countries! Midsummer is something we, the people in Sweden celebrate more than other people in other countries. Before we were Christians we celebrated midsummer because it was summer solstice. The longest day of the year. When we became Christians we celebrated midsummer because John the Baptist's birthday is on the 24 June. Then midsummer eve was on the 23 June right up to 1952. 1953 it was decided that midsummer eve would be on a Friday between the 20-26 June.
Midsummer in Sweden
Midsummer is celebrated with midsummer poles. The midsummer pole is a fertility symbol that came from Germany in the 15th- or 16th century. The pole is a cross with two wreaths. It’s an old tradition to dress the midsummer pole with birch leaves and dance and sing around it. You play different games like sack race and other games, like when you have a spoon in your mouth and in the spoon there is something that easily breaks like an egg. A long time ago it was believed that the harvest was better and animal got more babies if you had a midsummer pole. In the olden days they used to light midsummer fires as well, but now it´s not so popular. One more thing they believed in was that if you gather seven different types of flowers and laid them under the pillow, you would dream about the man or woman that you would marry in the future. You should gather them in the ditches, at a crossroad with three verges and you have to be quiet all the time or you could gather them on seven different fields and jump over seven different fences and be quiet all the time. On the midsummer eve's night the people were afraid to be outside, especially near the water because of “Näcken”. He is a male person in Swedish mythology who sits on a rock by the stream and plays his violin. General belief was that when he played his beautiful music you were lured in the water and you drowned. Midsummer in England
Here they used to celebrate midsummer with midsummer fires until the 19th-century. From the 14th-century they had midsummer poles. Now they don´t celebrate midsummer. Midsummer in France
They celebrated their midsummer in the 16th-century. Now they don´t celebrate midsummer apart from the borderland near Germany. There they light midsummer fires and make noises in instruments made from horns. Midsummer in Finland
Here they got midsummer from Sweden in the 19th-century. In the Finnish areas they don´t celebrate midsummer. It considered to be a Swedish tradition that only Finnish-Swedes celebrate. Midsummer in Denmark and Norway
There they don´t celebrate midsummer. They only light fires on midsummer. Menu for midsummer Dinner: *Pickled herring and new potatoes *Thin crispy white bread *Cream fraiche with chives *Eggs *Barbecue *Potato gratin *Fruit salad, ordinary salad *Pie Dessert *Strawberries and cream *Ice-cream *Strawberry cake ( any cake you want)
Bibliography: Web sites: www.nordiskamuseet.se www.algonet.se http://hem.passagen.se Books: “Högtider och fester året runt” by Ingemar Liman “Tomtar, häxor och mårten gås” by Maj Bylock and Maj Fagerberg “Fakta om julen, påsken och våra andra högtider” by Almqvist and Wiksell This article is made by Camilla Eriksson and Lisa Sönnerland Sp2a Parkskolan Sweden