Sweden 2010 - Midsummer

The Midsummer is celebrated all over Sweden, but specially in Dalarna, where they still keep a lot of their traditions. Every village and town has their own celebrations and we know from our past visit here that that is an experience not to be missed. The celebrations usually start by raising the maypole, decorated with birch twigs and wild flowers. Then people, dressed in national costumes and to the sound of folk music, walk or ride on a horseback or in trailers drawn by horses (or tractors) to a special place.
It is Friday 25th June, Midsummer Eve here in Rattvik. We have been told by the local Information Centre where the procession meets at 5pm and that it will then walk through the town to Rattvik Gammelgarden (see last post), where the singing and dancing would continue.
The whole week leading up to it the weather was absolutely fantastic and today started the same way. But by midday the sky opened and it just has not stopped raining all afternoon.
But at 5pm, as if someone up there had a stopwatch, the rain stopped.

Some of the pictures from the start of the procession:

Please have your sound on for this one:

Tomorrow the Swedish people will celebrate Midsummer day with a special food and drink.

But for us it is back to our cottage to pack and early start in the morning, to drive to Norway, to visit an old friend of my husband, from his younger days. Some 40 year ago he married a Norwegian lady and they settled in Norway.