Walpurgis Celebrations

Students all around Sweden put on their student caps on Friday. It is an old tradition and these days it means that all exams are over, and over the next 4 to 6 weeks before graduation the students will be busy partying like crazy. It is very expensive for their poor parents who will have to pay for everything! Just the cap will set them back 1200 SEK.The photos in this set are from Poseidon's Square in Handen, where students from one of the local secondary schools Fria Gymnasieskolan gathered to listen to (and sing with), the all male choir Birger that performed traditional student songs. The weather was amazing, like a normal Swedish summer day. I talked to a very proud grandmother whose grandchild Mikaela can be seen here somewhere. I also spotted the very cute Karin whom I met and photographed a few months ago. Later today celebrations will continue with more singing around the bonfires.

Traditional Midsummer Celebrations

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!

Drunken disorder plagues Midsummer

I borrowed the headline from an article in The Local. So if you want to know how a traditional Swedish Midsummer is celebrated you should read this article. Today's photo is from the midsummer dance in Tungelsta yesterday where everything was a bit calmer...

Midsummer Celebrations

Every year a Maypole, or Midsommarstång is raised on the lawn behind the church in Tungelsta on Midsummer's Day. Then there's traditional dance and folk music performed by the dance group Haningarna. After that it's time to have a cup of coffee on the grass before the dance around the Maypole begins. More photos here.

Just a few minutes too late...

I was going to have a look at the traditional Midsummer celebrations at Brandbergen in Handen. Bigger photo. 50% of the people that live in Brandbergen are immigrants so I figured it would be a change from the one in Tungelsta. I do own a wrist watch, but that didnt do me any good today as I arrived just when all the dancing was over. So all I could to was take a few quick snaps of people taking photos of each other and the Midsommarstång or Maypole. There is a dance here (in the yellow building), but that doesnt get under way until tonight. So if you wanna see some Midsommar photos try that flickr tag.