June Pole

« A small gallery from raising the Juhannussalko (Midsummer Pole) on Midsummer Eve. »

I went to watch the raising of the Midsummer pole this year since I was curious, hadn't ever seen a 'June pole' and it seemed like a harmless excuse to wander downtown for a few hours. It was, as expected, a rather low-key event where a few men in traditional costumes brought the Midsummer pole, raised it and then danced a bit with similarly clad women (the Katrilli folk dancers) with little fanfare. There was no sex or debauchery which might have made for a bit more lively event, but one must conserve such excesses for Juhannus. One very annoying feature was that, in spite of the crowd and the obvious event happening in the center of the Esplanade, people just kept walking along as though walking on a stage in mid-performance were perfectly normal. I'm not sure why these rude rubbernecking interlopers couldn't just walk around, instead of through, the event but it made me wish desperately for a taser. Maybe the organisers need to put up barriers with a notice in a few different languages that thru traffic should go around the performance instead.

The tradition of the "June" pole is rather hard to be specific about since it has a lot of regional variation. The Midsummer pole definitely arrived in Finland from Sweden and, as far as I can tell, is a feature of Juhannus only in the Swedish-speaking areas. Finnish poles appear to be a bit less ornate than their Swedish counterparts as well (a nice watercolour diagram illustrates the elements of the Swedish Midsummer pole).

Perhaps the best known Midsummer tradition is the decorating and raising of the Midsummer pole (maypole). It's origins have divided scientists. One side sees the pole as a remnant from heathen fertility rites and that it can be traced back to prehistoric times and sacrifice feasts. The other opinion is that the Midsummer pole came to the north with Hansa merchants in the Middle Ages and that it is related to the maypoles of the Continent.

The oldest reference to Midsummer poles on Åland is on a early 19th century village map from Hammarland. The oldest depictions of poles are by the Swede Nils Månsson Mandelgren, who was on an expedition to Åland in 1871 to examine the local history of art.

Details of the Midsummer Pole

To make a Midsummer pole a high and straight spar is felled, preferrably in winter and not during sap time. Crossbars are attached, usually three to five if single or two or three if crossed. In the beginning the Midsummer poles were green, covered completely with flowers and leaves. Eventually the Midsummer poles were painted white and garlands wrapped on the spars and crossbars. Sometimes a spiral is painted on the spar instead of hanging leaf garland.

The decorations vary from village to village and from year to year. They have been interpreted in many ways, and the author Valdemar Nyman complained about the interpretations too often being about industry or the weather. The decorations could also be the result of the availability of material or of friendly competition between villages. The pole has also been associated with shipping, as it was common to decorate the masts with leaves. A Midsummer pole can be seen as a ship's mast rised on land.

At the top of the Midsummer poles there is usually a small wooden man, the "fäktargubbe". He wears headgear and is dressed in a white shirt, a tie and a waistcoat or some kind of uniform. He spins and waves his arms in the wind symbolizing diligence and work resulting in a good crop. In some districts a truck replaces the "fäktargubbe".

A streamer is attached below the wooden man. It has had different designs during the course of time. The colours have varied and sometimes the year or some other text has been painted on it. Since Åland got it's own flag in 1954 most streamers have had the colours - blue, yellow and red. In the archipelago it has been common to hoist beautiful cloth and flags of different countries on the spar. On Kökar the girls never wore their best scarves as the boys would take them and hoist their scarves up the pole.

Small boats are placed on shorter crossbars and attached so that they rotate in the wind if properly rigged and if the Midsummer pole stands perpendicularly. The boats vary from detailed miniatures to pieces of wood with a metal sail. They are said to symbolize Åland shipping.

String decorated with leaves is hung between the crossbars. Usually aspen leaves are tied to cotton string, but in some districts leaves from other trees, lily of the valley leaves and flowers from the Swedish whitebeam are used as well. The garlands are made on Midsummer's Eve, either earlier in the day or just before the Midsummer pole is rised. They are hung to form a pattern of an hourglass or of squares, depending on the amount of crossbars.

The Midsummer pole is taken down well in advance before Midsummer's Eve and fixed up. Old crowns are taken down and the leaves from the previous year are cut off. The Midsummer pole captain is in charge of the work and makes sure everything is ready before the Midsummer pole is raised. He is legally responsible in the event of an accident.