How to Celebrate Swedish Midsummer With a Smorgasbord

On a Friday between June 19 and 25, when the Swedish sun remains in the sky for a full 24 hours, Swedes make their way toward the gardens, forests, and beaches of the countryside. There, around a 20-foot cross, families and groups of friends celebrate the height of summer with pickled herring, strawberries, folk songs, dancing, and of course, plenty of schnapps. Here’s our guide to celebrating Midsummer’s night like they do in Sweden.

What is Swedish Midsummer?

Midsummer, or “Midsommar” in Swedish, is one of the most celebrated holidays in Scandinavia. It takes place around the summer solstice on June 21, marking the longest day and shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Swedish Midsummer is full of unique traditions that date back thousands of years, with roots in ancient pagan traditions celebrating the power of the sun and the summer season. In modern times, Midsummer has morphed into a large party, an opportunity to gather with friends and an excuse to eat and drink your way throughout the better part of the day and night. 

Midsummer festivities

Midsummer is a country festival when the large city centers empty of denizens while small towns all over the vast country get a welcome boost of business. Ferries are crowded, and bicycles and cars pile up haphazardly along the roads, all trying to get their owners closer to the action: the green, yellow, and blue scapes of Swedish nature.

During the day, large groups of revelers gather in clearings across the country and organize picnics and riotous games of croquet, badminton, and sack racing, known as “femkamp.” Somewhere in the distance, a group of children jumps from a pier into a shimmering blue lake. And in the background, stands the iconic symbol of Swedish Midsummer: the maypole, or “midsommarstång,” a tall, decorated cross adorned with flowers and greenery. 

The Midsummer maypole

For a visitor, there is something peculiar about walking down a long, winding path in the woods only to end up in a clearing, staring up at a 20-foot cross decorated with flowers. The experience feels even more surreal when you add to it the droves of adults and children who circle this Swedish version of a maypole, singing folk songs at the top of their lungs. And yet, these traditions are at the heart of the Swedish Midsummer.

The maypole’s importance in the celebrations cannot be overstated. It is the undisputed centerpiece of Swedish Midsummer festivities, and even families who choose to avoid the large public gatherings tend to erect them in their backyards. 

This tall wooden cross, typically made of birch and dressed in flower wreaths, leafy branches, and vibrant ribbons, symbolizes fertility and the blossoming summer season. Decorating the maypole is a tradition for children, who come and wind the pole with fragrant greens and bright blooms foraged from the surrounding nature. 

Once the Midsummer cross is ready, people of all ages gather around the maypole, joining hands in a ring and performing well-known folk dances. Many guests wear white or floral prints, freshly woven flower crowns, and even traditional Swedish folk costumes. 

Midsummer food

Once the folk dancing and maypole revelry concludes, the real heart of Midsummer begins: the food. During the Midsummer lunch, it is customary to eat mainly cold foods, cheeses, and fish, part of the same Swedish smorgasbord that is also served for Easter and Christmas.

The main attraction of the Midsummer’s luncheon is the pickled herring. Known as “sil” in Swedish, pickled herring is sold and served in a variety of sauces, from the traditional mustard sauce to the more adventurous wasabi. It also stars in the herring cake, or “silltårta,” the focal point of the Midsummer table.

Herring of all kinds is traditionally accompanied by Swedish cracker-bread, “knäckebröd,” new potatoes, and a variety of quiches. Chief among them is Swedish cheese pie, “västerbottenpaj,” made with Västerbottensost cheese that is only available for a short time of the year. A cheese platter, loads of salmon roe caviar, and fresh strawberries and tomatoes are also typically served.

Midsummer night

As the Midsummer festivities stretch into the evening hours, everyone eagerly awaits the “midnight sun” phenomenon. In certain parts of the country, the sun barely dips below the horizon, casting an ethereal glow across the landscape. The midnight sky is not completely light, but it’s not dark, either; the dark-blue sky looks somewhat like twilight. Many Swedes stay up to experience this magical nighttime spectacle, firing up the barbecue and lighting bonfires that crackle and dance under the soft skylight. Schnapps in all flavors and Skane Akvavit are typical accompaniments, alongside more modern beer and wine.

Drinking aside, Midsummer night is also a time for magic and storytelling. An old Swedish tradition dictates that picking seven varieties of flowers on Midsummer night will bestow good luck and fortune. Young singles are advised to pick bouquets of seven blooms and place them under their pillows to dream of their future spouse. Other superstitions include tying the flowers into crowns to ward off evil spirits and rolling around exposed in the dewy grass to enhance fertility. Whether you believe it or not, Midsummer night brims with mystique, enriching the celebrations with a sense of whimsy.

The next day

As the birds begin to sing sometime around 3 a.m., the parties begin to ebb away. Congratulations, you’ve made it through your very first Swedish Midsummer. Now, it’s time to get a few hours of sleep in full daylight while you nurse a very Scandinavian hangover. Luckily, there’s also a Swedish hangover pill for that, alongside the traditional beef Rydberg — crisp potatoes and beef tenderloin mixed with onion marmalade, horseradish, and egg yolks.

Midsummer in Sweden is a vibrant festival that encapsulates the country’s deep connection with nature, its rich cultural heritage, and the joy of the long-awaited summer months. It’s a time for Swedes to come together, honor the traditions of the past, and revel in the warmth and light of the endless summer days.