Glad Midsommar!

There's a popular joke in Sweden: On a rainy day, when you're trying to do something outside with friends, someone will inevitably say, "Swedish summer... best day of the year!" It's funny because it's true. Although we've had lots of sunshiny days here, even in summer there's plenty of grey and rainy days.

The Swedes seem immune to crummy weather. If there's a barbecue scheduled, it goes ahead rain or shine. We sat outside in a cold drizzle eating hamburgers at a lab cookout recently.

We were warned that on Midsommar, Sweden's biggest summer holiday, there wound be no surrender and no retreat. If the rain came down, we'd all dance and sing and feast in the rain!

Waiting for the dancing to begin

Posing by the maypole. In the rain.

First, we attended our town's Midsommar celebration. It was located at a small, outdoor museum near the river that runs through Strömstad. I was surprised that in all our adventures around this small town, we'd never even heard of it before.

We poked into the few buildings and were reminded of Kulturen in Lund and the Vitlycke Museum. The small cafe served a typical Swedish menu, perfect for fika: coffee, waffles, cinnamon rolls, and cake. Ice cream cones and sodas for the kids.

Fika. Outside. In the rain.

The crowd gathered around the maypole was ready to dance as soon as the music began. Savannah and I had spent the morning learning Små Grodorna so that we would be prepared for at least one song.

The girls and I danced along as best we could. After half an hour of dancing in the rain to songs we could barely understand, we were ready for a break. I think the locals were just getting started!

Dancing around the maypole!

Back at the lab, we headed over to the white building where the students were enjoying their Midsommar celebration. We found them on the covered patio, seated at a long table, feasting, drinking, and singing.

They'd prepared a feast of Swedish delights: several quiches, deviled eggs, a cheese assortment, breads, fruit, meatballs, and fish. Someone convinced me to try the pickled herring, a Midsommar tradition. They assured me that the mustard version (of the four or five on offer) was the one I should try. I hesitantly put a bite-sized amount on my plate. I ate it on top of a slice of hearty bread. I did not require a second serving.

Each guest had a booklet of numbered songs. Anyone could stand up at any time, give the number of the song, and we were all expected to sing. At the end of each song, we were all expected to take a shot of snaps, any one of a variety of very strong alcoholic beverages being shared around the table.

I repeatedly snuck the girls' Sprite into my shot glass so that I could toast along with the group without having to drink what tasted and smelled like jet fuel. And to avoid becoming ill from the incredible amount of singing and toasting.

The hosts also provided an abundance of cut flowers and supplies for making floral crowns, which many of us sported throughout the evening.

Midsommar selfie

After the feast, it was time for games and dancing. The students held relays using the maypole to race around. They danced around it in circles, the Swedes leading with traditional songs and dances and others adding anything else that would work, like "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes" or The Chicken Dance. I joined in for one more round of Små Grodorna. Once everyone was exhausted, it was time for dessert. And coffee. (It's Sweden, there's always more coffee!)

Traditional Midsommar dessert: Cake with strawberries

At this point, some of the students returned to the feast table for more singing and toasting, but I was lured back home to put the girls in bed. The party reminded me of the days when Jeremy and I lived on Skidaway Island in Georgia, hosting and attending student parties at the marine lab there, while he was working on his PhD.

I'm so thankful to be invited to join their celebration and enjoy a proper Midsommar party, with all the associated traditions. But I'm also glad for an excuse to go home early and leave the late night partying to the younger generation.