The region of Dalarna is a few hours north of Stockholm, and as Sweden's spiritual home they take the Midsummer Festival seriously. I travelled with two old chums, and stayed in a charming B & B just outside Rattvik about 500m from Lake Siljan :
Midsummer has its roots in Pagan times and is always held on a Friday, close to the Summer Solstice the longest day of the year. It's a pleasure to see so many Swedes dressing in traditional costumes, young girls with garlands of wild flowers in their hair, and even the dogs get all dressed up for the occassion (well, some of them) :
The serious business of raising the Maypole began at about 7pm :
Once it was up the dancing began :
A procession round the village began soon after :
But it was then that we saw the locals drop off at their homes for their slap-up Midsummer Feast, leaving only us and other tourists, that we realised that every resturant or cafe was shut and even the supermarket had closed early. It started to pour with rain too.
Message to The Swedish Tourist Office.... leave a few resurants open
We had a car, and 10 miles out of Rattvik found the only place open - a petrol station. The lovely cheerful girl running it sold hotdogs so we joked 'what's the Midsummer Chef Special?'
'Well...' she said in perfect English 'I have just made roast beef and potato salad', and under the petrol station canopy she brought us extra plates of traditional herring and breads to taste. It was amazing.
Our lovely petrol station chef (if anyone desrves a Michelain star, she does) :
Call me sentimental, but that has just brought tears to my eyes.
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