June busy month for local Swedish community

Two exciting events full of Swede-styled goodness are taking the area by storm this month. The first is the American Swedish Institute’s Midsommar celebration on Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Institute grounds (2600 Park Ave.). Celebrate the coming of summer with fiddling, dancing and festivity! This annual festival includes music, folk dancing, arts and crafts, colorful Swedish folk costumes and food and activities for families.

Midsommar is a favorite Swedish holiday celebrating the beginning of summer at the time of the solstice. Daylight lingers long into the night in this northern land, a welcome sight after a long dark winter! People in Sweden erect maypoles with leafy green birch branches and wildflowers. Music fills the air, lively dancing ensues and merriment continues well into the night.

Here in Minneapolis, the highlight of the day is the raising of the midsummer pole (majstång in Swedish). Playing traditional Swedish fiddle music, the ASI Spelmanslag leads a procession of musicians and dancers. Members of the Twin Cities Swedish Folk Dancers and Vasa Jr. Folk Dancers perform their favorite dances wearing colorful Swedish folk costumes. Take part in traditional ring dancing around the maypole. The event is free and open to all and includes admission to the American Swedish Institute museum located within the 1904 Turnblad family mansion (a $5 value). For more information call 612-871-4907.

The second Swedish showstopper is this year’s Svenskarnasdag, or Swede’s Day, which will take place at noon on Sunday, June 26, at Minnehaha Park and is open to the public. First time visitors will enjoy an interesting taste of Swedish and Minnesota culture with many Scandinavian foods to sample, traditional arts and crafts, book sellers and demonstrations. Those familiar with the annual Fest can look forward to meeting and greeting old friends as well as to two new musical groups traveling from Sweden to Minnesota to play a mixture of jazz and well-known Swedish tunes.

Svenskarnasdag is one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest Swedish festivals, and all visitors are welcome to explore. If you have children, bring them! We will be dancing around the May Pole and everyone is welcome to join in and follow along. Again this year we will have free ice cream for children as long as it lasts. Alla är välkommna! (All are welcome!) For further information please visit www.svenskarnasdag.com.