So, my London adventure continues. This is a short blog to tell you all about the recent Trip to Stockholm with some friends. Back in February, we booked a June ticket to Stockholm for the Midsummar’s festival in Sweden.
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A background on the festival:
Midsummer is Scandinavia's most popular festival right along with Christmas. A traditional celebration of the Summer solstice, Midsummer is the longest day of the year. In Sweden, Midsummer is even celebrated as a national holiday (also see Scandinavian national holidays). Most Midsummer's Eve celebrations.
The celebration of the Summer solstice is a very ancient practice, dating back to pre-Christian times. Midsummer was originally a fertility festival with many customs and rituals associated with nature and with the hope for a good harvest the coming fall/autumn.
In Sweden, where the festival is called "Midsommar", houses are decorated inside and out with wreaths and flower garlands. Swedes then dance around the decorated midsummer pole while listening to traditional folk songs known to all. In Sweden, as in many other countries, the magic of Midsummer includes bonfires (which reminds of Swedish Walpurgis Night traditions), and divining the future, especially one's future spouse!
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It was a exciting experience. One of our friends knew a Swedish girl, Ida, who invited us to her parents farm 45 minutes out of Gothenburg, in the middle of the country. In typical British fashion, we brought Pimms (a British liquor) as well as other beverages to share as a thank you for letting us participate. It all started out with us dropping our bags at her parents house (where she had invited all 7 of us to stay) before we went over to the barn for introductions. There was a global mix of guests, about 30 in total, who were all there to celebrate with us. After a welcome toast, we all started socialising and dancing (to American music of course).
After a short while, her dad’s BBQ was done and we all ate some Swedish sausage, and boy was it good. We then broke up into groups of 4 and had to trek around the farm answering multiple choice questions. This was followed by dancing around the midsummer pole, wearing flower wreaths, and singing Swedish songs (or in my case mumbling random words).
The night finished when we made a 15 minute trek into the middle of the woods for a quick dip in the lake. While it was in the middle of the night, it was bright still, because the sun never really sets, it is only low for about 3 hours before raising again. It was a truly rewarding experience. It makes me happy to have moved to London. The ability to experience various traditions, especially with local families, makes nights like this once in a lifetime experiences.
Thank you Ida!
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