Catching Up Part 1

I know I have been neglecting my blog lately; and to those who read and enjoy it, I apologize. Time has been running away from me with all due haste, and it is with no little amazement that I find myself already well into July.

A lot has been happening since my last post--a few metaphorical fires at work that I've had to help solve, a Swedish holiday that resulted in much merriment and the usual traditional skoll, my bother visiting from the East Coast, and my adventures during this last weekend to celebrate Independence Day--not to mention any library-related events/topics/issues/etc. I'm going to try to post consistently over the next few days in an effort to catch up. I will also try and post a couple of recipes (including the apple pie I made Monday). Today will focus on Midsummer.

Midsummer is a Swedish holiday that celebrates the longest day of the year. Ironically, the official day for Midsummer is not on the Summer Solstice, but rather a few days after on June 25. Sil, or herring, is always part of the menu. This year, because my family was not celebrating alone, we added some other Swedish foods as well: hard-boiled eggs, Swedish cheese, Kalas caviar, homemade rye bread, smoked salmon to stand in for the gravlax, and four kinds of sil. For those who are not used to Swedish food or don't like it, the menu can understandably be a bit of a turn-off. For those in attendance, however, it was all very delicious. Dessert was coffee and fresh strawberries, another very traditional part of the holiday.

I had the pleasure to be in Sweden for Midsummer in 2000 and had the opportunity to celebrate the holiday with the Swedish relatives. My cousin took me just outside of the town he lives in and had me pick a bouquet of seven wildflowers on Midsummer's Eve. Tradition says that any unwed girl who does this and places her bouquet under her pillow on Midsummer's Eve will dream of the man she will marry that night. My bouquet did indeed rest under my pillow that night, but I woke up the next morning sadly with no recollection of any dreams. To this day, I still don't know if I dreamed of my future husband that night.

Another Swedish tradition that I was able to enjoy was the dancing around the May pole (I have no idea why it's called a May pole when the holiday is in June). Where my cousins live, the celebration is held just outside of town in a big field with a small grassy mound that gives a perfect view of the dancing. The dancers wear a traditional costume; each Swedish province has its own traditional dress. Live music is played, and everyone watches and has a good time--sometimes even joining in with the dancing. Reminiscing now makes me want to go back and see it all again.

Below are a couple of pictures of our Midsummer dinner table. Tomorrow I'll post again about 4th of July weekend (and the apple pie recipe) before returning to the topic of libraries over the weekend.



An overview of the Midsummer table. Can't tell it's a Swedish celebration, can you? ;)



A close-up of one of the Swedish figurines my mom uses to decorate the table.