It consists of a rich mixture of traditions, rituals, and visuals from Swedish and other folk cultures but somehow darkly twisted. But in fact, there is more overlap between the fictional and the actual celebration than you would think.
In the old agrarian society, they were just ordinary outfits, varied with the seasons. While the bourgeoisie was busy cosplaying and spending a lot of time trying to create a canon of regional garments, the general population had moved on to work clothes more suited to an industrialized society. Many even considered folk costumes a symbol of an archaic and wildly unequal society that they had moved on from in the name of modernity.
Flowers are everywhere in Midsommar and on Midsummer too. The fresh flower wreath worn on the head has become one of the immediately recognizable visuals from the movie, featured in its iconic poster. Traditionally, the wreath is made by the wearer on the same day, again connecting with the seasonal growth theme of the holiday. The full-body May Queen flower bed attire awarded to Dani towards the end is, however, an invention of the filmmakers and not a common sight in Sweden.
You could think of it as an almost absurd exaggeration of existing flower-wearing traditions. This practice is depicted in Midsommar at first as a somewhat childish make-believe game and later pointing towards something more sinister, and you would think it has little to do with modern celebrations. But Swedes will find rituals along these lines very familiar in a slightly modified form: picking the seven flowers.
Midsummer is a magical night in folklore, when nature, animals, and people are more susceptible to spells and more in touch with their spiritual dimension. That night your future betrothed will appear to you in a dream. Gathering the flowers in complete silence is another variation. Both these customs are about doing things out of the ordinary to break with non-magical everydayness.
However, Midsommar takes a rather sweet and innocent ritual and turns it dark: instead of a self-suggestive gesture, an invasive hex pointed at Christian to muddle his mind. The last person standing wins the most coveted of prizes — they are crowned May Queen and revered as such for the remainder of the feast, with all sorts of peculiar ceremonies that come with the title. Dani participates in this game of endurance, at first reluctantly but with more and more glee, or something like it.
The Midsummer Pole or Maypole, internationally speaking is the quintessential Midsummer symbol in Sweden. At large community celebrations, it is usually erected at the center of a meadow as a group activity, after decorating it with birch leaves and flowers, leaving plenty of room around it. Because yes, like in Midsommar , dancing around the pole is an essential activity on this day. Similar to the movie, it is usually done in several circles with ever-changing modes and variations. Accompaniment by a small group of live musicians is a common sight, usually on traditional instruments such as violin and accordion.
Is there a folk tale that is reflected in the movie. Some parts of the movie might be an old tradition specific for a region, a few parts are correct but it seems some parts are taken from pagan tradition. The seriousness and quietness is very strange because Midsummer is a festival with laughters, song and dance. The Vikings celebrated the pagan gods Frej and Freja, who were the fertility gods, during the time we now have Midsummer.
Hens and goats could be sacrificed for pleasing the gods to get good harvests. Slaves or voluntary people could chose to be sacrificed which was an honor in that religion. People might have dressed up in white during this time. It was a festival with food, dance, singing and drinking of a beverage similar to beer. When Swedes became Christians the sacrifices stopped. I think the movie mix the pagan summer sun festivities with the later midsummer festivities. Midsummer today and same for at least a hundred years starts in the morning by picking flowers.
Some make flower crowns, some leave flowers for the people dressing the pole. Midsummer lunch could be at home with friends and family or as a picnic at the place for the festivities. The food intake is made with songs and laughter.
Always flowers on the table. The folklore music and dances are in the afternoon around 2 pm. There can be performances by folklore dance teams or music groups, the pole is raised and then the traditional dance around the maypole begins. There is a dance leader who helps singing the songs at the larger areas of festivities.
People of all ages dance and women often have a dress with floral print on and the men dress in shorts with a short sleeve shirt or t-shirt in colors or light summer colors beige, white. Some have summer jackets and are more dressed up. The people that own a regional traditional folklore dress wears this they are beautiful but gets a bit warm — I have performed folklore dances in these dresses.
At some areas there are games for families to play, anything from competition where you carry an egg on a spoon between your teeth and should run a certain distance, to jumping in sack a certain distance, to the sleeping bear at the maypole where children dance around and try not to be taken by the bear when it wakes up, to a tug of war which often is the end of the games.
Many go swimming if they live close to water after the dance festivities. In the evening we often have barbecue, and strawberry cake is common if not eaten during the day. Young adults may go to the maypole again and dance around it and have games. Strawberry cake and the taste of Swedish summer If you want to know what Swedish summer tastes like, look no further than Swedish strawberry cake. When is Midsummer? Midsummer Eve in is on 25 June.
Where can you usually celebrate Midsummer? Show image on full screen. Midsummer flower crown Midsummer is one of the most celebrated holidays in Sweden.
Who can celebrate midsummer? How to do Midsummer like a local Get invited by a local. Midsummer is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in Sweden. Traditionally a May pole is raised which people gather around to dance and sing. Some people wear folk costumes to honour their regions while celebrating. Must-haves are gravlax or salmon, new potatoes with dill, sour cream and chives, and, of course, sill pickled herring. Sill is traditionally eaten on Swedish holidays, and there are usually a few different varieties, with many Swedes making their own versions rather than buying it.
Celebrations continue into the evening and night with drinks and games outdoors. Tradition calls for beer and shots of different kinds of snaps, usually akvavit or vodka. However, you can celebrate the holiday just as well in the city. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements. To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK".
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