The summer solstice is an important time of year that has long been celebrated by many different cultures, however, if you’re looking to experience one of the best celebrations of them all, you need to go to Sweden. Midsummer is an important Swedish festivity and it is a time when people gather together across the country to dance, sing, eat, and celebrate the height of summer. The event is usually held on Friday and Saturday between June 19 and June 26, and it is definitely worth planning your travel around this holiday so that you can partake in the festivities.
Here is a little taste of what you can expect from the celebrations:
Feasting on a typical Midsummer meal
The menu for the celebrations is full of delicious traditional meals. The menu includes boiled potatoes, pickled herrings, raw red onion, strawberries and sourced cream. The traditional drink for the occasion is a spiced beer, or you can choose to pop open a bottle of pink champagne. Every time a glass is filled with beer the crowd cheers new songs and the dancing continues.
Dancing at the maypoles
Maypoles (tall wooden poles used during folk festivals) are erected in different locations across Sweden. The maypole is covered by leafy green plants and flowers and the crowd in attendance sings traditional songs and dance around them. Children and adults gather at these points, and some people even wear traditional Swedish costumes. The festival even has its own greeting, Glad midsommar, which means Happy Midsummer.
Rituals to find love
The rest of the festivities kick off later in the day with a traditional ritual to find your loved one. It is believed that the Midsummer is a special time for love, and this is why after a night full of dancing and feasting, young girls and women pick seven different flowers and place these under their pillows. It is believed that by doing this, they will dream of their future husbands.
A Midsummer in Sweden will leave you looking forward to subsequent Midsummers; so consider paying a visit to Sweden when you’re planning your holidays next summer.
