauna2， banquet3 and the midnight bonfire4.

仲夏節是芬蘭最大的暑期節日。這一天，芬蘭人熱烈慶祝，放松身心，歡迎夏日的到來。雖然城市里都有官方的慶祝方式，但是大多數的芬蘭人會在消夏小屋舍里同家人和朋友們一起慶祝：蒸桑拿，舉行宴會，午夜點燃篝火。

Midsummer Bonfire 仲夏篝火

Burning bonfires to celebrate a great feast is an old tradition. It has been practiced in many countries. Formerly large bonfires were built on hills and lakeshores in every village of eastern Finland. Everyone in the village gathered to watch the bonfire burn and dance， sing and play games together.

點燃篝火來慶祝重大節日是一個悠久的傳統。很多國家都有這樣的習俗。以前，在芬蘭東部每個村莊的山岡和湖岸都會燃起大堆的篝火。村莊里面的每個人都會來觀看篝火，并聚在一起唱歌、跳舞、做游戲。

Midsummer Pole 仲夏柱

Like the maypoles raised in the continental Europe and Britain， the pole is decorated with green leaves and flowers before raising. During the evening， traditional folk music is played with people dancing and playing around the pole. Some people may wear national costumes to highlight5 the celebration. In some parts of western Finland， it was a tradition to raise a tall and narrow spruce6 tree instead of a decorated midsummer pole.

像歐洲大陸和英國豎起的五月花柱一樣，仲夏柱在豎起之前，要用綠葉和鮮花來裝飾。整個晚上，伴隨著傳統的民樂人們繞著仲夏柱載歌載舞。有些人會穿著民族服飾來突出慶祝活動。芬蘭西部一些地區的傳統是：人們會豎起一棵又高又細的云杉樹，而不是一個裝飾過的仲夏柱。

Midsummer Decorations 仲夏裝飾

An old tradition is to decorate the house and yard with young leafy trees like birch7 or aspen8. The cut trees were placed standing at either side of doorways， gates or doorsteps， and windows were bordered with leafy branches. In some parts of Finland， it was a custom for young men to build arbors9 on farm yards， using leafy branches of birch. Even cows were decorated with green leaves or lilies of the valley10 to ensure they would be milking properly.

一個很古老的傳統是用新生的多葉樹木，如樺樹和白楊，來裝飾房子和庭院。砍下的樹木被放在出入口、大門或者門前臺階的兩旁，而且窗戶也用枝葉鑲邊。在芬蘭的一些地區有這樣一個傳統：年輕人在農家庭院里用多葉的樺樹枝搭建涼亭。甚至自家的牛也會用樹葉和鈴蘭來裝飾一番，確保順利擠奶。

Midsummer Night Magic 仲夏夜魔法

Midsummer is the turning point at which the days begin to shorten again， and darkness will slowly start increasing. In the old times， this raised fear and uncertainly about the future. Strange things were known to happen on midsummer night， when evil spirits and witches were thought to be roaming11 around. By performing magical rites people believed they could ensure to have a better future and a good fortune for the household， a large harvest and protect the cattle from illnesses. Many of these rites were connected with fortune， happiness， love， marriage or predicting12 of the future.

仲夏節是一個轉折點，從此白天開始變短，夜晚慢慢開始變長。在古代，這個的日子會使人們產生很多恐懼和對將來的不確定。人們相信仲夏之夜來臨時，很多奇怪的事情會發生，惡魔和巫婆會到處漫游。通過表演魔法的儀式，人們相信他們能夠擁有一個更好的未來，全家人都會好運，莊稼會大豐收，牲畜會遠離疾病。許多的儀式與運氣、幸福、愛情、婚姻或者預測將來有關。