Midsummer festivities in Sweden

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 21^st, 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. 

An Aurora Odyssey through Lapland

3 different northern light locations in one holiday, it's now possible! Not only is it plenty of fun, it also puts your Lapland experience on a higher level. 

3 unique spots on the globe, all located high above the Polar Circle at at least 66° north, each with their own atmosphere but they all have one characteristic in common: The Aurora Borealis. 

We followed the northern lights on this amazing journey through winter wonderland...

A holiday produced by Abisko Aurora, combining 3 unique spots in one trip. The perfect choice to discover the northern lights. 

Pinetree Lodge

Start at the Pinetree Lodge. A beautiful wood-constructed lodge in the middle of the Swedish pine forests. Charm, cozyness and comfort dominate here in this wilderness lodge with only 50 beds. Upon arrival, we experience the 'true high north' feeling listening to the crackling log fire and later on in the hot Swedish sauna. A perfect way to compensate for our first day in the cold outside temperatures. 

Dogsledding through pristine wilderness

The following day, we venture outside and therefore get dressed-up in down outdoor clothing, so we don't even notice the -15° anymore. This lodge is famous for its private husky kennel. Thankful for the artic clothing, we don't hesitate to jump on our huskysled and start mushing! After a lot of barking and jumping while waiting to depart, the dogs start running  and the beauty of the great untouched nordic wilderness surrounds us entirely. Of course we also go for a ride on the snowmobiles, as the frozen lakes and rivers are the perfect environment for a first-time snowmobile driver. 

After a delicious three-course dinner - reindeer steak with wild berries and mashed potatoes - we go out for a walk on the frozen lake right next to the lodge. With a clear view on the open night sky, we wait to see the northern lights dancing above our heads. 

After 3 nights in this wonderful lodge away from the world, it's time to go exploring furhter. The original ICEhotel of Jukkasjärvi is our next stop. We are curious to see in which kind of uniquely sculptured Art Suite we are going to spend the night. The Reindeer skins on the large bed of snow and ice comfort us that we won't be freezing cold tonight. They say sleeping in the cold is healty, so let's do it! But only after a good night cocktail in a glass of ice - naturally - at the ICEbar. Provided with a warm thermal sleeping bag, we're off to bed. It's funny to think that in a couple of months, by the end of spring, our room ánd the entire ICEhotel construction will be melted away, back to the Torne River from where the ice surrounding us comes from. The circle of life at the ICEhotel! 

A cup of hot berry juice served at your bedside makes waking up at -5° suddenly more comfortable. An extensive breakfast makes it even better, and ready we are for our train ride through the mountains to our last stop, Abisko. This is the best spot in the world for northern lights observations. We filled up our nights with the only the very best northern lights excursions, to maximize our chances of seeing the magical aurora's. 

Up the mountains we go by cable car, to the Aurora Sky Station. The view over the mountain ranges, the large Lake Törnetrask, and the famous rock formation is stunning. The northern lights decide to join us, and we are first-line spectators of one of Nature's most fascinating powers. 

Not only a visit to the Sky Station, but also a night out with northern lights photographer Chad Blakley is a must-do in Abisko! Using his professional SLR photo cameras, we are ready to make our own photos of the lights. The odds of seeing the aurora are about 90% in Abisko, thanks to its clear skies and excellent location. Thanks to Chad's tips and tricks, I get to go home with a great self-made photo of the aurora to impress all my friends and family with.

Abisko Aurora Skystation

The adventurous outdoor activities in the Pinetree Lodge, the glamour of the ICEhotel and the wonderful scenery of Abisko turned Lapland into an unforgettable destination, all lit up by the aurora…

Check out Abisko Aurora,  the world’s only tour operator combing these 3 magical spots.

The best ICEhotel experiences

1.      The original ICEbar

A drink in the ICEbar is a highlight of everyone’s stay at the ICEhotel. Drinking colorful vodka cocktails out of ice glasses at a bar made of ice, whilst surrounded by ice from floor to ceiling. The temperature is -5° Celsius, both the bar and the glasses, no ice cubes needed!

The very first ICEbar was created in the ICEhotel in 1994. Since then the bar is re-created each year to a new theme. The cocktails served in the bar, all based on the Swedish Absolut Vodka, are inspired by the surroundings and heritage of Swedish Lapland. Try the “Rain of Memories”, created to celebrate the northern lights, made from Absolut Mango, cucumber syrup, sparkling wine, lime juice and Blue Curaçao. An innovative cocktail in a unique setting!

2.      Sleeping on a bed of ice

It’s not only sleeping in a temperature of -5° Celsius, it’s also sleeping inside a piece of art. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And even though it’s -5° inside, it’s better than being outside where it is -30°! You are kept warm in your ice bed by a mattress of isolating reindeer skin, and a specially designed thermal sleeping bag that keeps you warmer than your bed at home.

 

3.      Meeting the indigenous Sámi people

Usually they are pretty hidden in Lapland, living on remote locations, herding their reindeer. Luckily, there is a reindeer farm in the forests surrounding the ICEhotel. It’s fascinating to see the original inhabitants of Lapland in their local habitat, in authentic colorful clothing, and reindeer skin shoes. You can learn all about reindeer, how to catch them with a Lappish lasso, and take a ride in a reindeer sled, just like Santa!

4.      Go for a husky safari

When entering the husky kennel near the Torne River, you’re struck by how energetic and noisy the dogs are. As soon as they take off, the serenity sets in. These dogs are clearly happiest when they are running. There is a stop on the road in the-middle-of-nowhere for coffee and cake by an open fire. The huskies on the other hand cuddle up next to each other to keep warm. So friendly and warm these animals are! They are definitely the highlight of the trip.

5.      Watch the northern lights

You should see this miracle of nature at least once in your life. The magic of the green lights dancing in the night skies is unforgettable, not to mention standing in the unique setting of snow-covered pine trees and fairytale-like frozen lakes. The northern lights can be seen in the entire north of Scandinavia, take a look at abiskoaurora.com for the best northern lights holidays in the Abisko area and the ICEhotel. You don’t want to miss out on this!