You eat herring and potatoes, you cut eggs in half and put glob on them, that means if you are old and boring. If you are younger you barbeque meat and vegetables, drink snaps and soda. There is a thing called “snapsvisa”. You sing a very short song before you drink the snaps. (Hard to understand maybe, but google “snapsvisa” and you may get a clearer picture.)
It’s a family holiday and you get together with your friends and neighbors to pick flowers for dressing up a stick. Then we dance around it while singing songs like “Små grodorna” (little frogs), “Vi äro musikanter” (we are musicians) “Räven raskar over isen” (The fox is crossing the ice) “Ritsch ratsch fillibombombom” “Sju vackra flickor I en ring” (Seven beautiful girls in a ring), “Upp på källarbacken” (we can’t translate this..) and “Karusellen” (merry-go-round). It’s usually an old man playing on an accordion while people sing and dance. We also pick flowers to make a “midsommarkrans” (midsummerwreath). Mostly girls wear them, but boys can as well of course.
A very old and not so well kept tradition is to pick seven different flowers and climb over seven different fences. When you have done this, you put the flowers under your pillow and then goes to sleep. The legend says that you will dream about your future true love! This can only be done by girls. But today, fences is very rare in the modern society, so unfortunately this tradition of picking seven different flowers is about to disappear.
Fantastic, i haven't known about this thing :)
ReplyDeleteYes,we think it's sad that not more people celebrate midsummer. Guess that everyone that sees us think that we are crazy, jumping around a maypole, playing oldfashion music and songs. ;)
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