🌼 Midsummer 🌼
🇸🇪 Swedish summer tradition
Ancient tradition says that if a young woman puts seven different flowers under her pillow on the night to Midsummer Day, she will dream of her future partner.
-
🌼 The Origins
In agrarian times, Midsummer celebrations in Sweden were held to welcome summertime and the season of fertility. In some areas people dressed up as "green men", clad in ferns. They also decorated their houses and farm tools with foliage, and raised tall, leafy maypoles to dance around, probably as early as the 1500s. -
🌼 When is it?
Swedes like the world to be well-ordered, so Midsummer Eve is always a Friday between 19 and 25 June. People often begin the day by picking flowers and making wreaths to place on the maypole, which is a key component in the celebrations. -
🌼 Mysterious Midsummer
Legend has it that the night before Midsummer`s Day is a magical time for love. It still is, in a way. During this night many a relationship is put to the test. Under the influence of alcohol, the truth will out, which can lead both to marriage and to divorce. -
🌼 Maypoles and dancing
Midsummer is normally an occasion of large gatherings. In many cases, whole families gather to celebrate this traditional high-point of the summer. The maypole is raised in an open spot and traditional ring-dances ensue, to the delight of the children and some of the adults. Teenagers tend to stay out of it and wait for the evening’s more riotous entertainment.
More Swedish traditions here
Coded By Diana Todorova