Hello everybody and welcome to this new post! Today, I want to talk to you about Midsommar, one of Sweden’s most beloved celebrations!
![A series of red Swedish houses on an island](https://i0.wp.com/www.kth.se/blogs/studentblog/files/2023/06/photo_2023-06-24_17-34-18.jpg?resize=840%2C525&ssl=1)
So, picture this: it’s summertime in Sweden, the days are long, the sun is shining and the air is warm. What best time to celebrate the beauty of Summer after a long Winter, if not now?
Midsommar is the celebration of the Summer solstice, but it’s also a time when Swedes let loose and dive into the Summer spirit by eating together, dancing around the famous maypole and enjoying nature!
Usually, it is celebrated far from the big cities and in close contact with nature, friends and/or family. It usually consists of a banquet of typical Swedish food and cakes and some typical dancing around the maypole, which is a tall wooden pole, covered in flowers and leaves, that becomes the focal point for all the festivities.
Also, another crucial part of the Midsommar’s celebrations is the flower crown. It is super fun to make one, and you can decide whether to buy one or assemble your own. Spoiler: I forgot to buy one, and was not skilled enough to assemble my own. So, I just put a couple of flowers in my head and enjoyed the moment…
![Picture of a Swedish sunset over the islands](https://i0.wp.com/www.kth.se/blogs/studentblog/files/2023/06/photo_2023-06-24_17-33-50.jpg?resize=840%2C525&ssl=1)
The way I decided to spend my Midsommar (which is usually celebrated on Friday) was to go to Fjäderholmarna, a little pearl of the Swedish archipelago close to Stockholm. In order to get there, I purchased a two-way boat ticket for 185 SEK and took a chill 30-minute ride east of Stockholm. The weather was rainy at first and sunny afterwards, which made it super easy to enjoy the landscape while having a small picnic with my girlfriend and some friends. Such a lovely day! All around us, people were singing and dancing together and the atmosphere was awesome.
![My friends and I in front of a maypole](https://i0.wp.com/www.kth.se/blogs/studentblog/files/2023/06/photo_2023-06-24_17-34-59.jpg?resize=840%2C525&ssl=1)
That is all for today. I thank you very much for reading and wish you all a beautiful Summer-solstice day (?)! Before leaving, don’t forget to follow KTH on Instagram: in a couple of days our new position in the global ranking will be announced, and you don’t want to miss it! Also, why don’t you check Martyna’s last post for some Stockholm Summer inspiration?
Also, I would like to thank you personally for the year we spent together! We are going to see each other again in September, when I will continue posting on the blog after the Summer break. See you in a couple of months on the blog, and in less than a week on Instagram!
// Lorenzo