Day 3 - Swedish Midsommer

​What a day! I will say, buckle up for those of you reading at home, there will be a lot of photos and perhaps a fair amount of words, to describe the most majikal day of the year.
 
We started off in the morning, by making that strawberry cake, I thought I missed out on making!! I was really happy that they didn’t get to make it the night before, because I really wanted to be part of that. Eva got everything out then instructed mum and I on how to make it. I feel like mum’s new role in Eva’s kitchen is to sit at the bench and chop things up! She cut up all the strawberries, for the filling, while I made the cream cheese filling. Thank god Eva bought the sponge layers pre made! After we constructed the cake, I tried the cream filling and oh my god, it was the most delicious filling! Not to sweet, not to bitter, just right, light and fluffy, it had me really looking forward to when we got to eat the actual cake in the evening!

​After we made the cake and had breaky, we started getting ready for Midsommer. Eva asked me to braid her hair for the event, which I thought was so sweet. She usually has Fredrik do it, which is a nice tradition I thought, but with kids, it is almost impossible now. I really liked that she asked me, because it felt like a real sister moment and I really liked that she had no hesitation in asking me if I could do that for her. It felt somewhat vulnerable and safe, all wrapped up into one. It was a very delicious and special moment for me, knowing how important and sacred Midsommer is in both Swedish and Estonian culture.

​Once we were ready to go, we started the somewhat short journey there. When we arrived, mum and I first, I remember thinking everything was so pretty!! We paid for our entry, the people were so lovely dressed in their national costumes and we entered. When we walked into the area there was a huge maypole covered in flowers and vines. I thought it was absolutely stunning! It made me reflect on the differences of Estonian and Swedish Midsommer. We would have a big fire for jumping over it, folk dancing, different foods on the grill, but here they dance around a may pole, which I did! More on that later. After the maypole held my attention for a moment, I saw two lovely ladies in their stunning costumes. 

I didn’t even hesitate to walk up to them and asked if I could take a photo with them. They were overly happy to do so and asked us where we were from and we had a lovely little conversation around it. Their hospitality was absolutely wonderful, especially a bit later, when I share that part the story.

​We then wondered around a little and found another little area where the people were selling sweets, pastries and some drinks. The sweets were in abundance and the way they had set it up just looked absolutely so inviting, I couldn’t resist taking some photos of their set up, before it got to crowded. Before I saw the set up, I saw the most magnificent flower crown I had seen in a long time!! It was red, purple, white and so many colours! It was so big! I quickly found the courage to ask the lady if I could try it on and take a photo. She was more than happy to let me do this, it made me smile! This is also a big tradition in the Estonian culture, to go and pick wild flowers and make a flower crown, which we did in 2019. One basket made only 1 flower crown.

​After this beautiful experience, we continued to walk around and found a great seat which was somewhat in the shade and faced the maypole, so we could see the festivities, or so we thought. By 12pm there was a huge crowd, more than I would have expected. People just say where ever, on their picnic blankets, and manoeuvring yourself around the grounds was somewhat of a challenge, let alone for Eva and her pram!

I wondered around a little more and then I saw it! A place to get my own flower crown! I thought to myself, I have to get one, the cost didn’t matter (thankfully they were not overly expensive, compared to Laulupidu in Eesti, 2019). Of course I had to get one for Eva too! The ladies were so kind, they helped me get some cash and then told me I had the option to make one or buy one. I didn’t know how to make it and they didn’t appear to be teaching it, but then again, the impatient part of me wanted to wear it. I chose one that had some pink flowers in it, to match my dress. When I put it on I felt, uhhhh this is Jaanipäev, even though I am in Sweden. The majik that comes from celebrating these few days, with all the traditions and connectedness, is one of my favourite times of the year. I felt at home, connected, joyful and grateful I could experience this again, in Europe.

​We then watched the celebrations for a few moments and spent time together with Eva and her family, and then the dancing and singing began. I went closer to the maypole to get some pictures and videos. All of a sudden I found myself joined in and dancing around the maypole with everyone else! It was so much fun, the community and how everyone was connected, sharing the same experience but in their own way, it was abundantly majikal and an experience I will never forget. I am so grateful to have had that experience in many ways and happy I had the courage to just join in the dancing.

After Eva and Fredrik left with the kids, we were sitting there, watching the singing and dancing, and people came to join us at our table. There was a lady who started talking to mum, when I was having a wonder, and when I returned, she told me she was so excited that she had come to this event and now she is talking to an Australian! She couldn’t believe it. We then started talking to the people next to us on the other table and I was amazed at what they had brought. The two men had brought a fruit platter, then a baguette AND a full Swedish Midsommer meal, with 5 varieties of herring! They even had a pot of warm potatoes, which they offered me one, and of course I took! I adore the potatoes here, so delicious, far better than those in Australia! A potato a day keeps the doctor away!! (that was my issues the day before, I didn’t have a potato). I was impressed as they had brought everything with them, plates, cutlery, EVERYTHING! It was wonderful to see this tradition living on. They shared stories of some of the traditions in Sweden, such as finding 7 flowers and sleeping with them under your pillow, and you will dream of your future love.

I couldn't believe how many people were at this farm house for Midsommer. It was incredible, and the amount of bikes!! So many people rode their bikes to the event! And, I finally had my hands on some Swedish Krona!

​When we came home, we had a traditional Swedish Fika with our strawberry cake we made earlier in the morning. It was such a delicious cake, abundant in flavour, not to sweet and perfect for a little afternoon delight. We took some lovely family photos, Eva wanted, for Midsommer. It was challenging getting Vincent and Viktoria to look at the camera, but they did look so sweet in their Midsommer clothes!

Now, this next part I didn’t get photos because I was living in the moment but Vincent and I were playing outside on the grass for about an hour, on the ground. He was pushing me over, I was throwing him around, rawring at each other, just having some silly fun. The thing that made me giggle was every time I would role him onto the ground, his cap would come off and there would be a little pause when he landed on the ground and he would say “caps”. It was almost like a little reset, he had to put his cap back on and then we could keep playing. Then by the end of it he would say “Min caps” or “my cap”, and I realised what he was doing, so I would put it on my head and say “min caps” for him to take. We had the best time rolling around on the ground and that is a memory I will keep with me. Play for the sake of play is something we do not do enough of as adults and I really enjoyed that time, doing that with Vincent.

​For dinner we had the most magnificent sandwich cake. It is reserved for celebrations in Sweden and not usually a traditional cake eaten for Midsommer (and not I am not writing spelling mistakes, it is how they spell it in Sweden). Eva’s mother bought it for us to celebrate Midsommer and a range of things, while we were here. I was worried it was going to be like the fish cake Danae and I were forced to eat when we were 10 and 11, in Estonia, but it was not. It was very rich but I liked it. A full meal in one slice! Vincent was more interested in the lemons on top than he was the cake itself!

​This has been a long entry, but it was a very significant day, with lots of things happening and a whole bunch of photos. Not every day will be this long, but this one was special and significant, just as much as Christmas!
 
Until tomorrow
Marissa xx