It’s that time of the year again when the entire Sweden goes outside to sing, dance, drink and celebrate the arrival of summer. Yep, it’s Midsommarafton (Midsummer’s Eve) today. Regardless of the actual day of the summer solstice, the holiday is always scheduled for Friday-Saturday between June 19th and 25th.
On Midsummer’s Eve businesses close early and people rush home. It’s time to raise the maypole! The big celebrations, which in my town are organized in an open-air museum, are taken very seriously. After all, Midsommar is the most important holiday of the Swedish calendar.
As an outsider, I find it a curious holiday to observe. Seeing people decked out in their folk costumes, with flowers garlands in their hair, hopping around the maypole doing the “Frog dance” (Små grodorna dans) makes me giggle. The maypole itself with its pagan phallic symbolism makes me giggle.
“Yeah, we have maypoles in England,” you may say. True, but you simply can’t compare the puny little British stick with its proper Swedish equivalent. See what I mean? Ahem, ahem…
And because you can’t have Midsommar without traditional food, it’s also the perfect time to load up on fresh potatoes (with dill, naturally), pickled herring (not as bad as it sounds), sour cream, and strawberries. And don’t forget snaps. It wouldn’t be Midsommar without snaps. That of course means lots of song singing, with every song demanding a round of snaps.
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