- "This is Radio Eleven-Eleven! For all those who just now woke up - yes, Law students, I mean you guys -, we, again, wish you all a nice Midsummer! You all know what this means - Parteeey!"
"Absolutely! Sadly, some of us have to celebrate the Summer Solstice in a traffic jam. Here in the West, we can now be proud to announce the very first traffic jam in the history of the recently opened A56, namely, from Jillich into the direction of Fechenich, between the Lorchenich Intersection and Pontrath-Moorpesch, the reason being an accident. Yet, no worries, the sun shines also for you poor sods!"
"The weather is awesome, now isn't it, Richie?"
"It is! Twenty-one degrees in Nienhagen, twenty-five in Pontrath, and even twenty-seven in Roisweiler! And not a single cloud on the sky!"
"That's awesome to hear! Now, although Preetz in Rigesöer is, well, only slightly outside our broadcasting area, we have sent reporters to the Venice of the South Shore, of course, as this is the location of the biggest Midsummer Festival this year!"
"And therefore the location for the longest traffic jams for today, obviously."
"Indeed. As it's twelve o'clock in a minute, the live report will begin now! Stay tuned."
Raderup Square, Preetz (Rgsr.), Federation of Lillorainen.
The Raderup Square was actually always a busy place, for thousands of people frequented the numerous bars, restaurants, and stores, as well as the nearby metro station everyday. With the typical Nordic architecture - mostly Brick Gothic houses, but also some medieval longhouses of logs and rests of an old ring fortress -, this square, like the entire Old Town of Preetz was a place with centuries of age and tradition, serving generations of traders, travelers and commuters.
Now, however, the square was extraordinarily busy, for this was the location of the opening ceremony of the biggest Summer Solstice Festival that was about to take place this year. The longest day (or shortest night) of the year was one of the most important days in these parts, due to its mythological meaning in Norse Paganism - in many areas of Lillorainen, it had been usual to count Summers in order to determine a person's age for a long time, and saying, for example, "I have seen 42 Summers" was still a common phrase in the Lillorainian use of language. Lillos usually called the festival Midsommar or Mittsommer, but the more unofficial term Litha, 'light', was in circulation, too.
At the front wall of one of the houses, two transparents had been fixed, a larger and a smaller one - the larger one said, '2019 Midsommarfesten' in both Latin script and Younger Futhark, a Germanic Rune script; the smaller one said the phrase foreigners arriving by plane already knew, 'Conciliatory warning: Annoying us less fun than ever before!'
While there were festivities all over the country, there was always one city picked to host the Big One; usually one of the largest cities. Last year, it had been Pontrath, the year before, Lysköping. The smallest city ever having served as a host for a Midsummer Festival had been Fechenich, near Roisweiler, in 1992, no more than 23,000 inhabitants (by that time). Now, it was Preetz then - Preetz in Rigesöer, to be correct, for it was one out of four cities with this name in Lillorainen, and there was at least yet another one abroad known about.
12 o'clock. Midday.
Thousands of people had gathered around the center of the square, from all regions of the Federation, from Shamsiyya, from Shikonjima, from the UMA, from other surrounding countries - and even from places far away. The invitation had made it into various countries all over the world. Right on the center, a long iron pole decorated with leafs and flowers was lying on the ground, prepared to stand in a few minutes - the maypole; in this case, the term didn't refer to the fifth month of the year called Winnemond in Old German, but derived from Old Swedish maja, 'to dress'.
This, along with the Midsummer Fires, belonged to the key elements of Nordic Summer Solstice tradition.
A young Priestess in her late 20s, known to some social media users as Svana Hanved, had the honorable task to bless it. With her flat hands pulled together, she spoke, in Old Norse language, "May Sunna never cease to let the Sun shine down upon us, and may this pole be dedicated to Her, to the Gods in Asgard and the Giants in Jötunheim; it shall arise and stand on this sacred day in Midgard and all over Yggdrasil!"
With that said and accompanied by a bow of her head, a group of five men picked the pole up and lifted it up, until it stood as straight as a candle. While one of them fixed the iron mount to secure it, people already started to cheer, some clapped, some others lifted their glasses, containing various sorts of drinks.
Yet, this wasn't the official beginning yet. An important part was missing.
A few meters away from the maypole, a small heap of wood had been put up in a form of a pyramid, with large stones around it. A black-haired, brown-eyed woman in her mid-thirties emptied a can of spirit over it and, when finish, nodded to a man of her age.
The guy showed the Lillorainian pragmatism in the most obvious way - he finished the cigarette he was smoking and threw the still blazing rest of it onto the heap, whereupon it started burning.
One of the numerous Midsummer Fires had now been lit.
Midsummer and the Julfest were the two occasions in the year where one could find open fires in Lillorainian city centers.
People started cheering again. With this done, the Festival officially began!