This is the story of Emma and her first midsummer festival. Little Emma lived in a small village in Sweden. The seven-year-old girl had already heard a lot about Midsummer. Her parents had told her that the sun hardly set at all on this special day. So she was very excited when her mother woke her up one day in June with the words "Today is Midsummer". She happily jumped out of bed. She was looking forward to wearing a wreath of flowers, dancing and celebrating with the others.
Together with her family, Emma walked to a large, green meadow. There were already some people from the village who had all brought flowers with them. Dandelions, daisies and even some wild flowers were there. Now it was time to make a wreath. Emma's mother showed her how it was done. It took Emma a little longer than the others, who had already practiced. But finally it was finished: her first midsummer flower wreath!
It was time for the highlight of the festival: the midsummer tree, also known as the majstång, was erected. It was a large wooden pole decorated with lots of flowers and leaves. The tree stood in the middle and the children and adults formed a circle around it. They held hands and began to sing and dance together. Emma particularly enjoyed one song - Små grodorna. They all jumped like frogs and croaked! She couldn't stop laughing.
In the evening we had a big picnic. Fresh fish, potatoes and strawberries with whipped cream were served on a long table. Emma loved the red fruit and went straight back for a second helping. She overheard her mother explaining another Midsummer tradition to her older sister. "When we go home, you'll pick seven or maybe even nine different kinds of flowers," she said with a smile. "If you put them under your pillow tonight, you'll dream of your future husband!"
Emma, on the other hand, was rather looking forward to the upcoming torchlight hike, which marked the end of the Midsummer Festival. Even though Emma was incredibly tired after all the dancing, she was happy. And she was already looking forward to next year, when she would once again be tying a wreath and jumping like a frog. She fell asleep with a contented smile.
Image rights: Vikar_Glitter at Pixabay
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