Swedish Midsummer

Swedish snus

Let’s celebrate Swedish Midsummer!

Midsummer is a holiday that almost every Swede is celebrating. Many people are free from work, and everyone is hoping for good weather. Will it be sunny? Can we sit outside? Maybe it will rain?

This Friday, it’s time for Midsummer in Sweden. Almost everyone has been planning for at least a week; checking the weather and buying groceries and drinks. At the moment, the weather forecast says it’ll be sunny and 30 degrees – so this year gonna be a good one. 

Midsummer is celebrated around the summer solstice and is the longest day of the year. After this day, it gets darker again. From the beginning, we celebrated Midsummer in honor of Johannes Döpare (John the Baptist), as June 24 was his birthday.

The more modern celebration is that we meet with friends and family for food and drink, dancing and games. We dance around a flower-covered pole and sing songs such as ”Små grodorna” (Little frogs), ”Prästens lilla kråka” (the priest’s little crow), and ”Vi äro musikanter” (We are musicians). During this holiday we eat and drink a lot. Must-haves on the table are sill (herring), new potatoes, smoked salmon, ”Janssons frestelse” (a traditional Swedish potato dish), and sour cream. We drink beer, wine, and what we call nubbe which is schnapps. After dinner, we often play some games. The most common games are “Kubb”, “Femkamp” (pentathlon), and “Norwegian fill” (spin around a post). After that, we continue to eat and drink again.

Midsummer is a sign that summer is finally here. Nine months of cold, rain, and snow are over, and we are all looking forward to our holiday and summer plans. To sit with a beer, a nice can of snus, and just enjoy the night – it is definitely one of the best days of the year!

Snus tips for midsummer

Have a nice midsummer!