Midsummer Madness

In a recent survey Swedes voted Midsummer as the most important day / event of the year (unsurprisingly the Eurovision also made the top 10…). Midsummer is the day all Swedes finally welcome the long awaited arrival of the Summer. This year Midsummer falls on 24 June. So what will the Swedes be up to when the rest of us are enjoying the drudgery of the daily commute?

Happy Midsummer!

Food

Midsummer is not about cooking, that would mean valuable drinking / frog dancing time lost. Therefore the focus tends to be on smorgasbord-like spreads or picnics; including salads (potato, beetroot etc.), cold meatballs, different types of pickled herring, crisp bread and lots of dill. You must always add dill! This is usually followed by a homemade strawberry cream cake.

Picnic time!

Drink

Swedes are well-known for indulging in the odd tipple or two. Midsummer is no exception, in fact the state owned ‘systembolaget,’ off license, is likely to have very little left on the shelves. And if you decide to celebrate in Sweden, it might be worth remembering that their opening hours are limited, usually until 18:00 in the evening and closed over the weekend…

Swedes mainly consume beer and schnapps (nubbe). It is tradition to serenade each schnapps with a traditional drinking song about random things like dachshunds, salmon or of course drinking.

The Midsummer Pole

The Midsummer Pole takes pride of place at any Midsummer celebration, it is decorated with leaves and flowers. Swedes enjoy a dance around the Midsummer Pole, the most popular one being The Little Frog Dance, which comes with easily mastered dance steps. An accordionist makes the dancing experience even better.

Attire

Flowers! It’s all about flowers. Women and children (particularly, although not exclusively) will wear a crown of flowers in their hair, usually made by hand, using fresh flowers. Traditional folk costume is also a popular choice in certain areas. Personally I tend to favour a yellow dress with blue accessories…

Wearing the flower crown, Scandi style!

Magic

There are a number of Midsummer traditions with magical roots. My personal favourite entails picking seven wild flowers and putting them under my pillow to allow me to dream of my Sweetheart!

Games

How about a schnapps relay? Guests are divided into two teams and walk around a chair whilst drinking schnapps, what’s not to love? Or perhaps some traditional wellington boot throwing?

So that’s it, a quick guide to how to enjoy the Midsummer Swedish style! And in true Swedish fashion everything should be enjoyed in ‘lagom’ measure, i.e. not too little, not too much but just right. Happy Midsummer!