Swedish summer is a buzzing time in many respects. Photo: Theresia Parsby/Image Bank Sweden

Midsummer festivities rate as highly as Christmas, and are possibly enjoyed more due to the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that you can stay out late without thermal underwear (hopefully, anyway). The mental buildup is important and, ideally, you should have spent the winter in a Scandinavian climate to properly anticipate the summer holiday.

1. Get the pole in place

Swedes need something to dance around: in winter it’s the Christmas tree, in summer the Maypole (midsommarstång) takes over. Midsummer Eve (midsommarafton) begins with dressing the pole (which can be any size, keeping its phallic symbolism in mind).

The Maypole is essentially a large wooden cross with two circular wreaths hanging from its horizontal ends. The pole and wreaths should be liberally dressed with greenery — preferably birch leaves and flowers — which represent the lushness of the season. The leaves and flowers are best fixed using flexible twigs and stalks, or twine.

Everyone should lend a hand to raise the pole, which is done using a combination of ropes, sticks and brute strength. This is your party place (festplats), so make sure you select a good space with plenty of room for dancing.

Let the Midsummer celebrations bring out the kid in you. Photo: Christer Engström/Folio

2. Dress for success

Another important activity in preparation for the feast is to tread light-footedly through the surrounding nature in search for wild flowers. Swedes use these flowers to stylishly bind into garlands to adorn their heads.

Traditional costumes can also add to the Midsummer atmosphere, although these are usually only worn at official celebrations.

3. Get your culinary classics

With everything set up, it’s more than likely time for lunch, which should be enjoyed outside — set up a table with a decorative cloth and serve. The Midsummer feast traditionally consists of new potatoes with dill, sour cream and pickled herring, with the season’s first strawberries and whipped cream to follow.

As for the adults, the food is often washed down with alcohol. Use beer, wine or any non-alcoholic alternative to quench your thirst, and nubbe (shot of alcohol) for courage, long life, love, vitality, the local soccer team or any other reason for a toast. The nubbe or brännvin is usually distilled from grain or potato and can be flavored, but is never sweet. It is always accompanied by drinking songs which range from raucous to rude to just plain silly.

Midsummer is a time for families to come together. The children receive sweets and play lottery tombola. They should also line up for a turn in the hayride, sitting on the back of the hay cart as it goes round the neighborhood.

The "nubbe" is a standard feature for the thirsty. It may even give you courage to wear a more elaborate head decoration. Photo: Nadja von Bahr/Image Bank Sweden 

4. Sing and dance like a Swede

Now the dancing can begin. Regardless of how many people are at your Midsummer party, you should form a circle round the pole. If you have hundreds of revelers, form a number of circles which dance in opposite directions. To the layman, the dancing needn't be too complicated. Usually, it’s just a question of maintaining movement in one direction, then changing direction at intervals.

Swedes grow up with Midsummer songs. Favorites include Vi äro musikanter (We are musicians), which involves pretending to play a selection of instruments, Raketen (The rocket), which involves recreating a firework display through the art of mime, and Små grodorna (The little frogs), which involves hopping round as little frogs:

Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.
Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.

Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.

For the more serious dancer, there is a wealth of traditional dances. Håkan Petersson from Folkungagillet, Linköping’s dance association, explains what to expect on Midsummer Eve.

“Traditionally, Midsummer was a time where men and women could come together and flirt in ways that are much more subtle than today,” he says. “Many of these songs and dances reflect the flirtatiousness and are filled with innuendo.”

5. Dream of love

The party often goes on late into the night. Some continue drinking and some take the innuendo of the dance to its natural conclusion. In the past, innocent girls picked seven flowers as they wandered home; placing the flowers under their pillow was supposed to inspire them to dream of their future husband. Even today some keep this Midsummer tradition alive, dreaming of future love.

Ben Kersley

Ben Kersley moved to Sweden in the summer of 2006. Since then he has been sending ripples throughout Sweden as an actor, writer and trainer. He is also Sweden's only Swenglish stand-up comedian.
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