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Traditions

Midsommar / Midsummer

The Swedish edition of this tradition is veeeery different from the movie that came out 2019 haha. All we do is celebrate the longest day of the year in every way we can think of ...  

1. Eating

Enjoying a classic Midsummer Buffet stacked with a variety of pickled herrings, new potatoes with dill and butter, gravlax, Skagen, crispbread, cheese pie, grilled pork, spring veggies & fancy strawberry cake. See Fika's Midsummer food here.

2. Drinking

Nuff said.

3. Singing

Drinking (snaps) 100% correlates to singing ‘snapsvisor’ = short witty snaps songs.

4. Dancing

Swedes love dancing around a several meter high pole dressed in greenery and flowers (called maypole aka 'Midsommarstång'). Nothing's ever too sill-y at Midsummer.

Midsummer at Fika

If you are down under over Midsummer, you can come and get a little bit of Swedish Midsummer magic at Fika. We have a maypole (feel free to dance around it ;) ) We'll be pickling and curing everything you need for the ultimate Midsummer lunch. Dine in with our Midsummer Plate (on the menu 23-25 June 2023) or takeaway (look for deli products in our fridge).

 

There is of course so much more to Midsummer than eating, drinking, dancing and singing. Caroline Brandelius is sharing some fun, old traditions.

7 FLOWERS UNDER THE PILLOW
Picking seven flowers is the tradition from the 18th century of putting flowers under your pillow and dreaming about your future husband. It’s still a popular tradition in some parts of Sweden. When you pick your seven flowers you should also jump over seven paddock fences. And it all has to be done in silence to not break the magic. When you are done all that you will be completely exhausted and dream about the man of your life. ;)

DREAM PORRIDGE
For women it was important to find a husband and get married. Their whole future depended on finding the right husband. Midsummer was normally the time of year when different villages met up after a long isolated winter. Therefore all kinds of superstitious acts took place to predict future marriages.

Besides picking seven flowers you could also eat something very salty, like herring or dream porridge. Dream porridge was made out of flour water and salt. Then in your dreams your future husband would come and quench your thirst. Based on what kind of drink he was offering, you could tell if the marriage was going to be rich or poor.

NAKED IN THE MORNING
It was believed that herbs, grass, flowers and all kinds of greenery hold special power and magic during midsummer. Therefor a lot of people rolled around naked in the morning dew on Midsummer, a way to help them stay healthy and strong for the rest of the year.

Even the Midsummer crowns made out of flowers were kept all the way to Christmas. At Christmas they were put in the bath to boost people’s immune systems and general health.

SO WHAT'S THE MIDSUMMER POLE ALL ABOUT?
Rumors says that the Midsummer Pole is a phallic symbol, but that is not the truth. The Midsummer Pole was first introduced to Swedes by Germans that call it a Maypole. And why we dress it in greenery and flowers is a celebration of summer’s blooming arrival. The most famous dance around the pole is the frog dance, små grodorna, where Swedes jump around the pole imitating frogs.

MIDNIGHT DIP
In modern times a lot of Swede’s love having their first dip in the sea at Midsummer. At midnight it is still pretty bright thanks to the summer solstice. After a few schnapps in your body you feel pretty confident to go for a skinny dip in freezing cold water. And maybe this comes from the tradition of rolling around naked in the morning dew. The midnight dip is pretty magical especially if you do it together with your Midsummer flirt.