My friends wearing their self-braided flower bands. Photo by me.
My first summer in Sweden meant automatically also my first celebrations of Midsummer. A Swedish friend of mine had invited a small group of friends to join her to her family’s cabin in the beautiful country side of Värmland. It was the perfect place to get to know this Swedish tradition, since midsummer is mainly an event from the country side. Packed with mosquito sprays, swimwear and lots of food and beverages we drove half a day to arrive at our destination. A beautiful red country house, located next to a lake between some fields and forests – how Swedish!
On the day of Midsummer (always a Friday evening between the 19th and 25th of June), we braided flowers bands and went to the centre of a nearby village to take part in the celebrations. It was very busy considering the size of the village and the atmosphere was vibrant and cosy. After the midsummer pole was put in place, the festivities began. A small group of musicians started to play and so the dancing could start. Midsummer is famous for it’s dances, and I think the most recognisable one is where you have to jump like a frog. Not kidding! Of course we international students wanted to try all of it and joined the families – mainly small children – in the circle. It was so much fun!
The midsummer pole being put in place. Photo Hernán Capador.
The Midsummer dinner seems to be as much of a tradition as the pole, flowers and dancing and was at least as wonderful. Between singing traditional songs and drinking schnaps we ate delicious Swedish potatoes and my friend had prepared a variety of fish and (vegetarian) meat balls. After dancing the night away it was time for the last tradition. In complete silence one must go out in the night and pick seven different flowers, carefully put them under your pillow and sleep on them. The person you dream about is the person you will marry!
Have you experienced a Swedish Midsummer yet? Or want to know more? Feel free to tell me in a reply below.
Rosan
hi rosan..nice to see your studies and achievements..i really inspired by your mission.i did B.sc(Animal Science) from pakistan and now i want to continue my study as a M.Sc programme. i have excellent academic background..i need your kind help because i want to take scholarship of that university ..so please guide me..i will wait your kind reply..thanks
Dear Muhammad,
My apologies for this late reply, I was away because of the summer holidays. It’s great to hear you feel inspired and even more amazing you are considering to follow the MSc programme at SLU! To apply for a scholarship at SLU you should be able to find all the information you need on this webpage: http://www.slu.se/en/education/application-and-admission/tuition-fees-and-scholarships/ I hope that answers the questions you have? If not, I think your best chance is to contact the Admissions Office at SLU (admissions@slu.se ).
Wishing you all the best with your academic career!
Kind regards,
Rosan