We celebrated midsummer in Nybrostrand (on the Swedish south coast)this weekend and it was the first midsummer celebrations for the kids. Despite the unusually nice and sunny weather (I heard it has been raining in Ulricehamn at midsummer 8 out of 10 times in the last 10 years!) it was difficult to get the kids dancing aroung the midsummer pole and it occured to me that one might have to be bred into midsummer celebrations from an early age to fully appriciate this Swedish festivity. They had a good time though but not due to the fact that it was midsummer. The company (my parents, my sister and her family and my cousin with her family) made it a fun filled day and Ingrids extreem luck in the lottery made it a day to remember forever. Ingrid won 4 prices in the lottery (a grill, two wallets and a family game - all thing we did not know we could not live without:)). But, the midsummer dancing part while singing old folksongs did not impress the kids and neither did the haring.
When I first met Jochem he often asked me why we sing the same songs around Christmas as at midsummer and why we eat haring everytime we have something to celebrate (haring for Christmas, haring for Easter and haring for Midsummer) but til this day I have no good answer for this. I guess we Swedish people like our traditions and when I lived abroad I often missed these traditions. It just does not feel the same eating imported haring while sitting in South Africa. Each place and each culture offers something different and nothing tastes better then Swedish haring on midsummer in Sweden.
Writing about South Africa brings me to a reconnection story. I lost touch with Emma and Rolf Cyrus last year (good friends from South Africa) as we all moved and changed e-mail addresses. Today I found them again and for anyone going on holidays to South Africa or who is intersted in really good food, check out www.wyckedd.co.za
Emma and Rolf are not only fantastic people but also great cooks!
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