Picking 7 flowers for Midsummer

There’s an old tradition connected to Midsummer’s eve: if you pick 7 different flowers during the night and place them underneath your pillow, you will hopefully dream of your future love. Curious to try?

Midsummer was magical

Back in the days, the night of Midsummer was believed to be full of magic. Since the sun never went down, this was the brightest night of the year and thought to be one of the magical as well. The border between the human world and the supernatural went blurry, and nature was filled with magical creatures, sounds and wonders – and in order to seize this magic, many girls went out to pick flowers on the meadow, to hopefully dream of their future husband.

Woman and two girls picking flowers for midsummer

Midsommardröm, Midsummer dream, Swedish sayings

Did it work

But why this night was thought to be full of magic is harder to get straight. Hundreds of years ago, the beliefs of creatures and magic were part of everyday life, and a way to explain unexplainable things. Today, we can turn to science to understand nature. Back then, we turned to magic and religion.

The biggest question is though: did it work? Hard to say – maybe it worked for some girls, if they happened to dream of the neighbor boy? But the best answer would be: try it for yourself. The tradition lives on, and there are plenty of flowers to pick during Midsummer. If not for the magic, it’s a lovely way to seize the Swedish Midnight sun.

Follow the rules

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as just picking seven flowers and placing them under your pillow. To really get in touch with the magic, there are several rules to follow if you want everything to work out. One rule is to make everything backwards as much as you can. Doing things in the wrong order, backwards or upside down was believed to ”shorten the way” into the magical world – simply because it was the opposite way of the normal Christian way of living. Another rule is to not break the magic by talking – silence is key!

If you’re really eager

The number of flowers must be uneven: three, seven or nine flowers.
All flowers must be different! It’s way too easy to pick seven of the same flower.
No talking from the start all the way to the pillow. Again: silence is key.
Preferably you must jump over a gärdesgård – an old form of fence between meadows – between every picked flower. Easy math: seven flowers = jump over seven fences between each picked flower.
To really get in touch with magic – do everything backwards. Walk backwards, jump backwards, and walk your planned route backwards.

But hey – what don’t you do for your future love?

Cross country skiing

When the snow falls, a new season for outdoor living begins. Even though days are short, snow is thick and the cold is getting closer, Swedes don’t shy away from the winter landscapes – and there’s nothing like enjoying the crispy winter on a pair of cross country skis.

The classic to-do in winter

Country cross skiing – or ”turskidåkning” as it’s called in Swedish – is a lovely way to enjoy beautiful winter landscapes or frozen lakes packed with snow. They’re designed for long days of slow and enjoyable rides. No steep hills or fast and sweaty races – just silent tours in nature’s company.

Woman in knitted sweater stretches her arms to the sky

Take your time

The beauty of cross country skiing is the possibility to go at your own pace. Stop to enjoy the beautiful view, take a break and unpack some ’fika’ or spend the entire day capturing the sunlight. Alone or with friends. No pressure of performance – just some healing recreation and a grateful time.

Being outdoors, capturing both snow and light, has become the new way of socializing. Away from social media, TV’s and apps, we can get closer to each other and enjoy both the company and the winter season at the same time. And did you know: spending time together can reduce stress and increase your well-being? Add that to the pure joy of being outside, skiing across beautiful winter scenery and having a well deserved fika-break.

Woman skier relaxes with face turned to the sun.

Njutbara stunder, Enjoyable moments, Swedish sayings

Fika – what to bring in your backpack

No day-long activities without something to eat or drink. That’s the beauty of fika! It includes both snacks and drinks – and it tastes extra delightful when out in nature. Actually, the fika-break is just as essential as the excursion. And no fika without something sweet. Some of the best and most classic things to bring are:

hot chocolate: and the best one is home made! We have a tasty and easy recipe for home made chocolate that’s guaranteed to warm the soul.
sandwich with Polarbröd: this type of Swedish bread is a round breadcake (polarkaka) made with yeast, milk, butter and flour of rye and wheat. Lovely and fluffy cakes, perfect with butter, ham and some veggies.
kanelbulle: the cinnamon bun is another classic fikabread, made with sweet, yeasted dough, butter, cinnamon and pearl sugar on top.

A basket of fika, coffee and cinnamon buns

The Swedish fika

The Swedish fika has become somewhat of a phenomenon – both the word and the actual activity. Here’s everything you need to know about fika, the do’s and don’ts and what you need for your own fika with friends.

What does fika mean?

The Swedish word ”fika” means ”to have something sweet to eat and something hot to drink”. It could be coffee or tea together with a small cookie, a cinnamon bun or a bakery good. There are no rules in what you have for fika: as long as there’s something to eat and drink, that is less than a meal but more than a fruit.

The only rule that applies is: don’t say fika when you only mean a coffee. If you just want to grab a coffee with someone, then you say ”let’s have a coffee”. Otherwise, there could be a huge misunderstanding. Maybe even… some angry looks?

Table with two cups of coffee and pink Moz handbag

When to have fika

One tradition is to have fika twice a day. This ”rule” can be found in the older population – the grandmothers and grandfathers – who often have fika at 11 o’clock and 15 o’clock. A small bite of something before lunch, and a slightly bigger bite of something after lunch. But if you think that fika twice a day is a bit too much, you can do fika like the younger generation: set a date between friends at a cozy café, and make sure to show up hungry. The classic is to get a large latte and a huge cinnamon bun – but any kind of modern coffee drink with a bakery good is great. Sitting down like this for a warm drink and something sweet to eat is the perfect way to spend time together.

Woman in gloves having a coffee in a Moz mug.

Make you own fika

Of course you can invite friends or family for fika at home! Nothing says ”luxury” as much as homemade goods with a huge cup of lovely tea or coffee. If you invite people to your house for a fika, put an extra effort into the bakery goods and let the tea or coffee speak for itself. You’re not expected to pull off a latte at home: a perfectly brewed pot of coffee served with milk on the side will make any Swede happy!

When it comes to the bakery goods, you don’t have to make a lot to pull off a great fika. Homemade cinnamon buns will take you far, just as a great plate of brownies or cupcakes will. Don’t sweat to present a whole bakery shop: it’s just as important to sit and talk together as it is to enjoy the fika.

The must-have fika list

Here are some suggestions and inspiration if you want to invite friends to your own Swedish fika:

Invite people after lunch, around 14-15:00. That way you have some time to prepare without having to stress.
Prepare the bakery goods in the morning, such as baking cinnamon buns, mud cake or something else that will be freshly made for the afternoon.
You don’t have to offer more than one or two alternatives for tea – just make sure the alternatives are full of flavor and goes well with milk, since some people love to drink their tea with a lot of milk.
If you want to make a luxury brewed pot of coffee: buy whole coffee beans and grind them in a coffee grinder right before brewing.
Make more coffee than people: the chance of ”påtår” – a second cup of coffee – is big.

Fika is not just about eating and drinking – it’s also about spending time with people you love and care about. So make sure to clear the schedule for the rest of the afternoon and enjoy the time together!

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