Helle Nacht
The Summer Solstice
The Feast
The Feast of Helle Nacht begins around midday before the summer solstice, and is characterized by decadent food and heavy beer and ale. Popular dishes include bone marrow (or cheese/cream) custards, honey tarts (nuts, berries, and honey), berries & cream, and the centerpiece of roasted pork (whole or in-part, depending on a family/community's wealth).
The Ceremony
In the evening, communities gather together and conduct a fire-lighting ceremony. The ritual revolves around a dance where a single torch is choreographically passed between partners, then between the separate pairs, before eventually lighting a great bonfire. There are six to twelve dancers (depending on the size of community) and they are selected among young adults who have provided great services to their community (local heroism, community services, exceptional skill,
prestigious marriages). The dance itself tells the story of Valan battling the great giant Koprek to release her father, Pronus, from imprisonment. The event is anything but solemn, and many in attendance openly drink during the ceremony. Once the bonfire is lit, the revelries officially begin. While there are a number of silly customs and games popularly practiced throughout the night, the general idea is the party till you drop.
Sunrise Bathing
Sunrise “bathing” ritual that many have turned into a skinny-dipping extension of the party. Simulates the cleansing of the bad energies collected over the year. After this cleanse, everyone re-dresses themselves in white. A failure to wake-up and bathe at sunrise is believed to attract terrible luck and to burden the soul. Child and older participants engage in limited evening activities, then rest and wake before sunrise for the bathing, which is the most important ritual of the holiday.
Feast of Light
Held on the day after the solstice--after the ritual bathing--this is essentially a quasi-vegan feast of summer bounty (dairy is mostly excluded because it was considered a frivolity). Most popular dishes are a ratatouille-like pie, large potato-flour dumplings with chopped eggs and herbs, and a special rye bread that’s baked with radishes and served with a dill dipping salt. Honey mead is traditionally drunken with the feast. Staining one’s white clothing is considered terrible luck, so many wear bibs and aprons during the meal.
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