Midsummer Eve, the big summer celebration in Sweden!
94If you are in Sweden in late June you better be prepared for what you most certainly will encounter. And you will not be safe even if you're not in Sweden, since where there are Swedes it might be celebrated a traditional Swedish midsummer. I know for example that there are a big Swedish midsummer celebration in Hyde Park every year!
It may be a surprise to see the Swedes celebrate Midsummer for others besides Swedish citizen, especially considering that Swedes are known to be a bit stiff and dull!
But on midsummer the stereotypical Swede is blown away and we transform to happy people who enjoy silly dances and have the party of the year! It is regarded as a public holiday even if it isn't, and all banks and many shops are closed or are only open for a few hours this day. The Swedes traveling to the countryside to celebrate this big party and if you are in a town during mid summer the town can feel a bit empty. If you plan to drive a car in Sweden on the day before Midsummer Eve you better be prepared for long caravans of cars heading out to the countryside or to the coasts. Midsummer is a very old and dear ceremony for us and it is celebrated around the day of the summer solstice. The date for the celebration can vary from year to year between 19 to 25 June since it is always celebrated on a Friday. At this time of the year the nature is sprouting of new vegetation and we celebrate that our short summer really begins. Even though we have a National Day it can’t compete with the tradition, the joy and festivities that occur on Midsummer Eve festivities.
Midsummer 2012!
Midsummer Eve is June 22, in 2012!
The history of Midsummer Eve festivities
This is a celebration that goes way back in time in Scandinavia. Some says it has its roots all the way back to the Vikings. The tradition is about celebrating the longest day of the year at the summer solstice. Midsummer night is said to be full of magic and according to ancient folklore had everything in nature supernatural powers on this particular night. It is the lightest night on the year in Sweden and the sun does not go down at all in northern Sweden. To be outside during Midsummer night means that you can experience the specially light night when nature looks almost magical so it is easy to imagine why it was thought that nature had special powers during this night. Midsummer is, and has always been a festivity for dance and joy but also a night for romance and erotica!
The church has done several attempt in the past to turn this pagan celebration into something more quiet and orderly but without success for the wider public.
Midsummer pole!
In accordance with old tradition we dance around a midsummer pole on Midsummer Eve as a part of the festivities.
A midsummer pole is a pole that is raised by means of ropes or muscular power. The pole is decorated with greenery and flowers shaped into wreaths. The wreaths where originally hanging around the pole but now the midsummer pole has the shape of a cross and the wreaths are hanging on the lateral pole. The tradition with midsummer pole is said to come from Germany during the 1300s-1400s.
Some says the midsummer pole is supposed to represent fertility and help increasing the birth of many children in the year to come. I don't really know, but I guess that with a bit of imagination can the midsummer pole be regarded as an erotic symbol!
Midsummer pole is usually prepared the day before or on Midsummer morning and it starts with the collecting and the picking of flowers in a hopefully sunny weather. The flowers are used for binding wreaths and we usually make wreaths for both the pole and some wreaths to put on our heads. The flowers are typical native flowers, like daisies, buttercups, columbines etc. The greenery on the pole consists of fresh birch branches.
One of the old myths that are still alive, is that single girls and women should pick seven or nine different flowers and put the bouquet under the pillow before going to sleep on midsummer night. According to the tradition it is said that the man that shows up in your dream is the man who will be your husband. I have never tried this myself so I can not really say if it is working or not!
The dancing, or rather the singing games, occurs after the decorations are finished. By that time the girls and women are dressed in their sweetest summer dresses, that are often white or with flower patterns. The singing games were from the beginning only for adults and it was the young adults who did the dancing or the games. According to history the lyrics was often related to sex, liquor and so on. It was not until later that the singing games transformed and also became suitable for children and the lyrics were converted into more easy movement patterns and more fun lyrics that suited children. The singing games is a fun tradition for all ages and maybe this is the reason why tradition with singing games is still living. Nowadays we say that we dance for the sake of the children but most adults do enjoy it and do it even if the children don’t participate!
Midsummer celebration is mostly done in the same old way and therefor there are many old traditional songs mixed with new ones. It is also common to wear traditional national clothes on this day since this is a very special occasion. Please watch the videos below because I want to share some of this tradition with you!
The video below is a lovely song written by Bjorn Ulveus and Benny Andersson from ABBA and it will give you some of the feeling that I have for this special day!
One very special dance are the dance; “The little frogs”. I take the risk and show you this even though you might look upon the Swedes in a different way after seeing this!
It is so much fun and every Swede knows how to dance it! The dance is performed partly by jumping on the heels and we wag our hands besides our ears and at the lower part of our backs when we sing the words “ears and tails”. The origin of the song is said to be French but how it came to Sweden I don’t know. The song can consist of more verses about other animals and if the animal has both arms and tail we just change the text. Here is a translation:
The little frogs
The little frogs, the little frogs are funny to observe.
The little frogs, the little frogs are funny to observe.
No ears, no ears no tails do they possess.
No ears, no ears no tails do they possess.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
The little pigs, the little pigs are funny to observe.
The little pigs, the little pigs are funny to observe.
Both ears, both ears and tails do they possess.
Both ears, both ears and tails do they possess.
Oh oink oink oink, oh oink oink oink,
oh oink oink oink oink oink
Oh oink oink oink, oh oink oink oink,
oh oink oink oink oink oink
So, in that way we dance on, dancing and hopping around the may pole. There are also many other singing games that is traditional so the dance can continue for a while! And before you ask, no we are not crazy or high on drugs or anything. At least there are many of us that dance without as much as one glass of vodka!
Look at the videos below to see how the dance is done. And I couldn’t resist to show you a video of a world record attempt in midsummer dance.
Traditional food on Midsummer Eve!
Apart from old myths and the dancing there are also the traditional Swedish food served during midsummer!
The traditional Swedish food that is eaten on midsummer is pickled herring, boiled new potatoes that is served with chives and sour cream! It is also tradition to drink beer and snaps or spiced vodka to the food. And as always in Sweden, we like to have other types of herring, some boiled eggs and a green salad. We can eat all kinds of pickled herring with different spices and tastes and we also have herring in cakes, casseroles, pies, salads and as starters that can be served in glasses. Herring is totally right on Midsummer Eve and so is the traditional food. The dinner tables are decorated with flowers and the Swedish flag or other items in yellow and blue.
As dessert i prefer a delicious strawberry cake with the coffee.
Since we often stay up all night there are usually more food later on in the evening. After all that dancing we do need something more and we usually have grilled meat with a potato salad and a green salad.
Summary!
So, now you know what to expect from the Swedes on this special day! I wish you all a happy Midsummer Eve with a lot of fun, dancing, love and socializing, and also good food!
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More Strawberry Cream Cake ! I loved the words to the song too. I'll look out for this day in June :-)
Underbara Tina! I enjoyed this very much- i watched each video and smiled throughout.
it was also nice for me to see because as i told you; this is part of my heritage also
... although i have a hard time imagining my mormor or farmor hopping to the gaiety of music and song.hard to imagine them as young girls with hopes of love and waiting for a dream to transfor their lives. thank you so much for this Tina...
I love pickled herring and korv- my mom made the pickled herring using a little wine vinegar- pepper corns- sugar and tasty onions. at least that's what i remember :)
this summer solstice celebration would be so much fun to attend- next month you will have to write of your experiences this year.
Happy May Day Tina!
Pred min Svenska syster
Alistar Packer, you are so welcome and I am glad you enjoyed this hub! Yes, Midsummer Eve is a very special event for us. It is filled with tradition and it is a day we feel very strong about.
Even though it is a weekend with partly heavy drinking later in the night I think that the genuine and beautiful tradition still exists during the whole day and early night. The little frogs is silly but so much fun, we all need to laugh at ourselves sometimes :)
Tina
Hi Rob Hanlon, Yes, do that and I hope you will find some dancing Swedes where you live! This year 2011, Midsummer Eve is celebrated on Friday 24 June. I know there are many that celebrate Midsummer Eve with singing games and typical Strawberry Cream Cake around the world. Thanks for coming and I am happy to share this with you!
Tina
Hej Greg, min vän over there! I am delighted that you enjoyed this and I must say that the videos put a smile on my face too :))
It is a special feeling with Midsummer, the mysterious, the beautiful nature, the dancing, music and all the fun. And I know that even your mormor and farmor have dressed up for Midsummer Eve when they where young, hoping for that special man to appear with flowers in their hair.I do not think anyone can escape from this in there youth. And if they didn’t found their love that night they certainly picked seven different flowers and hoped.
Long ago, there was also a tale that if you walked backwards three times around a well at 12 a clock in the night with your eyes closed, your future man would be the first that you saw when you opened your eyes! And there are more similar tales but all with the same intentions. So, I think they did:)
You remember right about the pickled herring that sounds like one common and tasty recipe. Pickled herring is one of my favourite too. Luckily we eat it on almost every holiday so I eat it during Easter too.
I wish you could enjoy Midsummer Eve in Sweden, i know you would enjoy it! Happy May Day to you Greg! At least you know how to make pickled herring and the rest is easy!
Take care and thanks for your great comment, Tina
Hi thougtforce, a very interesting hub, i enjoyed learning about mid-summer celebration and enjoyed the videos to !
Awesome and vote up !!!
Hi, Tina. This was great festival. I had never knew about this before. Thanks for writing this and share share with us. I really love all video above...beautiful. Thumbs up for you. I'll press all button here, except funny. Take care!
Prasetio
it's always interesting to learn about traditions of other cultures. Great Hub.
When I think of Sweden, images of SAAB, tall blondes, IKEA, and Swedish Erotica come to mind. Now, we have the Mid-Summer Eve to celebrate. Bravo!
Hi Tom, It means so much to me that you like this hub. I thought for a while when I published this hub that now you all must think that people from Sweden are totally mad! But then again, it is our tradition even if it is a bit crazy and I am proud that we have this tradition:) So I am glad you could see the interesting in this hub! Thanks for visiting Tom, my dear friend!
Tina
Prasetio, Yes it is a great festival and something we all look forward too. It is a celebration to the summer, the sun and the lovely summer winds. Thank you for this very encouraging comment and for the “pressing”. I wouldn’t be surprise if someone pressed the funny button, because even I can se that we look a bit funny hopping around:)) But we do not care, because it is the tradition that counts and that we want to preserve. Thanks for visiting this hub, my dear friend!
Tina
Becky, I am thrilled that you enjoyed this. It is a very special tradition for us and the mix of old tradition with some new influences has made it what it is today! I so appreciate your visit here. Take care. Tina
Hi A.A.Zavala, I am glad that I gave you some counterweight to some of the other images you have of Sweden:)) Even if your images are right also! Our traditional way to celebrate midsummer are like that too; some old and genuine dancing and tales and superstition, but also the somewhat erotic influences with the Midsummer pole, the light midsummer night and so on. Thank you for your visit and kind words! Best Regards.Tina
Cool hub about traditions. Love it! Bookmarked, voted up and awesome. Thanks for sharing this with us. :D Food looks yummy too!
Interesting read, Tina. I love learning of other's traditions. Love the clips too! Midsummer looks like a fun celebration. Thanks for sharing!
shygirl, Thank you for your kind comment! It is fun with traditions and we should remember them. Midsummer is a lot of fun and I look forward to it every year. I am glad if I managed to bring about some of it to you!
Tina
Hi DexisView! Yes it is a both fun and dear tradition to us. And the history behind it makes it even more special.
Thanks for reading and I am thrilled that you liked it!
I have tried to imagine how the clips must look like for someone who don’t know about this or have seen it live, but I can’t:) I can imagine that it can be interpreted different, some might think we are totally nuts and some might think it is beautiful and interesting. I am glad you are among the later:)
Tina
I loved this hub, Tina! It was very enjoyable to read about Midsummer Eve in Sweden, and to watch the celebrations in the videos. "The little frogs" dance looks like great fun, and also looks like a wonderful way for a community to celebrate together. I wish we had a dance like this to celebrate Midsummer Eve where I live!
How funny - I just wrote a similar hub about Swedish midsummer and then I stumbled across yours! I guess great minds think alike. Good to see other 'svenskar' on hubpages! :-)
This was so much fun. I want to visit Sweden. I love the music the traditions and the food and drink. Thanks.
This annual event sounds like so much fun Tina!!! Sweden has always been a country on my 'to go to' list. Thanks for sharing some cultural traditions with us, including that pic of that v mouthwatering strawberry cake :)
Alicia, yes it is fun to dance “the little frogs”! No one can dance it without smiling at the same time: I am glad the tradition still lives! I hope you can locate some Swedes if there are any in your neighbourhood and maybe you can join them since the dance is a celebration where everyone is welcome. For us this is a natural thing but I understand that it isn’t so common in other countries. Thanks for your visit and positive comment! Tina
Hi Linda Bliss, I am glad to see other Swedes here too! And since midsummer is a special tradition to us there is no wonder that we wrote on the same topic! There is so many ways to describe this tradition and I imagine that the traditions can vary to some extent due to which part of Sweden you come from! I look forward to read yours:)
Tina
Healing Touch, I am grateful for your words and for your visit in my corner! It is so wonderful to know that I have been able to share some of the joy we feel for this special tradition and share it with you!
Thanks for your much appreciated visit! Tina
Ashantina, yes, every Swede lightens up and joins in the celebration in some way! It is for both young and old and the dancing around the may pole occurs during daytime when everyone can join. And the light midsummer night is marvellous and gives the celebration a special mystic feeling and the celebration mostly involves adults. I do hope you visit and if you visit Sweden in this time of the year you know what to expect on Midsummer Eve:)
I so appreciate your visit! Tina
Wow, this hub brought back some good old fond memories. I had the pleasure of staying in Malmo, Sweden for almost three years. It was an amazing event to witness every time during summer. The people are really warm and welcoming even to us who were not natives. Had been part of the midsummer celebrations in Malmo, Gottenburg, and Trelleborg so each year it was special. Tack so mycket for a jattebra hub.
How nice- I would love to visit countries during their unique festivities. Mid summer sounds like a great time to visit yours. The history, the revelry, the songs and dances and the yummy food. Well captured and I learnt a lot about this tradition. Thanks for sharing- voted up!
Hi Giselle! I am happy to hear that you enjoyed the Swedish celebration! I can imagine that the celebration can be somewhat different in specific areas due to old traditions even if it is the same in broad outline over the country. I am glad this gave you happy memories, and thank you so much for your positive comment!
Docmo, yes you should try to visit Sweden during this time, when Sweden looks as best, it is a beautiful season here. The dances, or singing games, are easy and fun so everyone can join in! I just hope the sun will shine this year too; it isn’t quite as fun hopping around if it is raining! Thanks for your visit:) Tina
wow! It seem Swedish people does have a lot of fun. I live in Qatar where the temperature is near 50 degree in summer.So no fun for me here :(
, voted up and beautiful
Hi tvnrstar, It looks like it can be a bit hard to dance in that temperature so I understand if you don´t join in "the frog dance":) But I do think you have fun in some other ways in Qatar! Thanks for your visit here and for the rating, it is very much appreciated by me.
Tina
Tina,
This was lovely! I loved the videos and your write-up. I spent one summer and one fall in Norway years ago. I got to go to Sweden for one day. It rained a lot, so I didn't see much. It was wonderful to see more of Sweden and learn about your traditions via your hub. Thanks so much!
Best wishes,
Debbie
Hi Debbie! You are so welcome and I am happy you liked this hub. So very interesting to know that you have been here even if it was for one day. I can imagine that visit a country for one day in rainy weather isn´t much of a sensation:) I hope you enjoyed Norway and that the weather was good during your visit.
Thanks for your visit and wonderful comment here!
Tina
Very interesting hub. Never knew abut this festival.
Hi Lulu Sue and thanks for your visit and comment! I can imagine that Midsummer Eve celebration in this way is unknown for many people outside the Northern countries in Europe. I am glad you like it!
Tina
Looks like a lot of fun and I've rated this Hub UP and awesome!
Hi Patty Inglish! Yes, we do have fun on Midsummer Eve! It is an occasion where it is ok for everybody to act silly and hop around to traditional music with childish lyrics! I am glad if I have been able to transfer our traditional Midsummer Eve festivities.
My best regards to you and thanks for your visit and the rating!
Tina
Hej, Tina!
I'm so glad you published this article. It brought back some very pleasant memories. Tak!
Several years ago, my boyfriend and I lived and worked in Stockholm for a six-month period. We had the opportunity to take part in the Midsummer Eve festivities. It was alot of fun.
Hej Tina! Nothing beats the feeling in a Swedish Midsummer Eve. Me and my family spent last Midsummer in Sweden. In some Swedish speaking areas here in Finland we celebrate Midsummer like you do in Sweden. Voted up!
Thank you for sharing your country's culture with us. I didn't realize this was a holiday in Sweden. Very interesting!
Daisy, it is fun and also very special day for every Swede! The nature is light green, the night is light and we celebrate summer in this special way! It is great to be crazy at least one day! I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the Midsummer celebration and that this hub brought back memories to you! Thanks for this lovely comment and for the visit! I appreciate it!
Take care and have a wonderful day
Tina
Hi Made! Nice to meet someone who can dance the little Frog dance:) Yes, I have heard about Midsummer Eve celebrations in Finland too! Interesting to hear that it is the same as here. It would be so fun to see how Finland celebrate and hear the songs. It is a great way to celebrate summer and it is still ahead of us now, something to look forward to! Thanks for your visit and the comment!
Tina
Hi Tammy! It is a very special celebration for us, and even though we love our country our National Day isnt celebrated with the same passion. Midsummer Eve is the big traditional celebration in Sweden during summer. I have heard that Swedes celebrate Midsummer Eve all over the world no matter where they are so it is possible to see this outside Sweden too! It is good that you now are prepared and know what to expect:) I think you would enjoy it! Thanks for reading and the comment Tammy, I appreciate it,
Tina
Very good hub and your videos and pictures are very good.
Hi Angela Kane and thanks for the visit and the encouraging comment! I appreciate it very much!
Tina
Alastar Packer Level 8 Commenter 12 months ago
Loved this thoughtforce. Your mid-summer celebration is something I didn't know about but its wonderful.The little frogs ditty and videos were thoroughly enjoyed. I once lived in Denmark for a time and came to love the Scandinavian people very much, so this was an extra treat for me. Thank you so much for this as I'll bookmark it to return to again.