Swedish Midsummer

Sweden is a country with long and harsh winters, so it is no wonder that Swedes try to do their best to get the most out of summer and warm, sunny days. In addition to Christmas, Midsummer Day is the most important holiday in Sweden.

The celebration starts the evening before the Midsummer Day, and it is always a Friday between June 19 and June 25. We all know that Midsummer Day is the day with the longest period of daylight, and in the far north of Sweden the Sun does not even set on this day. Most Swedes use this as the beginning of their five week summer vacation, so most of them leave cities and go to the countryside for the celebration, leaving the city streets almost empty.

Midsummer Day celebration involves picking flowers and making wreaths to wear on their heads. They are also used for decorating a maypole, which is erected out in the open and people dance around it as a part of the celebration. This tradition most likely comes from heathen rites, and it is connected with Frej and Freja and the worship of rich harvest and fertility this god and goddess would bring. This tradition is nowadays still interesting and respected in many parts of Sweden, but it is not taken as seriously. Nowadays, Midsummer Day is more about the opportunity to have a really good time and have a lot to eat and drink.

This holiday is traditionally connected with the magic of love. There is a legend saying that girls should pick seven types of flowers on their way home from the celebration and put them under their pillows. On that night, the man they will marry will appear in their dream. I doubt that nowadays this custom is still respected, but many people choose this period to schedule their wedding ceremony. Also, since the Midsummer Day celebration in modern days involves lots of alcohol, socializing and getting a bit loose, plenty of relationships begin exactly during this period.