Celebrating an Early Midsummer

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 – Celebrating an Early Midsummer

One of the reasons spring is my favorite season is because I take great pleasure in earlier sunrises and later sunsets.  The process of lengthening daylight hours culminates with the summer solstice on June 21.  Since pagan times, the people in Scandinavia have celebrated the summer solstice as a fertility festival with all-night celebrations.  Traditional rituals include building bonfires, dancing around decorated poles, singing folk songs, and decorating homes inside and out with flower garlands and wreaths.  Of course, eating and drinking play a big part in the celebration, as well.  Typical food would be herring, potatoes, smoked fish, and fresh fruit, consumed along with plenty of beer. 

With Elliott’s Norwegian ancestry and my experience as a university student in Denmark, we both have strong associations with this holiday, but we haven’t had an opportunity to celebrate it in many years.  Then IKEA came to the rescue!  Our local IKEA announced that it was hosting a Swedish Midsommar (mid-summer) Smorgasbord in honor of the summer solstice.  Although the event was scheduled for June 14, a week before the official solstice, we had no trouble summoning up the requisite midsummer spirit.  We invited Marshall to join us for the full-scale Scandinavian feast, which took place at 6 p.m. rather than at midnight.  

Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed:  salmon, salmon, and more salmon – in three different forms including gravlaks; the ubiquitous herring, prepared two different ways; crayfish (more interesting visually than in terms of flavor); cheeses; a variety of salads, including pickled cucumbers; Swedish meatballs with gravy and lingonberry preserves; new potatoes; marzipan and chocolate logs.  Even without the bonfire and the beer, our midsummer celebration was a festive event.