I grew up celebrating Midsummer on the June 21st solstice, and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized there were other days in June to celebrate the triumph of the sun. The feast day for John the Baptist, known in Norway as Sankthans (Saint Hans), falls on June 24th, so naturally there are bonfires and parties on Sankthansaften, or Saint John’s Eve.

It’s a significant day for me. My friend Solveig was named for the midsummer sun, and today would have been her birthday. She was funny, generous, and kind; she knitted constantly and sang fearlessly; and she was devoted to rhubarb pie. The rhubarb plant she gave me has struggled in the New Mexico heat, but today I was able to harvest just enough stalks to add some zing to a strawberry tart. Happy birthday, bright spirit.

The last time I celebrated Midsummer’s Eve in Norway, my cousin Nils built a fire on the edge of the lake near his farm, and we played music and stayed up until zero dark thirty, at which point the shoreline across the lake was still visible in the midnight sun.

Sankthans is a fine time for Norwegians to bring out their bunads (national costumes), which are worn most prominently on May 17th for their Constitution Day. Norwegians have around 400 regional varieties of national dress to choose from, though it’s traditional to select a design from their family’s area of origin.

Sankthans is also known as jonsok, from the Old Norse jónsvak, meaning John’s Wake. It has a connection to earlier pagan festivals, of course, and it probably also has a very deep religious significance that entirely escapes me (because as a Lutheran I lack the stamina to celebrate many saint days). But for me it’s mostly a good time to bake sweets, wear my best clothes, remember my loved ones, and celebrate the triumph of the sun.