Celebrate the Sankt Hans Tradition with our awesome Party at Copenhagen Downtown!
Midsummer's Eve is celebrated throughout Europe with many cultures celebrating the Pagan traditions of the shortest night of the year with bonfires, and the Catholic celebration of St John's Eve (with his birthday being 24th June) being marked as the day to celebrate. The traditional Catholic Feast day is 24th June, so the Eve on 23rd June is when the parties take place as it is the shortest night of the year. In Denmark it is Sankt Hans Aften (St John's Eve) and since the time of the Vikings it has been a huge celebration to mark midsummer and bring people together. Usually the bonfire takes place on the beach or in Copenhagen then in the harbour. Here's how to celebrate like the Danish do and enjoy our Sankt Hans Aften party!!
The Danish Tradition for Sankt Hans Aften
Go Danish and celebrate with friends, drinks, a sunset and a bonfire with a witch on top! As with other countries celebrating Midsummer, there is a history of Pagan festivities with witches and bonfires featuring in the night as people ward off evil with fire. There used to be a tradition of gathering magic herbs and getting a bit high but now people mostly have some food and drink to celebrate together, and burn a witch on the top of the bonfire (as the place to burn witches in the Middle Ages).
There is usually some celebratory food like a BBQ with some sausages and all washed down with some local spirits like a shot of schnapps. There is often a speech before lighting the fire and also a traditional Midsummer hymn which is called Vi Elsker Vort Land (We Love Our Country) and we sing during the bonfire!
Bonfires on the beach
This year there has been such a heatwave that many of the bonfires are likely to be cancelled around the country as they risk starting wild fires or being blown by the wind and spreading. The ban currently means the Prime Minister's official bonfire in Marienborg has been cancelled too! In Copenhagen the bonfires normally take place on the waterfront. To find out about the local celebrations check the newspapers for the latest update.
Copenhagen Downtown Hostel Celebrates Sankt Hans Aften
This Saturday 23rd June celebrate Sankt Hans Aften with us at our party in Copenhagen Downunder - our very own venue beneath the hostel. The party kicks off at 9pm and goes until 5am!!
As one of the most important Nordic festivals of the year we're throwing a big party to celebrate Midsummer, with great offers on drinks, our International crowd and great music. We even have great bar offers if you're bringing a friend!
Staying at Copenhagen Downtown Hostel
Book your bed with us at Copenhagen Downtown Hostel for the best place to sleep in Copenhagen! We have a cool retro design hostel in the city center and a lively bar with live music Tuesdays and Thursdays and an underground club for bigger events and parties. We are proud of our international atmosphere with local vibe and welcome you to enjoy your stay with us! We have both private rooms and shared dorms to enjoy, along with chill out space, communal dinners, a great breakfast buffet and some of the best happy hour prices in Copenhagen at our bar.
We are also part of the Europe's Famous Hostels network, being the hostel of choice for the Genuine Backpacker, as part of a network of over 50 hostels across Europe. Find out more about Famous Hostels here www.famoushostels.com
Copenhagen Downtown is a proud member of Famous Hostels - stay with us for a #GenuineBackpacker experience.