Midsommar

Sweden is known for its joyful midsummer (Midsommar in Swedish) celebrations. The longest day of the year is an official holiday; festivities abound.

Decades ago, my husband asked me, “How would you like to go to Sweden?” He had found an incredible deal on “Go Today”, $375 for a nonstop flight from Chicago including the hotel. The time was late fall, and the trip was for only four days. The price seemed too good to be true. We speculated the hotel would not have many stars. But in the spirit of adventure, he hit the “buy” button.

The flight was perfect, the hotel lovely and Sweden was beautiful…when we could see it. The factor we had overlooked was the time of year. The sun went down shortly after 3:00 in the afternoon and did not reappear until late the next morning. Near freezing temperatures were accompanied by a steady drizzle. After a day of hiking around Stockholm and waiting for buses, we were drenched and turning blue.

Seeking warmth, we darted into a shop where I spotted this postcard on a rack.

I immediately understood why Midsommar is such an important celebration in Sweden. These people stoically endure a heap of dismal weather and darkness to get to the solstice.

The next day, we rented a car and turned on the heater full blast. We enjoyed the scenery, arriving at our destinations in total comfort. And we faced the fact that we were not the kind of people who could get out of their sauna and happily jump into a frigid lake.

Many years later, we returned to Sweden to attend a wedding. It was held on one of that country’s most popular wedding days, Midsommar. Light lingered in the sky until 11:00PM with dawn arriving shortly after. Every Midsummer since we have raised our glasses to the sun, the giver of light that makes all life possible.

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