Mid-June,
school is out and Sweden’s nature and
ambience burst into life. The sun literally
never sets! This calls for celebration, friends and family gather for the most typical of all Swedish
traditions: Midsummer.
Summer
holidays
Sweden’s
traditions are closely related to nature. At Midsummer, many begin their 5
weeks of holidays. Starting with the celebration of Midsummer Eve, which is always celebrated in the countryside. The day before
June 21st, everyone leaves town, everything closes, and the city
streets are suddenly spookily deserted. The blooming countryside however is
packed. Friends and family gather for a joyful weekend away.
Celebrate-good-times-come-on
Midsummer
Eve returns every year on the Friday between 19
and 25 June. People usually start the day by picking flowers and making wreaths
to place on the maypole, which is a key component in the celebrations.
The maypole
is raised in an open spot and everyone delights in the traditional
ring-dances. The teenagers however usually don’t
participate and go dancing in the trendy bars and clubs.
The
Midsummer menu
Dinner
consists of pickled herring, boiled new potatoes with fresh dill, sourced cream
and chives. This is often followed by a grilled dish of some kind, for example
salmon or spare-ribs. For desserts, you should have the first strawberries of
the season with cream.
For drinks,
there is plenty of cold beer and schnapps, preferably spiced. Every time
glasses are refilled, singing breaks out, the livelier the better. People like
to go dancing in the evening, preferably in an outdoor location. Many wooden
dance floors are constructed by the lakes, and the music echoes back on the
opposite shore.
Mysterious
times
Legend says
that the night before Midsummer’s day is a magical time for love. During this
night, many a relationship is put to the test under the influence of alcohol!
Single girls and women are supposed to pick seven different kind of flowers and
lay them under their pillows. At night, their future husbands will appear to
them in a dream. Besides, Midsummer just like Whitsun is still a popular time for
weddings and christenings.
