Right now in Stockholm, it doesn’t get dark at night. The sun “sets” in a way, but there is always a tinge of light to the sky, and this only lasts a little while before the sun rises again. The morning light starts to filter in through the windows in the wee hours of the morning. Some people have to cover up their bedroom windows with blankets to get any sleep. And it’s even lighter in the north of the country, in places like Kiruna, where there is continual sunlight.
I knew about the long summer days before I moved here, but it still amazes me to look out the window when it is light at midnight. That kind of stuff just doesn’t happen in Kansas!
To give you an example, here is a picture I took at about 11:00 p.m. on June 9, 2008 in Värmland. That’s right… the sun was only beginning to go down!
Of course, all of this sun at this time of the year is tempered with long nights in the winter. That kind of deep, prolonged darkness is tough on the spirit, so Swedes enjoy in the sun while they have it. Part of this is celebrating Midsommar, when the longest days of the year are experienced. Midsommar is a pagan holiday that was originally a fertility festival. Nowadays, people mark Midsommar’s passing with folk music, dancing, herring, spring potatoes, strawberry cake, and brännvin (vodka).
This is Midsommar weekend in Sweden. I attended my first Midsommar celebration on Friday at noon in a neighborhood near my home. Everybody gathered in the parking lot of a grocery store before forming pedestrian parade. While we walked through narrow residential roads, children banged on pots, rattled bottles filled with pebbles, and played kazoos. The horde eventually ended in an empty field with an erected midsommarstång (which is similar to a maypole). Then, those who wished to dance gathered around the pole.
A large speaker system was set up, out of which folk music boomed. The songs were short and sweet, and each had its own corresponding choreography. People sang and danced to songs like one that boasted “you think you’re pretty, but I don’t”, one that described weekly household chores, one about taking a walk while wearing big clogs, and of course the every popular ditty “Små Grodorna” (“The Small Frogs”).
There is a big celebration every year in Stockholm in Skansen, which is an open-air museum. I plan on going there for Midsommar next year. Here is a video that was taken of the festivities at Skansen this year. The clip depicts the raising of the pole, the crowd dancing to the folk songs, and some traditionally dressed dancers.
Midsommar is a wonderful time to be in Sweden! I’m glad I decided to stay for it!!
