This Friday marks one of the biggest days on the Swedish calendar – Midsummer's Eve – and it's one of my absolute favourite celebrations of the year.
Rooted in ancient pagan traditions, the Swedish Midsummer is a joyful celebration of light, nature, and the arrival of summer. For centuries, Swedes have gathered to mark the longest day of the year with music, dancing, and feasting – a tradition that remains deeply cherished to this day.
If you're in Sweden over Midsummer, you’ll notice the city streets are deserted as many make their way to a corner of the countryside to dance around the maypole with wildflowers in their hair, and then tuck into a feast of pickled herring, new potatoes, and sweet strawberries – all under the glow of the summer solstice.
Fancy holding a mini celebration at home? Here are the key ingredients...
Forget perfect floral arrangements – Midsummer is all about embracing nature’s wild beauty. It’s customary to head out and gather wildflowers from the hedgerows and meadows, using them to decorate the Midsummer pole, dress the table, and weave into carefree flower crowns.
A key moment during Midsummer celebrations is dancing around the maypole while singing traditional songs – the most famous of which involves hopping like a frog (yes, really). It’s tradition for villagers to gather and decorate the maypole together with foliage and wildflowers before the dancing begins.
Now, I’d be seriously impressed if you put up a four-metre maypole in your garden and started jumping around like a frog – though I’m sure your neighbours would be very curious about what was going on! But if you'd like to give a subtle nod to the tradition, why not make a miniature version as a table centrepiece?
Tuck into a relaxed feast of pickled herring, new potatoes with dill, gravlax, crispbread, Västerbotten cheese, and a big bowl of fresh strawberries with cream. Wash it all down with elderflower cordial, cold beer, or a shot of schnapps – and don’t forget to sing a few songs to bring a little Midsummer cheer!
It may be summer, but you never quite know what the Nordic weather gods have in store. Even so, it’s customary to celebrate outdoors, come rain or shine – after all, as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. If you’re planning to do the same, make sure to have a few blankets at the ready!
In some parts of Sweden, the sun doesn’t set at all over Midsummer – but even so, candles and lanterns look especially beautiful twinkling at dusk. They add a touch of warmth and atmosphere to the celebrations, helping you carry on the revelry well into the small hours.
I hope these ideas have given you a little inspiration to join in a Swedish Midsummer’s Eve celebration from afar. Or perhaps you have your own Midsummer traditions – if so, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
Looking for more Midsummer inspiration? If so, be sure to check out these posts:
5 steps to hosting a Swedish midsummerA short and pretty guide to celebrating midsummerA pretty midsummer table settingWe’ll be celebrating with 24 friends up at our summer cottage this Friday – it’s going to be so much fun, but there’s a lot to prepare! I’m afraid that also means I won’t be posting on Friday (but perhaps you’ll be celebrating Midsummer too?).
So, I’ll take this chance to wish you a wonderful rest of the week – and Glad Midsommar!
Niki x
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