Midsommar
So last post I spent the majority of the time talking about some of the celebrations of Sweden, however, the biggest celebration (well, after Christmas of course) was just around the corner at the time, and now having experienced it, I can see why it is considered such a major celebration here in Sweden!
Midsommar is a celebration which occurs every year, with the exact date changing every year - a bit like Easter. It is always celebrated on the Friday which is closest to the longest day of the year. Why this celebration came about? As far as I've heard, no one seems to know. It seems to be purely in celebration of Summer. This event is celebrated in the country side where we can truly enjoy Summer's nature and warmth, leaving towns deserted. Some families choose to have their own personal celebrations in the backyard while others go to community gatherings to celebrate the day. Of course, it is mandatory to create your very own flower crown and dance around a pole which has been decorated with flowers, leaves and sometimes blue and yellow ribbons, It is not considered weird to dance like a frog when 'små grodorna' begins to play, young or old. Then it is quite common to have herring for lunch and cakes covered in strawberries for fika. There is also a legend where if you pick 7 different flowers and place them under your bed, you will dream of your future partner. So now you know how this celebration works, I'll tell you about my personal experience!
My host family and I spent the day at a cute place known as Swensbylijda. This is a farm which dates back to the 17th century which features olden day mills and buildings, along with cute farm animals like hens and pigs. Here we celebrated midsummer the traditional way, begining by creating our own flower crowns from all the picked flowers and vines, using string to hold the crowns neatly together. They had also decorated a pole which was placed in the centre of the farm, with live musicians (one being Tomas!) and dancers who wore traditional clothing. After a few pieces by them, the rest of the community were able to join in with the dancing. This is so much fun because you really just get to be a little kid again, circling around and dancing to the music. I followed Isabelle's dance moves and attempted to sing along to the music, although, a lot of it was mumbled gibberish. The little kid beside me was probably very confused. We also met up with some family friends for lunch where we were treated to a big range of food like eggs, herring, cheese and meatballs. Of course, you can't finish without fika though, so we had a cake topped with strawberries which was delicious!
Once these celebrations were complete, we had also been invited to a barbreque for dinner, but then it was off to hang out with a few friends. Isabelle, Marcus, Albin, Jakob and I spent the evening hanging out, driving around town, grabbing some treats to eat and of course, picking 7 different flowers. The evening was absolutely gorgeous with a lovely pink sunset casting over the water. I have to say, the weather was fantastic and probably the warmest day of the year so far which made it even more enjoyable. I hope this weather continues because I am really enjoying it! Bring on the heat. Or at least, make sure it's warm for eurotour!! (so soon) On that note, if my next post is late...it's because I'm on tour in Europe.
Anyway, while this is one of the major highlights of the week, I would also like to mention another big event. Here in Piteå I have been fortunate enough to have a Italien and Turkish exchange student (Lavinia and Dora) to guide me through the ropes and be wonderful friends. Unfortunately their advenutres on exchange are coming to an end as they leave very soon. My last official day with them was spent celebrating Lavinia's birthday at Pitehavsbad. This place is awesome and filled with a range of activities, while being situated right beside the beach. Us exchange students, Isabelle and Gabriel spent the day at the indoor pool and on the beach, taking a dip in the not-as-freezing-as-I-thought water. I also got to try a steam sauna! Here the whole place is covered in steam making everything look murky, but it was a pretty cool thing to just experience. We also had a dinner at Lavinia's with a group of friends to say happy birthday and some final goodbyes. I will miss my two lovely exchange buddies!
My host family and I spent the day at a cute place known as Swensbylijda. This is a farm which dates back to the 17th century which features olden day mills and buildings, along with cute farm animals like hens and pigs. Here we celebrated midsummer the traditional way, begining by creating our own flower crowns from all the picked flowers and vines, using string to hold the crowns neatly together. They had also decorated a pole which was placed in the centre of the farm, with live musicians (one being Tomas!) and dancers who wore traditional clothing. After a few pieces by them, the rest of the community were able to join in with the dancing. This is so much fun because you really just get to be a little kid again, circling around and dancing to the music. I followed Isabelle's dance moves and attempted to sing along to the music, although, a lot of it was mumbled gibberish. The little kid beside me was probably very confused. We also met up with some family friends for lunch where we were treated to a big range of food like eggs, herring, cheese and meatballs. Of course, you can't finish without fika though, so we had a cake topped with strawberries which was delicious!
Once these celebrations were complete, we had also been invited to a barbreque for dinner, but then it was off to hang out with a few friends. Isabelle, Marcus, Albin, Jakob and I spent the evening hanging out, driving around town, grabbing some treats to eat and of course, picking 7 different flowers. The evening was absolutely gorgeous with a lovely pink sunset casting over the water. I have to say, the weather was fantastic and probably the warmest day of the year so far which made it even more enjoyable. I hope this weather continues because I am really enjoying it! Bring on the heat. Or at least, make sure it's warm for eurotour!! (so soon) On that note, if my next post is late...it's because I'm on tour in Europe.
.JPG)
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