Midsummer around the world (10p)

Lue teksti ja valitse oikea vaihtoehto kohdissa 1–8 ja suomenna tekstin tummennettu osa (kohta 9).

Midsummer, or summer solstice, as it is also called, celebrates the longest day of the year and it is considered to be the starting point of summer in the northern hemisphere. For us Finns, this usually means escaping to summer cottages, going to the sauna and enjoying nature through the night full of light. But did you know that midsummer is celebrated throughout the world?

In the United States, a well-known midsummer celebration is the day-long yoga on Times Square. Hundreds of yoga enthusiasts gather to practice this ancient relaxation technique. Serenity is also present in the U.K., where thousands of modern-day druids and other people gather at the famous World Heritage landmark, Stonehenge, to see the sun rise on summer solstice. The occasion is quiet and reserved, and the only form of alcohol that is accepted is the ceremonial mead.
The Canadians on the other hand have had the tradition of organizing a late-night baseball game for over a hundred years already. The Midnight Sun Game is said to have originated in 1906, when the purpose of the game was to convince the people to rebuild the town after the Fairbanks downtown had been destroyed by a fire.

Fire is present in several countries as part of the festivities. Bonfires are common both in Finland as well as the other Nordic countries. In Austria, it is customary to light fires along the mountains. In some countries, for example Latvia, it is also very popular to leap over burning bonfires. The Latvians also dress up men named ‘Janis’ with a crown made out of oak leaves.
Some celebrations are less tranquil. In Portugal, it is customary to carry flowering garlic plants and hit people on the head with them. This tradition supposedly stems from St. John, who was often hit on the head as a youngster so that he would steer away from troubles. There are also more controversial midsummer festivities. One that sparked quite a lot of outrage was the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China. The festival was first organized in 2009. There have been efforts to ban the eating of dog meat, but so far they have been unsuccessful.

1 What is one of the ways of spending midsummer in the U.S.?
a) Visit a museum showing old artifacts.
b) Take part in relaxing exercise.
c) Go and see the Statue of Liberty.

2 What kind of an event is arranged at Stonehenge?
a) A small but noisy party.
b) A breakfast picnic.
c) A peaceful gathering of a large crowd.

3 What was the original aim of the Canadian baseball game?
a) To reconstruct the city that had burned down.
b) To raise money for the baseball club.
c) To advertise a bank.

4 How is midsummer celebrated in Latvia?
a) Men wear dresses.
b) People jump over fires.
c) People cook rabbit meat for dinner.

5 What peculiar tradition is related to midsummer in Portugal?
a) Women are given yellow flowers.
b) People are beaten with vegetables.
c) People eat food that has plenty of garlic in it.

6 Why was St. John supposedly often hit on the head?
a) To prevent him from running into difficulties.
b) To stop him from driving a car.
c) To make him focus on school when he was younger.

7 What has caused outrage related to the Chinese festivities?
a) The amount of runaway dogs.
b) The age of the festival.
c) The main ingredient of the food.

8 Has the Chinese festival gone through any major changes?
a) No, the attempts to prohibit the action have failed.
b) No, people are satisfied with the situation as it is.
c) Yes, the event hasn’t been held since 2009.

9 Suomenna tekstin tummennettu osa: it is considered to be the starting point of summer in the northern hemisphere.