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Hello
everyone!
Well,
summer is almost here and we are looking forward to some warm weather,
and getting together with family and friends, and sitting outside.
This
is the time of year when Scandinavians will make any excuse to be out of
doors.
It’s
the season for festivals and concerts, dancing and grilling etc.
On
May 17th we celebrate “syttende mai” the Norwegian
national day, when they have traditional parades and other get-togethers.
The Danish national day is June 5th,
Sweden's
national day is June 6th and
Iceland's
national day is on the June 17th. Add to all this Midsummer
celebrations on June 21, and now we have a month and a half of
celebrations to plan for!
The
Swedish national day has only been an official holiday for a few years,
and the Swedes are still warming up to it. (see cultural reports for the
story and a recipe for the National Day Pastry)
Midsummer
celebrations take place all over Scandinavia and
Northern Europe
. It is a big holiday over there. See cultural reports for the story.
And
for your viewing pleasure, and for inspiration I have included a bunch
of pictures of Midsummer poles. They look different depending on where
they are. Most are Swedish, but a couple are from
Germany
and are very similar. It is one of our oldest holidays and well
worth celebrating!
For
More:
---
Swedish
National Day ---
Midsommar
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--- Recipe - Swedish
National Day Pastry ---
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My
name is Inger Hanright, and it is in my capacity as V.O.A. Grand Lodge Cultural
Director for USA/Canada, that I’m working on this page. It is my hope that it
will prove to be a valuable resource to anyone that is interested in
Scandinavian Culture. I will update much of the information monthly, and some of
it continually.