Midsummer is the most Swedish tradition there is. Celebrated in some way by pretty much everyone in the country. Usually there is a Maypole which is raised and decorated with flowers and wreaths as seen here behind the church in Tungelsta where two very young and talented musicians stood for the traditional music. This is followed by dancing with dancers dressed in local folk costumes. The couple you see here are from the dance group Haningarna. They are dressed in the Haninge costume. The group has been dancing all around the world for many years. The man here is Kjell Heimdahl from Tungelsta I know that because I have known one of his sons all my life. The music for these dances is normally performed with accordion and guitar. After this dance follows a few funny dances for the kids of all ages. Like the Frog Dance. On the bottom photo you see a dance called the Halling dance. The guy to the left is playing a drunk and is not welcome to dance so he picks a fight. People always seems to enjoy this number, probably because it reminds them of previous Midsummers. This scene is repeated in many places around Haninge today. For the teenagers Midsummer is a different story. I remember a few rainy and very drunk summer nights where we went on camping trips to one of the islands in the Stockholm arcipelago but that is another story. Happy Midsummer everyone!
13 comments:
une belle fête et une belle tradition.
This is a wonderful series documenting the midsummer celebration. I'd love to be there someday and take part. Those musicians really are young! What great spirit you capture here.
This time the images go along with your words, depicting tradition, characters and the spirit of the celebration. All beautiful photos, but this time I really like the great panoramic view: a very good and effective idea.
Great shots all of them but I especially like the two last ones. I wish we had more midsummer feasts here. As it is, sooner or later all that'll be left will be... midsummer at Ikea! ;-)
Ah my ancestry! My grandfather was the child of two Swedish immigrants to the U.S. His mother's home was Algutsboda.
Happy Midsommar to you. Thanks so much for sharing this special time in your country. As Ciel, I absolutely love the last two photos. I wonder if these older people have similar stories as you to tell when they were teenagers and went off to the islands camping at Midsommar.
Thank you for a look inside the celebration. Great photos.
I love their traditional costumes :-)
hej, är en gammal tungelsta bo men inte var det midsommarbilder från i år?
Det stämmer. Jag hade tänkt åka ner till Ekeby Loge eller Häringe Slott, men eftersom det regnade mest hela tiden ställde jag in, och bilderna från kyrkan är från förra årets firande.
Midsummer at IKEA sounds like a nightmare! I always try to shoot a few panoramic shots when I'm out and about. Algutsboda is famous because of the author Vilhelm Moberg, who was born there. I'm sure the oldtimers could tell us a story or two about Midsummer way back when...
what a wonderful celebration
Hej igen, Steffe! I play fiddle with a Swedish Spelmanslag in Minneapolis! Tack for Midsommar fotos! Halsningar fran Hagen i Paris
I think we might need some proof of that Leif!
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