Just some things that one must remember about midsummer here.
* it's supposed to be the 2nd biggest event after Christmas
* always happen on a Friday in June
* it's a magical night for most Swedes and it is traditional
* apparently some still perform rituals to look into the future
* if you want to know who your future husband or wife is, you'll need to pluck 7 different types of flowers, jump over 7 round pole fences on your way home and put the flowers under your pillow. Then you will dream of your future husband or wife ( if it didn't work, you probably plucked the wrong type of flowers! =p )
* you spend it with families or friends
* plucking and gathering of flowers of all sort and birch leaves. Best in the countryside where loads of wildflowers grow at this time of the year
* making garland/crown from the wildflowers and birch leaves and also for decorating the Maypole, which is made entirely of fallen branches tied into a cross, decorated with wildflowers and birch leaves and then raising the Maypole
* good excused to get shitfaced/drunk/pissed!
* meal always consist of fresh/new potatoes (literary shitloads of potatoes!!!), fish such as salmon and sill ( all different flavour of sill!), Västerbotten cheese pie (sooo orgasmic!!), etc
* dessert is always loads of strawberries - fresh, with ice cream, with cream, strawberry cakes, fresh fresh strawberries!
* snapps! (Shots) are a popular alcoholic drink. Of course you could have beer, wine, any alcohol really
* dancing and singing... With wildflower garlands/crowns around our hair..
* ... Especially around the Maypole, which looks suspiciously like a male phallus.. ( with two hanging sacks..) . Imagine shitfaced, singing, dancing round and round a phallus, with a pair of 'balls' swinging lazily in the breeze
* after all the drinking, eating, singing and dancing, we'll end it all with some Swedish games ( we played some last year and the winning team even got a prize! I can't remembered what games they were as things were pretty hazy by that time)
* midsummer is an extremely popular day to get married
* everyone gets drunk!! So.. Get drinking!!
* the longest day in the year - 24 hours daylight!
These are a few things I could remember at the top of my head at 4 something in the morning.
Oh yeah, did you know I was proposed to on midsummer back in 2010?! I didn't really understand the significance of it all at that time. Sure is a bitch to remember what date it was as midsummer changes every year! =)
Anyhow we did loads of traditional things as stated above last year in the archipelago. This year we are off with a few friends in the country at one of our friend's family's sommarstuga (summer house). Not sure if we'll be making any maypoles or garlands but rest assured there'll definitely be a feast!!!
I'll leave you a picture of the burning sky at 4am snapped in the countryside, Skanör..
Until next time,
Xx
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