Midsummer muse Mia

Midsummer, the longest day of the year, is around the corner. Midsummer celebrations have their origin in the northern European countries. Therefore, we immediately knew we wanted to ask one of  our favourite Swedish bloggers, Mia from @madebymor, to be our Blomsterkrans muse and inspire us with her Midsummer story.

We are following the Instagram account of @madebymor already for quite a while because we love her stylish profile with her authentic Scandinavian twist. @madebymor is run by Mia, a psychologist with an eye for design. Mia lives in a beautiful apartment in Stockholm together with her husband and two daughters Maja (6) and Ellen (4). Furthermore they have a summerhouse in the countryside of Sweden. During the weekends Mia and her family spend time in this charming red and white pained wooden house with an old stove. Also Midsummer is being celebrated here. We asked Mia a few questions about her affiliation with this special day.

What will you do at Midsummer?

I will celebrate with my closest family and old friends. We started celebrating together before we got kids and together we’ve created our very own Midsummer tradition. Every year we meet up at lunch time at my friend’s summerhouse, an old 17th century cottage nestled among fields and meadows in the Swedish countryside. There we have a traditional Midsummer lunch together, consisting of herring, potatoes, salmon and lots of strawberries. When lunch is finished we gather to pick flowers and greens to adorn the maypole, which is the centerpiece of the Midsummer tradition. When the work is done the whole bunch of us buckle up in an old tractor and trailer and drive along a gravel road lined with old oaks for some Swedish “fika” at the porch of my friends’ parents’ house. You might already be familiar with the Swedish fika tradition, which is basically coffee and something sweet. Full of home-baked cinnamon buns and creamy strawberry cake, we then gather hand in hand around the maypole to dance and sing traditional Midsummer songs. As Midsummer and the summer solstice typically coincide this is the time for never-ending days and nights that are almost brighter than the daylight we get in November in Sweden.

What makes Midsummer so special for you as a Swedish person?

For me, Midsummer is the start of summer. It is when we celebrate that all the summery things that we longed for in the end-less, dark winter is finally here. For many Swedes, Midsummer is also the start of the summer holiday. Midsummer is packed with traditions to love. When I was in my early teens I always went out in the late Midsummer evening to pick seven different flowers to put under my pillows, cause the legend says that if you do so you’ll dream about your one true love. But since I’m more than happy with my husband, the flowers I pick for Midsummer nowadays is for making flower wreaths for me and my girls to wear as crowns together with our most romantic flower printed dresses. No matter how cold it is, that is what I put on. Sometimes with jeans and a cardi, but always, always, a dress! Most of all, Midsummer is the time when musts and to-do-lists are put aside in the favor of being together with my family and friends. Sometimes that means that the dress of mine never gets dried cleaned from the stains of last years’ Midsummer, that the cinnamon buns for the fika are store-bought and that the flower crown is replaced by a simple flower behind my ear.

Are there any typical traditions in your region at Midsummer

During Midsummer there are lots of public celebrations for everybody to attend all over the country. Events where you can dance and sing around giant maypoles together with strangers. At events like these, new and old Swedes gather and celebrate together. In that way I would say that Midsummer is a feast characterized by inclusion. Often, different regions in Sweden have their own unique twist of the maypole.

Is there a difference between celebrating Midsummer in the city (as Stockholm) or in the countryside?

For me, and I think most Swedes would agree, Midsummer is best spent in the countryside, where you get the best summer feelings. Many years ago, when I was still at university, I stayed in the city to work during Midsummer. I have never experienced a city more deserted than that!

We would like to thank Mia for participating and wish her and her family a wonderful Midsummer celebration!