By Carolyn Spargo

Midsummer (midsommar) is the longest day of the year! The
summers are short so this day is given to celebration and partying in Sweden
and all of Scandinavia.
Midsummer Eve is always celebrated on the Friday closest to June 21. The
celebration begins with the raising of the midsummer pole. The tall pole
crosses at the top and is decorated with greens and flowers. It is erected on
Midsummer Eve with the music of fiddlers in their folk costumes. In some areas
of Sweden, the
fiddlers will ride and play on church boats down the river to get to the
celebration. When the pole is in place, the traditional dances of little green
frogs, small pigs, and carousels begin! Swedes will decorate their cars and
boats with birch greenery. Girls will make flower wreaths to wear on their
heads. Potatoes with dill and pickled herring are the common food. At night, a
person will pick seven different kinds of flowers to put under their pillow so
they will dream of their future love.

Midsummer festivals are celebrated all over the U.S.
among the Swedish community. In Minnesota,
there are celebrations on June 14 at the American Swedish Institute, June 21 at
the Gammelgården in Scandia, and on June 13 at the Acorn
House in Victoria with the Nordic
Heritage Club.

The Nordic Heritage Club will celebrate ‘en riktig svensk midsommar’ a real Swedish Midsummer at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 13 at the Acorn House
on Kochia Lane in Victoria.
We will have potatoes with dill and pickled herring. Come make flower wreaths
for your hair! Live music by Värsk Spelmän will ring through the air. Bring
your dancing shoes and learn how to dance just like the Swedes, about little
green frogs, small pigs, and carousels—no partner needed! Traditional Swedish
music such as waltzes, schottisches, polkas, and polskas will also be played.
For more information, visit the Nordic Heritage Website at www.nordicheritageclub.com [1].
Come to the celebration, rain or shine!

Carolyn Johnson Spargo
lives on the border of Chaska and Victoria, and is active in all things
Scandinavian including the Nordic Heritage Club, which meets on the second
Friday of the month at the Acorn House in Victoria. Her column appears monthly in the Victoria Town Square pages.

Celebrate the longest day of the year

Who: Everyone interested in music, dancing and food

What: Celebrating summer solstice

When: 7 p.m. Friday,
June 13

Where: The Acorn House, next to the Victoria Field House

Sponsored by: The Nordic Heritage Club.

For more information: Go to
www.nordicheritageclub.com.