Midsummer pole
The flower-covered pole raised and danced around on Midsummer in Sweden.
Also: midsommarstang
At Midsummer, around 21 to 24 June, Swedes raise a tall pole covered with leaves and flowers in a field or village green, and dance around it, singing songs such as Sma grodorna, the little frogs, in which dancers hop like frogs. Girls pick seven kinds of flowers and place them under their pillow to dream of their future husband. The meal is of new potatoes, pickled herring, sour cream and chives, followed by strawberries and snaps. Wreaths of wildflowers are worn on the head. It is the great summer holiday, when the cities empty as people go to the countryside, and the light lasts almost all night.
Region: Europe