Swedish Midsummer in London 2016
Swedish Midsummer – background
Midsummer celebrations is a tradition celebrated in Sweden and by Swedes all over the world once a year! Summer in Sweden is short, it starts in May and explodes into life in June and by the end of September the cold is coming back. At Midsummer it’s hardly dark at all, and in north Sweden, the sun never sets. Midsummer night is therefore the lightest night of the year.
From the beginning Midsummer was celebrated to commemorate John The Baptist and to welcome the summertime and the season of fertility. On Midsummer’s Eve girls are suppose to pick 7 different flowers and lay them under their pillow. If they do this, the tale says they will dream about their future husband. Legend has it that the night before Midsummer’s Day is a magical time for love and that many children are conceived this special night.
Many Swedes begin their 5 week holiday just after Midsummer (yes, in Sweden many take out all their holiday over one period in July). Midsummer is often celebrated at the country side and towns are often left empty en spookily deserted.
See our video:
In Sweden, Midsummer is always celebrated on Midsummer’s Eve which is always a Friday. Here in the UK it has become a tradition to celebrate on the Saturday, on Midsummer’s Day.
The day often begins with picking flowers for the flower crowns worn by the girls and women and to build a maypole which is a key component in the celebrations. Drinking and singing is a big part of the festivities and midsummer is known for being messy.
Midsummer in London 2016
We at LondonSwedes have joined the popular celebrations in Hyde park previous years but we are NOT the organisers of this event. There is no official organiser of the celebrations taking place in the park, therefor a Maypole can not be raised and branding is not allowed.
We are together with a borough in London planning to host the first official Midsummer festival in 2017. The festival was first planned for this year but after months planning we decided to postpone for no other reason than tight timings and collaborations that needed longer to plan.
We are however hosting the official after party as usual with Young Professionals at The Swedish Chamber of Commerce at Broadway House in Fulham. Info and tickets here!
For this year we will continue to celebrate and spread the midsummer festivities as we’ve always done!
Midsummer’s Day, London, 25th June, all day, different locations
https://www.facebook.com/
Midsummer Nights – The Official After Party 25th June, 8pm – 3am:
https://www.facebook.com/events/120581688345027/
Celebrations for families can be found in Barnes (e-mail them before!)
https://www.facebook.com/events/1692654957654562/
A group of maximum 40 people can join any of the Royal Parks together without seeking permission. If you are looking to host a larger group you can seek permission here: https://www.royalparks.org.uk/about-us/contact-us
We are not the organisers of any other event then the night celebrations with The Swedish Chamber of Commerce, we are just joining a tradition that has grown over the years. We are a massive community and everyone wants to celebrate. Due to strict regulations by The Royal Parks and problems that have been reported by the police an official event is planned and will be established from 2017. We will keep you updated on our website about this planned festival.
