Day 20 - Midsummer

Midsummer is one of the most important holidays for the whole year in Sweden. This holiday dates back to ancient times and was linked to the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. There’s also a winter solstice but who want to celebrate this? Anyway, in ancient times it was celebrated as a sacrifice time to fertility but these days I don’t think fertility has much importance in the celebrations. Nowadays the tradition is generally raising a maypole covered in leaves and flowers and traditional folk music is played together with dancing and games for both young and old.

Many Swedes spends their midsummer weekend in their summer houses or on their boats somewhere in the Swedish archipelago or just at home with friends and family. Traditional Swedish food is served such as the marinated herrings, smoked salmon, the very first potatoes for the year as well as the first strawberries for the year.

“Snaps” (aquavit spiced with different kind of herbs) and beer is usually plenty full and as always the snaps cannot be inhaled without some kind of drinking song proceeding the drinking.

In my younger days, back in the 70’s & 80’s midsummer was always a huge weekend. The amount of beer and alcohol consumed during this weekend usually added up to about 3 months of normal consumption and a hangover on midsummers day was usually an indication of a good time the night before. The partying usually lasted the whole night since the sun pretty much never goes down and there’s daylight all night long.

But long gone are the days of all night partying and hangovers and these days I do stick to the more family oriented way of celebrating. We head out to a place called “Fränö forngård”, and old farmstead which is heritage listed these days.

The weather is reasonable but a few storm clouds looms threatening in the distance. Lots of people are there, many young families as well as the older generation. The maypole is carried under accompaniment of music to its mounting place and is raised while children wrap leaves and flowers around the pole.

Once the pole is secured the children’s games start and dancing around the pole. Every Swede over 2 years of age probably knows “Little Frogs”, “Virgin Pink?” and last but not least “The Rocket”. After this even there’s more dancing from a children’s folkdance group, all nicely dressed up in the old traditional folk attire.

By now the storm clouds have ventured closer and as the first drops if rain start to fall we make it a day and head back home.

Back at mum and dads house we are treated to some lovely Swedish food as well as the traditional midsummer drinks as mentioned earlier.

We eat, drink and sing for a couple hours until before we’re all full of food and drink and a little tired and decide to make it a day and go to bed.