The Eve of Sankt Hans is tied to the feast of Saint John the Baptist (Sankt Hans in Danish, “Hans” being the diminutive for Johannes), who was born on June 24th, but Danes celebrate on the eve before. This celebration has though existed a long time before Denmark became christianized in the 10th century. Originally, it was the summer solstice being celebrated, a fertility festival with several customs and rituals connected with nature, the wish for good fortune, and the hope for a fertile harvest in the autumn. 

After years of organizing wine tours in the Piedmont region in Italy, I still have to warn travelers about traveling in August. From an Italian’s perspective, Ferragosto lasts for almost the entire month, although the official date is August 15th. Italians traditionally take the whole two weeks off surrounding this day.