All people on earth have the exclusive right to call themselves I! And whoever says "we" is not alone! On Midsummer's Day and beyond, everyone who participates in the celebration at Långå Skans on Midsummer's Eve can say that...."vi danced around the midsummer pole…” There the community appears in its true guise. No one is alone there, but is an important link in the round chain that holds each other's hands around a symbol that represents summer and the second major holiday of the year, half a year away from Christmas. Isn't that remarkable and purely human!
Of course, you can celebrate for yourself and many do. But even in seclusion, you can share the moods that midsummer contains, regardless of where you are. Just in this celebration yesterday you are still in a community. "We in Sweden".
Tradition means, among other things, that something repeats itself at a specific time or in connection with something that follows an inherited pattern. The very core of a tradition is usually of old date. The Midsummer celebration is of Christian origin, like so many other holidays. They say Saint Hans in Norway and Denmark. Saint Hans, is an abbreviation of Johannes, he who was born on 24 June, six months before Jesus. 'John the Baptist' is celebrated in the church on Sunday, the day after Midsummer Day and thus becomes its own holiday. Thus, Sunday is not 'midsummer's second day'!
In addition to 'the sweet summer time' with 'the rich splendor of friendly greenery' and dancing around the midsummer pole, 'food' is an anchor in the celebration itself. When we sit down to the table, we anchor ourselves to one of our most beloved food traditions, behave! And the new potatoes! And the strawberries! And there are some of the finds in Långåfisket. Trout! Grundsjörödingen! Harren! Fucked! The perch! The pike (perhaps?). Freshly smoked with rice, at least one of them is a 'must' for a hearty midsummer celebration.
The Midsummer Eve meal is a shared experience in the middle of the brightest time of the year!
Happy Midsummer to everyone!
Helgi Jonsson