Celebrating Midsummer

Midsummer is a very important day in Scandinavia. It’s a sign that winter is in the past and the best part of the year, sunny and warm, is ahead. Like most Scandinavian celebrations there are copious amounts of food and drink, including pickled herring, smoked salmon and meatballs, as well as dishes specific to summer, like strawberries and spring potatoes. There’s also drinking, with songs to go with shots of aquavit throughout the day. 

Beyond the food there are plenty of other traditions. Unmarried women can go out the night before to collect seven different kinds of flowers to place under their pillows. If they collected them in total silence it is said that they will dream of the man they will marry that night. 

Of course the Midsummer maypole is probably the most iconic tradition. Decorated with flowers and birch leaves, it is a symbol of the new life found during the summer and the blessings found therein. Traditionally there is dancing and hopping around the maypole to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company (and maybe bump into the man you dreamt about the night before). 

Flowers are a very important part of Midsummer and decorate everything. Everyone can make flower crowns to put in their hair, or just stick one or two blossoms behind their ears. Flowers cover the maypole and are usually the centerpiece for the dinner table. As long as there are flowers everywhere, you’re probably doing it correctly. 

Midsummer is celebrated in every Scandinavian country with variations of the standard traditions and different dates around the same time. This year we’re celebrating on June 21st, so if you need a flower crown let us know!