I would say we have four "variants" of Midsummer in Sweden. 1. The youngsters. All about booze and getting away from their parents. 2. You and your friends version. More adult, includes food, quite many shots and singing. 3. The elderly folks. Much more about the food, but some shots too and much more singing and perhaps also playing an instrument or two. 4. The very traditional one, celebrated together with the Midsommarstång, traditional clothing, kids and everyone. Usually takes place at an older community space and during the day. The evening is reserved for eating and drinking.
@@Stetch42 I have tried all the variants. The ones that stands out is when our neighbour in the very small village where my grandparents lived, played his fiddle in the still lightened Midsummer night. He belonged to one of the few so gifted in playing that he was an official Speleman. Those memories still gives me shivers.
Actually I do a mix of everything except 3 I’d say. As a 19 year old me and my friends usually celebrate with family during the day and later all the friend gather to eat a bit, drink a few beers and sing. Then at night we go stupid.
To do the tradition with the 7 flowers right, you’re supposed to jump over 7 gärdesgårdar (a type of wooden fence in the countryside) and pick 7 different kinds of flowers all while being completely silent. I could be wrong but I think it’s supposed to be at midnight as well, or at least at night. Then you put the flowers under your pillow to dream of your future spouse. 😄
The best part of Kubb is arguing about the rules :). Since almost everyone has house-rules. E.g., how do you throw at the king. Between your legs? Normal? From base line or can you advance? Do you stack blocks once thrown over? Can blocks move back and forth and infinite number of times or only once? Etc....
For a true Swedish experience of Midsummer, you also NEED to be involved in the argument of eating outside or inside. That includes moving the furniture AND the food several times, listening to everyones wishes about the weather (which is notoriously difficult to forecast for that specific day). I did solve that though - I found out about TAF/METAR (the weather forecast from airports), and simply screamed my way through all the noise and said it would rain within two hours. Ahhh, the feeling of nodding knowingly when everyone told me "You where right!". No more carrying furniture and food here. :D
@@tonykeer @otto brantvall Thanks for pro-tip, now I know what to pack for when I visit, "smart casual"; don't want to stick out as a typical North American tourist 😂
@@robyoungquist5803 In Toronto it's a mix of people dressing nicely and people wearing "fashion" sweatpants haha Not going to lie Toronto has been in lockdown for so long that going back to jeans and chinos is going to be hard 😂
In all the times I visited my relatives in Sweden, I have never been to a Midsommer, however I have to say that visiting cousins in Eksjö in 2000 I first experienced the game of Kubb and had a lot of fun playing it. I did once enjoy a typical Swedish summer outing that year, as my cousin lived on an island in the Archipelago just outside of Norrtälje. His friend's wife was turning 40 and there was a big party for her. They were happy to extend the invitation to me and it was a blast. The fish that was cooked over the fire had been caught that morning, the mushrooms picked that afternoon and one person came running up with a bag of freshly dug potato's, which caused great excitement. I had hoped to practice my Swedish but instead everyone else practiced their English. I can honestly say it was one of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten in Sweden. BTW, I really enjoy visiting Sweden vicariously through you. ;-p
Nice video! You've mentioned before how well people dress in Sweden - that's really evident in the party scenes. Sweden seems like a higher and better version of the rest of us. :-)
Also having just finished the video to me the terrible weather is a loved tradition. If it does not rain during midsummer I will get sad as it has somehow rained every midsummer except a single one. Which is kind of crazy. Also the year when it was colder during midsummer than christmas, that was not something that I want to experience again.
When my cousin announced their wedding for midsummer I laughed and said something like "does she WANT it to rain on her wedding day??" 😂😂 And yes, it was +6 degrees and raining sideways on her wedding day. 😜 😂
The order you are "supposed" to pick the food makes sense if you know the origin of the swedish smörgåsbord; brännvinsbordet ("the liquor table"). In ye olde times it was hard to predict when everyone would arrive. So a small table was set out as a courtesy to guest who arrived early. It had liquor and sill and other cold food you could pick on a small plate and eat while waiting for everyone to come. The hot food was then served at the table when everyone was there. But today it's all served and eaten at the table at the same time so the order isn't obvious.
Fish on the small plate, meat on the big plate, so you don't get "fish juice" on the meat dishes and ruin the taste - thats the "modern" explanation I know. Interesting to hear how it was in the old days!
Since you could not farm all year around, a way to show that you had money was to eat fermented or soured food when fresh food was available. Like, I don't have to eat fresh food, I have food left from last year.
Midsommar is the real National day in Sweden. And 6/6 hasn't been our national day for very long!!! It used to be "svenska flaggans dag" til recently. Celebrating summer solstice goes wayyy back. Midsommar is always on a Friday now, so that everyone can celebrate, but the "real" midsommar is the solstice
Summer solstice is 21st but midsummer celebration is connected to John the baptist who was born six months before Christ. In neighbouring countries it's still called by his name: Johannis(Finland) and st: Hans (Denmark and Norway)
The lines outside Systembolaget get really long when a holiday is coming, but this year they were even longer because of the Corona-restrictions. There can only be 8 people in the store at the same time. Btw, Stefan, are you aware of the english version of "Helan går"? It's not a translation. Instead, all the swedish words have been replaced by english words that SOUND alike. So you're singing english words, but put together in a way that make no sense at all. If you haven't heard or read it, here it is: Hell and gore, shun gope father Allen, lallen lay Hell and gore, shun gope father Allen lay For handsome in the hell and tar and hell are in the half and four Hell and goooore. Shun gope father Allen lay.
@@tommiejonsson8952lite framförhåĺling, jag har alltid köpt någon månad innan en storhelg. Har faktiskt alltid något hemma. Om man blir bjuden på fest finns alltid en flaska att ta med.
Jag tror det var Hasse Alfredsson som skrev översättningen av "Helan går". Beroende på vilken engelska folk har som grund kan den stavas lite annorlunda.
@@annicaesplund6613 Jo, det är klart. Köpte faktiskt två flaskor till påsk, fullt medveten om att jag inte skulle tömma en ens. På så sätt satt jag inte läns på midsommarafton fastän jag inte köat en minut.
It seems like a very nice tradition overall. It also seems like a very nice travel destination. I can only hope that one day I will get to see it for myself. Thank you very much for such a colorful upload. Hej då.
June 6th became national holiday in the 1980’s, but not recognized as a weekend (the ”truest form” of holiday, where you get a day off from school or work) until the early years of this millennia. Before that, it was just a day to celebrate the Swedish flag🇸🇪 and was mainly called Svenska Flaggans Dag (The Day of The Swedish Flag). This means that our National Day isn’t a part of traditional Swedish culture at all, while Midsommar has been celebrated in Sweden since long before our country was christian, and through the centuries it slowly morphed into what the midsommar celebration looks like today.
As a Swede I find it facinating how other people see us! I also talk to some American relatives and I share your videos with them so they will know what to expect when they get here! :) I have a brother named Stefan!
I felt the same way about sill. Took several years of growing up and forcing it down before I started to enjoy it. :) I miss fish foods now though. As for nationaldagen it used to not be a holiday until pretty recently and I heard several horror stories in the past where people wore a shirt or face paint of the flag on nationaldagen and got beaten up in schools and such for wearing the flag and got called racists and what not so I personally didn't feel comfortable celebrating it even a tiny bit until I lived in the states where country pride is more accepted. Midsommar and sport events are the only times really where it feels safe to do anything flag related. It's why you are more likely to see the UK flag on purses or shirts because the UK flag is more "accessory friendly" and safe. Not sure why the Swedish flag got associated with racism but it's borderline taboo to have any pride at all unlike the US where it's almost the entire opposite where you are weird if you don't show pride, especially July 4th. I wish there was some middle ground.
Two out of four is great. More typically the day is a mix of rain and sun and temps maybe reaching 70F. Two of my twenty five midsummers were highs of about 40F and rain (no shit) and yes that was in Stockholm.
The story of the 7 different flowers is like this (i used to do it as a young girl with my grandmother and mother). You should climb over 7 different gärdesgård (kinda like a fence) and pick 1 flower after each and they all have to be different flowers just as you said. When you completed the task you shall place those flowers under your pillow before you go to bed and the tail is that you will dream about your future spouse. There might be a few different versions of this but since ive had this told to me by great grandma', grandma' and my mother it seems to be true as far as it goes for those with their roots in Roslagen.
The pole is something everyone gets wrong it's hilarious, it has NOTHING to do with the male genitalia or Vikings, it's a custom we got from areas around Germany from around the 1800s, there is actually nothing that can connect the male genitalia with midsummer stången. What is interesting is that on the continent there is a much warmer climate so it was raised in Germany during may, but here in Sweden it's a bit colder so we simply waited a bit into June to celebrate
Actually earlier. You are right about the pole and about Germany, but we probably got the tradition earlier, sometime before the reformation, around 12th century, maybe closer to 13th century. In the beginning we celebrated John the Baptists’ day on june 24. That is the same day that midsummer has been celebrated in Germany (Johannistag) since 1653 and the tradition originates in Germany in the 12th century. The modern way of celebrating in Sweden is from the 1800’s.
Och jag som trodde starkt på ryktet att den symboliserade att vi "befruktar jorden" tidigt på sommaren för bättre skörd. Om den nu kommer från Tyskland, varför hade ens dem en stor midsommarstång?
What opened my eyes with the herring was midsummer like 3 years ago when my father had bought some really good herring from the fish truck in his town. So much better then the "Abba cans" you buy.
Herring, salmon, saugage and meatballs those are a must at Christmas Easter and midsummer for me at least. On Christmas the Christmas ham is very important as well. Eggs on eater is very important.
Rain will not keep a Swede from celebrating our beloved Midsummer! I remember the year when it rained so hard that we used the kid pool up side down as a roof while we raised the Maypole. Yes... we might have been totally not sober. 😂
To me strawberry cake was wierd the first time i heard about it as we've always had the strawberries in cream with sugar on top. I was also surprised you didnt talk about the importance of new potatoes >w< New potatoes with cream or gräddfil with gräslök on top and then herring with that. And at the evening you grill ^^ Everyone celebrate differently though. Just fun to hear the differences. Everyone argues of the kubb rules though XD I dont know why there is different rules.
Don't forget that the strawberrie prices goes up from like 35 kr per box to like 100+ kr per box during midsummer and then after the weekend on monday it goes back to about 35 kr again.
The comments here from Swedes are all so defensive around their midsummer traditions. But they shouldn't be. I think it's cute actually that such a stodgy group can "let their hair down" once is a while. It's good for the soul. And it doesn't matter where it comes from or how silly it looks!
I’m Swedish, and I have played Kubb since I was a little kid and I have never heard that you must stand backwards and throw between your legs to take down the king. That must be something they do in Stockholm.
3:55 that’s exactly how i imagine an American Church would look like. Some preacher saying ”Can i get an Amen!?” and everyone going crazy. Stuff like that’d never happen in a Swedish Church
About National Day. We are a fairly old country with a long history of its own. Norway did not become independent until 1905, so it is celebrating properly. Denmark, which is even older than Sweden, does not celebrate either. France has a revolution to celebrate 1789 not long ago at all. "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" is still a motto that is used. You already know what you are celebrating on the US.
In addition to that, all that happened on 6/6 1523 was that Gustav Vasa declared himself king, which meant that Sweden had left the Kalmar union. But Sweden had entered the Kalmar union on its own volition, so what's the big deal? And now Sweden is part of the EU, which should mean that either: 1. Sweden is not "independent" any more, so celebrating "independence" makes no sense, or 2. Voluntarily joining a super-national organization doesn't mean you are no longer independent, which means that Sweden was "independent" all along, and therefore, Gustav Vasa declaring himself king might have been a joyous occasion for him, but noting special to celebrate centuries later. Either way, the Swedish national day makes no sense.
It seems like you had a great midsummer but I got a thought recently. How many people in Sweden who aren't "Swedish" actually celebrate midsummer? As someone who always had big family celebration, been to parties with friends or worked on midsummer I never gave that much thought before. Say your parents were/are immigrants from Turkey, Poland or China how many midsummers, traditional or just gathering with friends like you did, have they actually experienced? Offcourse some have maybe only Swedish friends so they get invited naturally but those others?
You probably have a point there, Jack. Although it is probably mostly non-Europeans who rarely know "native" Swedes, Turks, Kurds, Arabs and Africans the most. However, most municipalities arrange midsummer celebrations. Have been with one myself a long time ago when we were new to a place and had small children.
Your midsummer sounds nothing like my midsummer XD We just sort of had a little get together where we had food and just chatted for a couple of hours, and this thing about there being a specific order you have to take the food in is as weird of a notion to me now as it was during Christmas, everyone just took whatever they felt like. There were no games, there was... some alcohol, but we didn't have any drinking songs or anything, and I didn't have any personally on account of I don't like the taste. Might've had to do with that I spent it with my family and not with a friend group, so that's probably why it was a lot more laid back than what you described. I gotta admit though, I *do* miss the maypole from when I was a kid.
Don't worry about getting the food in the right order! You do you! Haha never had people react weirdly when you take the hot food first. Those people must be super boring to think that's so important! Haha I usually put it all on the same plate 😅
I think why not are more excited about June 6 is that we as a country is more of less thousands of years old. Midsommar is for me get together with family and friends eating traditional food like in this video and some really good wine, but not meat or birds as a longtime choice. Always strawberries
The pole looks like a “manhood” because back in the Viking-age it was believed to give a good crop and well germinated soils if you celebrated midsummer. It was a way of celebrating one of the gods of Asgård.
Yeah midsommar was celebrated by the vikings for Frej and Freja for both good crops and healthy children for the rest of the year. And just like every other viking holiday there was probably some animal sacrifice.
@@notna6503 midsommarstången har ej alltid sett likadan ut. Den originella stången var inspirerad av en penis men är oklart hur den såg ut. Man tror att stången vi har idag är inspirerad av kristendomen och jesukors men att symbolerna med kransarna är hämtade ur den fornnordiska och penisliknande stången. Då den gamla stången sett olika ut på olika ställen i landet har ingen generell avbildning bildats men enligt de gamla skrifterna jag läst så skall den ha varit lik en penis.
Du kan äta i vilken ordning du vill. Dock tycker väl de flesta att fiskrätter smakar bättre före kött? Har du hört den här? "Vi äter inte klockor men dricker gärna ur."
@@andersmalmgren6528 I see, I've just read about, ok. I saw an interview with just one Swedish man and he said it had no basis on anything, now I can see there is a myth.
"Helan går" is actually not about emptying the whole glass at once. Instead it's about taking the first "snaps". "helan" = the first one, "halvan" = the second one, "tersen" = the third one.
Anledningen till att Svenskarna inte firar nationaldagen så mycket beror nog mycket på att vi inte varit i krig på över 200år. Det är väldigt bra men vi har glömt bort vikten av att va stolta över vårat land lika mycket som länder som minns krigen och kanske även upplevt dem på nära håll. Tack för en bra video....
I am kinda surprised that in Sweden or basically anywhere in Northern Europe that "mid summer" days can be mostly ALL daylight. I knew that in Alaska, which is right above Canada, which is above the Continental USA, to the NORTH, it can remain in FULL DAYLIGHT 100% for MONTHS in the summer time. BUT, in the WINTER, in Alaska, which is RIGHT above Canada, and the Continental USA, in WINTER, it is mostly `100% NIGHT TIME. And, IF there IS ANY daylight, it is really NOT real daylight, BUT, perhaps just a tiny bit of light. And, the "aurora borealis" is the BEST 'show of light" that anybody can ever even HOPE to see. I had a British Lady tell me that in summer in her area of Britain, it can stay light out until 10PM. Now, in MY area in the USA, in summer, it can stay light up until about 9 Pm and possibly a bit longer, BUT, now, it is getting darker sooner a little bit at a time. And, I would NOT really care much about it, BUT, this being the HOTTEST time in the season, with days in the 90's F here in MY area, I have to wait until the evening hours before I can even start cutting my lawn. SO, being that my property is kinda BIG, I need about 2 nights to cut it all since I must start cutting it in the evening, when the temps have gone down. I really can NOT be out in too much SUN. I am on some medications that make me more sensitive to sunlight. I had gone a couple of years ago to "Virginia Beach" with some friends, and OMG, just with about 3-4 hours of sunlight, I was RED like a freakin LOBSTER after it has been dumped into BOILING hot water. BUT, I would go again, JUST because seeing the ocean is a really GREAT experience. And, I will admit that the waves had really hypnotized me, watching them roll in was really almost "intoxicating", and I had NOT drank a drop of alcohol. To be honest watching those waves had mad me dizzy as all hell. But, visiting the ocean is a great experience, EVEN IF you do NOT actually go diving in and swimming in it, it can be a really nice experience. I had really TRIED to "get out there" into the sea, BUT, I am NOT very steady on my feet, so, my "confidence" had built up to the point that I was thinking, "I can do this", meaning that I could just go and walk out into the sea to where my 2 best friends were out there in the sea. I mean, IF they can do it, why can't I? So, I went walking out there, and THEN, a nice strong wave had hit me, and MY weak ass just fell down, and then, each wave that had hit me had rolled me up the beach. I had sand in every crevice of my body, and in my hair. I was SUPER embarrassed, BUT, I had pretended that I had laughed about it, because it had seemed like the best way to "save face", or to seem like I was NOT embarrassed by it. SO MANY people that were in the ocean had been able to "ride that wave", BUT, I had NOT been able to. I mean even little KIDS, had been okay in that situation, and my 2 best friends had jumped when that wave had come through, BUT, it had knocked my ass over, so easily. Previously, I had enjoyed just SITTING on the beach while the waves had just rolled in, and had washed over me, BUT, THEN, I just HAD to go and try to walk into the ocean at about waist deep water, and the waves just bowled me over. That had been MY first time in the ocean trying stand up and walk. Previously, I had been in the ocean in Florida, on Big Pine key, BUT, I had just sat in the shallows because there had been signs up warning about a very dangerous type of "Jellyfish" that had been seen on that beach, and we had seen some of them all semi dried out on the beach. Anyway, it is Vodka that has made me so "chatty" here. BUT, soon in the USA, it will be getting dark much sooner, like at about 5Pm in the wintertime, in the USA, it will be dark in winter. And, in fall here in the USA, we have to turn out clocks back 1 hour, and in spring, we turn our clocks forward 1 hour.
@@jisuo I think so? So for me as a Swede the nature and flowers are off. You usually pick the flowers yourself so they don't look as bold and extravagance as in the movie. I kinda understand the choice in one way though because the flowers in the movie look cooler and more colorful
I think the reason we don't "celebrate" our national day, is more because we're laid back, we do that a lot during school years, making it a bit annoying as we grow up. But as singing it when we end the school for the year, while standing up, with no real celebration. At least that is the generation I grew up in, I still love the national day, and play the song on that day, and outside it. But sadly more and more schools are cancelling singing the national anthem, and people are being called racist because of it. Some of the reasons I can think of we're not going out with a "bang" like 'Muricans do, wish we did, sadly we don't. I wouldn't mind hearing people singing the anthem or playing it outside where I live. Midsummer though is hilarious, especially with Surströmming and drinking on top of that
The rules for the games and food is nothing all Swedish people do 😅😆 everyone does it differently and have their own set of rules, mostly depending on where in Sweden you live I think.
I have hard of "Swedish meatballs" BUT, I have always THOUGHT that the American version MUST be NOTHING like the Swedish version, and in the USA, "Swedish meatballs " are really meatballs served in a "sweet and sour" sauce. Okay, so THIS guy has mentioned eating the "cold foods" first, like Herring. SO I am guessing that Swedes eat Herring COLD? I really am NOT sure that I could EVER even TRY cold Herring. It is sold in a store chain here in the USA called "Giant eagle", and it is in a jar, and is refrigerated. I had been brought up eating only fish that had NOT looked anything like it once had when it was alive. It would be breaded and fried, looking NOTHING as it once had looked. BUT, I had tried a tin of "Sardines" a while back, it was soaked in mustard, it was NOT TOO BAD, BUT, it was NOT TOO GOOD either. As the video goes on, Strawberries are great when ripe, I just MAY plant some inside a GREAT BIG tire that is in MY yard next spring. Watching your videos about Sweden are really interesting, sorry IF I have posted TOO long replies to the videos, it is all of that Vodka I have been drinking. :>)
Helan går, doesn't mean drink the whole. Helan is the name of the first shot, halvan is the second then there is some other named ones after that. Helan and halvan. A filled glas followed by a half filled one.
I don´t think even Swedes agree about that. I come from Sweden and as I have understood this, it is about drinking half of the shot or all of it at once. It is "the manly thing to do", to drink the whole shot at once. If you "bite it off" and only drink half of the first one, it means you will not get a refill for the whole shot. It is a whole shot or the half shot. But I wont argue about it, it is just the way I have understood it.
Midsummer-booze and eat herring!! Easter-booze and eat herring!!!! Christmas-booze and eat herring!!!! New years eve-booze and eat herring!!! no no no NEJ, there we go three course dinner ;-)
Me knowing how midsummer works but still watching this video
Hahaha sounds about right
@@StefanThyron haha, ja precis. Det finns väl en film som heter midsommar också(It is a horror move)
Same
Lmao same
I would say we have four "variants" of Midsummer in Sweden.
1. The youngsters. All about booze and getting away from their parents.
2. You and your friends version. More adult, includes food, quite many shots and singing.
3. The elderly folks. Much more about the food, but some shots too and much more singing and perhaps also playing an instrument or two.
4. The very traditional one, celebrated together with the Midsommarstång, traditional clothing, kids and everyone. Usually takes place at an older community space and during the day. The evening is reserved for eating and drinking.
Back in my days .... when I was younger we tried our best to do 2, 3 And 4. Loved when the elders played instruments and such.
@@Stetch42 I have tried all the variants. The ones that stands out is when our neighbour in the very small village where my grandparents lived, played his fiddle in the still lightened Midsummer night. He belonged to one of the few so gifted in playing that he was an official Speleman. Those memories still gives me shivers.
5. You work all day long. Afterwards you are so exhausted you end up taking your family to a chinese restaurant...
Actually I do a mix of everything except 3 I’d say. As a 19 year old me and my friends usually celebrate with family during the day and later all the friend gather to eat a bit, drink a few beers and sing. Then at night we go stupid.
Now you make it so complicated. I like this one. ruclips.net/video/cvby-c_KbNg/видео.html
Min man bor i sverige, men jag bor i USA (Oregon!). Jag lär mig svenska för min man, och jag älskar att titta din kanal. Tack så mycket!
Din svenska är faktiskt ganska bra. Finns lite att slipa på men är mycket förståelig :) kämpa vidare och lycka till 😊
To do the tradition with the 7 flowers right, you’re supposed to jump over 7 gärdesgårdar (a type of wooden fence in the countryside) and pick 7 different kinds of flowers all while being completely silent. I could be wrong but I think it’s supposed to be at midnight as well, or at least at night. Then you put the flowers under your pillow to dream of your future spouse. 😄
Yes, that is correct. Sounds like something you would do on your way home from celebration...
The best part of Kubb is arguing about the rules :). Since almost everyone has house-rules. E.g., how do you throw at the king. Between your legs? Normal? From base line or can you advance? Do you stack blocks once thrown over? Can blocks move back and forth and infinite number of times or only once? Etc....
Relatable
Some of the dangerous arguments are Kubb rules while drunk with family
You throw at The King from between your legs after you spun around 20 Times when you are completely fucking loaded in my family 😂
Either we do official world cup rules or I'm not playing 😤
We drink booze and eat herring, just like we do on Christmas and Easter as well
For a true Swedish experience of Midsummer, you also NEED to be involved in the argument of eating outside or inside. That includes moving the furniture AND the food several times, listening to everyones wishes about the weather (which is notoriously difficult to forecast for that specific day).
I did solve that though - I found out about TAF/METAR (the weather forecast from airports), and simply screamed my way through all the noise and said it would rain within two hours. Ahhh, the feeling of nodding knowingly when everyone told me "You where right!".
No more carrying furniture and food here. :D
Just move some stuff inside and some outside. 🤣
@@stumpwatersalad3024 nope, I wont move anything more. I´ll check the weather, then have a beer were we will end up eating anyways. 😁
Damn, people in Sweden dress so nicely when having a party.
thats how we dress everyday mate
@@tonykeer @otto brantvall Thanks for pro-tip, now I know what to pack for when I visit, "smart casual"; don't want to stick out as a typical North American tourist 😂
@@SeeBillyRun Jeans and a tucked shirt does very well here
We Swedes tend to be quite fashionable. I’m in America now and I NEVER leave my house without dressing nicely. 😉
@@robyoungquist5803 In Toronto it's a mix of people dressing nicely and people wearing "fashion" sweatpants haha Not going to lie Toronto has been in lockdown for so long that going back to jeans and chinos is going to be hard 😂
In all the times I visited my relatives in Sweden, I have never been to a Midsommer, however I have to say that visiting cousins in Eksjö in 2000 I first experienced the game of Kubb and had a lot of fun playing it. I did once enjoy a typical Swedish summer outing that year, as my cousin lived on an island in the Archipelago just outside of Norrtälje. His friend's wife was turning 40 and there was a big party for her. They were happy to extend the invitation to me and it was a blast. The fish that was cooked over the fire had been caught that morning, the mushrooms picked that afternoon and one person came running up with a bag of freshly dug potato's, which caused great excitement. I had hoped to practice my Swedish but instead everyone else practiced their English. I can honestly say it was one of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten in Sweden. BTW, I really enjoy visiting Sweden vicariously through you. ;-p
Fun you have kubb. We play it in Denmark too, but we call it Kongespil. I love it!
Nice video! You've mentioned before how well people dress in Sweden - that's really evident in the party scenes. Sweden seems like a higher and better version of the rest of us. :-)
Sounds like a great holiday celebration would love to be in Sweden at that time
Nice images and well-told truths about and from Sweden, as I've learned to expect from Stefan Thyron.
I did live near the polar circle and I can confirm that it nearly no darkness the summer!
It's so fun how you tell your side of how you see our traditions. And how you absorb it. Love it. Keep up the good work 👍
Also having just finished the video to me the terrible weather is a loved tradition. If it does not rain during midsummer I will get sad as it has somehow rained every midsummer except a single one. Which is kind of crazy. Also the year when it was colder during midsummer than christmas, that was not something that I want to experience again.
When my cousin announced their wedding for midsummer I laughed and said something like "does she WANT it to rain on her wedding day??" 😂😂
And yes, it was +6 degrees and raining sideways on her wedding day. 😜 😂
The order you are "supposed" to pick the food makes sense if you know the origin of the swedish smörgåsbord; brännvinsbordet ("the liquor table").
In ye olde times it was hard to predict when everyone would arrive. So a small table was set out as a courtesy to guest who arrived early. It had liquor and sill and other cold food you could pick on a small plate and eat while waiting for everyone to come. The hot food was then served at the table when everyone was there. But today it's all served and eaten at the table at the same time so the order isn't obvious.
Nja - eftersom man inte har varmrätter på midsommar så faller jämförelsen lite. Däremot är det rätt uppenbart på julen då man ju även har varmrätter.
@@martinlyhagen6166 5:11
Fish on the small plate, meat on the big plate, so you don't get "fish juice" on the meat dishes and ruin the taste - thats the "modern" explanation I know.
Interesting to hear how it was in the old days!
Since you could not farm all year around, a way to show that you had money was to eat fermented or soured food when fresh food was available. Like, I don't have to eat fresh food, I have food left from last year.
We Swedes are weird and we Swedes love it
@@YourSweatyUncle i don't drink alcoholics. I do, but i don't drink enough to get drunk
I sive in the far south side of sweden. and near midsummer the sun begins to go up at 3am.. love it!
I've played a lot of kubb in my life, but I've never seen that rule regarding hitting the king at the end throwing between your legs.
Trodde att alla spelade så.
Nej, har inte heller sett detta innan, nytt för mig också.🙂
Har vart med om båda beroende på vilka man umgås med på midsommar men det är svårt nog att kasta 'normalt' :P
Det var helt nytt för mig med.
What? Seriously? I’ve never played it any other way
After i have been watching your channel for almost 4 years, finally next month i’ll move there 🥰
Haha same
Midsommar is the real National day in Sweden. And 6/6 hasn't been our national day for very long!!! It used to be "svenska flaggans dag" til recently.
Celebrating summer solstice goes wayyy back. Midsommar is always on a Friday now, so that everyone can celebrate, but the "real" midsommar is the solstice
6th of June was when Gustav Wasa United the country?
Summer solstice is 21st but midsummer celebration is connected to John the baptist who was born six months before Christ.
In neighbouring countries it's still called by his name: Johannis(Finland) and st: Hans (Denmark and Norway)
And before all of them, the Vikings celebrated midsommarblot, if I’m not mistaken. Perhaps that was by the solstice though
@@Graaskaegg I'm pretty sure that midsommar dates back to the old viking age holiday.
The lines outside Systembolaget get really long when a holiday is coming, but this year they were even longer because of the Corona-restrictions. There can only be 8 people in the store at the same time.
Btw, Stefan, are you aware of the english version of "Helan går"? It's not a translation. Instead, all the swedish words have been replaced by english words that SOUND alike. So you're singing english words, but put together in a way that make no sense at all. If you haven't heard or read it, here it is:
Hell and gore, shun gope father Allen, lallen lay
Hell and gore, shun gope father Allen lay
For handsome in the hell and tar
and hell are in the half and four
Hell and goooore. Shun gope father Allen lay.
Or extremely bad planing...
@@annicaesplund6613Inte nödvändigtvis. I köpcentrumet där jag jobbar som städare var det kö ända ut på gatan hela midsommarveckan.
@@tommiejonsson8952lite framförhåĺling, jag har alltid köpt någon månad innan en storhelg. Har faktiskt alltid något hemma. Om man blir bjuden på fest finns alltid en flaska att ta med.
Jag tror det var Hasse Alfredsson som skrev översättningen av "Helan går". Beroende på vilken engelska folk har som grund kan den stavas lite annorlunda.
@@annicaesplund6613 Jo, det är klart. Köpte faktiskt två flaskor till påsk, fullt medveten om att jag inte skulle tömma en ens. På så sätt satt jag inte läns på midsommarafton fastän jag inte köat en minut.
Kan vi inte bara lägga nationaldagen på midsommar 😎 finns det något mer svenskt än kära midsommar 🇸🇪
It seems like a very nice tradition overall. It also seems like a very nice travel destination. I can only hope that one day I will get to see it for myself. Thank you very much for such a colorful upload. Hej då.
June 6th became national holiday in the 1980’s, but not recognized as a weekend (the ”truest form” of holiday, where you get a day off from school or work) until the early years of this millennia. Before that, it was just a day to celebrate the Swedish flag🇸🇪 and was mainly called Svenska Flaggans Dag (The Day of The Swedish Flag). This means that our National Day isn’t a part of traditional Swedish culture at all, while Midsommar has been celebrated in Sweden since long before our country was christian, and through the centuries it slowly morphed into what the midsommar celebration looks like today.
Love your videos, interesting to see your perspective on us swedes. It gives food for thought on one’s own culture.
As a Swede I find it facinating how other people see us! I also talk to some American relatives and I share your videos with them so they will know what to expect when they get here! :) I have a brother named Stefan!
Great info. Tack så mycket!
I'm a fellow Washingtonian watching your channel. I go to church. ;)
looks like a normal adult midsummer party. good representitive video of how it usually is for me and my friends aswell.
Same here :)
Screw Cold then hot tradition, I wanna get a mix of the deliciousness that is our holiday foods
That's what I do :D Orka gå flera gånger. Mest på tallriken vinner
I felt the same way about sill. Took several years of growing up and forcing it down before I started to enjoy it. :) I miss fish foods now though.
As for nationaldagen it used to not be a holiday until pretty recently and I heard several horror stories in the past where people wore a shirt or face paint of the flag on nationaldagen and got beaten up in schools and such for wearing the flag and got called racists and what not so I personally didn't feel comfortable celebrating it even a tiny bit until I lived in the states where country pride is more accepted. Midsommar and sport events are the only times really where it feels safe to do anything flag related. It's why you are more likely to see the UK flag on purses or shirts because the UK flag is more "accessory friendly" and safe. Not sure why the Swedish flag got associated with racism but it's borderline taboo to have any pride at all unlike the US where it's almost the entire opposite where you are weird if you don't show pride, especially July 4th. I wish there was some middle ground.
Two out of four is great. More typically the day is a mix of rain and sun and temps maybe reaching 70F. Two of my twenty five midsummers were highs of about 40F and rain (no shit) and yes that was in Stockholm.
The story of the 7 different flowers is like this (i used to do it as a young girl with my grandmother and mother). You should climb over 7 different gärdesgård (kinda like a fence) and pick 1 flower after each and they all have to be different flowers just as you said. When you completed the task you shall place those flowers under your pillow before you go to bed and the tail is that you will dream about your future spouse. There might be a few different versions of this but since ive had this told to me by great grandma', grandma' and my mother it seems to be true as far as it goes for those with their roots in Roslagen.
Jag orkar inte ens bry mig om vilken ordning jag äter maten i! Hahahhaha
The pole is something everyone gets wrong it's hilarious, it has NOTHING to do with the male genitalia or Vikings, it's a custom we got from areas around Germany from around the 1800s, there is actually nothing that can connect the male genitalia with midsummer stången. What is interesting is that on the continent there is a much warmer climate so it was raised in Germany during may, but here in Sweden it's a bit colder so we simply waited a bit into June to celebrate
Är du säker? Det heter majstång också, men det beror på att "maja" betyder klä med löv 🤔
Actually earlier. You are right about the pole and about Germany, but we probably got the tradition earlier, sometime before the reformation, around 12th century, maybe closer to 13th century. In the beginning we celebrated John the Baptists’ day on june 24. That is the same day that midsummer has been celebrated in Germany (Johannistag) since 1653 and the tradition originates in Germany in the 12th century. The modern way of celebrating in Sweden is from the 1800’s.
Inte svårt att göra den bedömningen ändå . Men alla vet väl att det inte har med kön att göra.
@@livb6945 Jag hade släktingar som majade bilen också. Det gick lättare på den tiden bilar hade mer traditionella "kofångare".
Och jag som trodde starkt på ryktet att den symboliserade att vi "befruktar jorden" tidigt på sommaren för bättre skörd. Om den nu kommer från Tyskland, varför hade ens dem en stor midsommarstång?
What opened my eyes with the herring was midsummer like 3 years ago when my father had bought some really good herring from the fish truck in his town. So much better then the "Abba cans" you buy.
Hey Stefan! What's your favourite herring?
Mine is Matjes. I eat no other herring, maybe löksill.
Herring, salmon, saugage and meatballs those are a must at Christmas Easter and midsummer for me at least. On Christmas the Christmas ham is very important as well. Eggs on eater is very important.
We do it the other way around, we always eat the warm food first then the cold stuff😁
Rain will not keep a Swede from celebrating our beloved Midsummer! I remember the year when it rained so hard that we used the kid pool up side down as a roof while we raised the Maypole. Yes... we might have been totally not sober. 😂
It has to be 7 different flower from 7 different fields.
Love that herring is your (sort of) thing now
Good video Stefan. Pretty much how an adult/youth Midsommar party is over here in Sweden :) Keep it up
To me strawberry cake was wierd the first time i heard about it as we've always had the strawberries in cream with sugar on top. I was also surprised you didnt talk about the importance of new potatoes >w< New potatoes with cream or gräddfil with gräslök on top and then herring with that. And at the evening you grill ^^ Everyone celebrate differently though. Just fun to hear the differences.
Everyone argues of the kubb rules though XD I dont know why there is different rules.
Don't forget that the strawberrie prices goes up from like 35 kr per box to like 100+ kr per box during midsummer and then after the weekend on monday it goes back to about 35 kr again.
The comments here from Swedes are all so defensive around their midsummer traditions. But they shouldn't be. I think it's cute actually that such a stodgy group can "let their hair down" once is a while. It's good for the soul. And it doesn't matter where it comes from or how silly it looks!
Well... I would say that Midsummer is THE biggest Swedish holiday. Just imagine if I as a Swede would like to change 4th of July traditions... :D
Now i subscribe on your channel! Keep up good work🙏👑
I’m Swedish, and I have played Kubb since I was a little kid and I have never heard that you must stand backwards and throw between your legs to take down the king. That must be something they do in Stockholm.
3:55 that’s exactly how i imagine an American Church would look like. Some preacher saying ”Can i get an Amen!?” and everyone going crazy. Stuff like that’d never happen in a Swedish Church
Jo I frikyrkan. Inte statskyrkan kan det hända....
@@jonnyberggren4598 det visste jag inte, jag bara vart i statskyrkan. Tack för informationen!
Thanks for doing this. Hated the fact that the holiday was used as a plot for a horror movie.
About National Day. We are a fairly old country with a long history of its own. Norway did not become independent until 1905, so it is celebrating properly. Denmark, which is even older than Sweden, does not celebrate either. France has a revolution to celebrate 1789 not long ago at all. "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" is still a motto that is used. You already know what you are celebrating on the US.
In addition to that, all that happened on 6/6 1523 was that Gustav Vasa declared himself king, which meant that Sweden had left the Kalmar union. But Sweden had entered the Kalmar union on its own volition, so what's the big deal?
And now Sweden is part of the EU, which should mean that either:
1. Sweden is not "independent" any more, so celebrating "independence" makes no sense, or
2. Voluntarily joining a super-national organization doesn't mean you are no longer independent, which means that Sweden was "independent" all along, and therefore, Gustav Vasa declaring himself king might have been a joyous occasion for him, but noting special to celebrate centuries later.
Either way, the Swedish national day makes no sense.
It seems like you had a great midsummer but I got a thought recently. How many people in Sweden who aren't "Swedish" actually celebrate midsummer? As someone who always had big family celebration, been to parties with friends or worked on midsummer I never gave that much thought before.
Say your parents were/are immigrants from Turkey, Poland or China how many midsummers, traditional or just gathering with friends like you did, have they actually experienced? Offcourse some have maybe only Swedish friends so they get invited naturally but those others?
You probably have a point there, Jack. Although it is probably mostly non-Europeans who rarely know "native" Swedes, Turks, Kurds, Arabs and Africans the most. However, most municipalities arrange midsummer celebrations. Have been with one myself a long time ago when we were new to a place and had small children.
Maybe you should go explore the suburbs of
Stockholm like farsta where I live. Maybe it could be a fun experience!
Your midsummer sounds nothing like my midsummer XD We just sort of had a little get together where we had food and just chatted for a couple of hours, and this thing about there being a specific order you have to take the food in is as weird of a notion to me now as it was during Christmas, everyone just took whatever they felt like.
There were no games, there was... some alcohol, but we didn't have any drinking songs or anything, and I didn't have any personally on account of I don't like the taste. Might've had to do with that I spent it with my family and not with a friend group, so that's probably why it was a lot more laid back than what you described. I gotta admit though, I *do* miss the maypole from when I was a kid.
You are lucky, it always rain onmidsummer (I live in Stockholms archipelago) I dont remmember last time it was good weather on midsummer 😂
Midsummer is calm. No stress.
Don't worry about getting the food in the right order! You do you! Haha never had people react weirdly when you take the hot food first. Those people must be super boring to think that's so important! Haha I usually put it all on the same plate 😅
I’ve been celebrating Midsommar all my life, never once have I thought the may pole is phallic lol
I think why not are more excited about June 6 is that we as a country is more of less thousands of years old. Midsommar is for me get together with family and friends eating traditional food like in this video and some really good wine, but not meat or birds as a longtime choice. Always strawberries
Thanks for saving us from Hollywood fans, or whoever made the movie.
Netflix made it
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Thank you!
Oooh man that movie sucks :P
I live in a smal town in Sweden, its intresting to see the differens and simularities....
The pole looks like a “manhood” because back in the Viking-age it was believed to give a good crop and well germinated soils if you celebrated midsummer. It was a way of celebrating one of the gods of Asgård.
ruclips.net/video/YuhBDkIn_RM/видео.html
Midsummer 1000 years ago.
Det stämmer inte, det är ingen jävla penis. Det är ett kors. Varför sprider folk "fakta" de inte har en jävla aning om?
Yeah midsommar was celebrated by the vikings for Frej and Freja for both good crops and healthy children for the rest of the year. And just like every other viking holiday there was probably some animal sacrifice.
@@notna6503 midsommarstången har ej alltid sett likadan ut. Den originella stången var inspirerad av en penis men är oklart hur den såg ut. Man tror att stången vi har idag är inspirerad av kristendomen och jesukors men att symbolerna med kransarna är hämtade ur den fornnordiska och penisliknande stången. Då den gamla stången sett olika ut på olika ställen i landet har ingen generell avbildning bildats men enligt de gamla skrifterna jag läst så skall den ha varit lik en penis.
“It slaps.” Is that a Portland thing? I’m 3 hours north of Portland and I’ve never heard it (lived here since 1985).
I’m from the south and lots of people say this haha. I think its pretty common on the internet too
Never knew it was called Cubb, and that you swedes called it that... we just call it Kongespil in Denmark.
LoL a bit of rain ? We had snow on midsummer a few years back lol. It was colder that year on midsummer then on christmas eve :D
Du kan äta i vilken ordning du vill. Dock tycker väl de flesta att fiskrätter smakar bättre före kött?
Har du hört den här? "Vi äter inte klockor men dricker gärna ur."
What kind of animal are the meatballs made?
Varje midsommar så åker vi till min mammas kompis och firar hemma hos henne. Det är ganska kul
17c inside and 33c outside is ideal temperature for me.
You missed the big barbecue that happens in the evening..
that midsommar movie really terrified me
Love how they made it a horror film hahaha
The director is American. Much of what they were doing, especially to the parents, never was a tradition in Sweden, not even with the Vikings.
@@alterbr33d it's based on the Swedish myth of Ättestupa.
@@andersmalmgren6528 I see, I've just read about, ok. I saw an interview with just one Swedish man and he said it had no basis on anything, now I can see there is a myth.
@@alterbr33d We have a rumored ättestupa on Ramberget here in Gothenburg
i live in kiruna which is above the artic circle and i gotta say, these long ass days are kinda tiring haha
Great video!
"Helan går" is actually not about emptying the whole glass at once. Instead it's about taking the first "snaps".
"helan" = the first one, "halvan" = the second one, "tersen" = the third one.
Du är en legend mannen!
I'm from Canada and it's good to know Midsommar is not a horror movie. 😂
You got at least one churchgoer here that got your reference!
I am swedish and have never properly celebrated midsummer coz I live in Germany
Anledningen till att Svenskarna inte firar nationaldagen så mycket beror nog mycket på att vi inte varit i krig på över 200år. Det är väldigt bra men vi har glömt bort vikten av att va stolta över vårat land lika mycket som länder som minns krigen och kanske även upplevt dem på nära håll. Tack för en bra video....
While kubb is similar to many ancient games, the game as such is not recorded until the 1990s.
Andra lekar på midsommarafton är dragkamp, hoppa säck, springa med potatis på en sked, kasta hästskor på en pinne
me: "You eat the same food every holiday" also me: "We need to get turkey for thanksgiving" :D:D:D
About the food, resistance is futile, you will be assimilated! Congrats and welcome on becoming a Swede!
I am kinda surprised that in Sweden or basically anywhere in Northern Europe that "mid summer" days can be mostly ALL daylight.
I knew that in Alaska, which is right above Canada, which is above the Continental USA, to the NORTH, it can remain in FULL DAYLIGHT 100% for MONTHS in the summer time. BUT, in the WINTER, in Alaska, which is RIGHT above Canada, and the Continental USA, in WINTER, it is mostly `100% NIGHT TIME. And, IF there IS ANY daylight, it is really NOT real daylight, BUT, perhaps just a tiny bit of light. And, the "aurora borealis" is the BEST 'show of light" that anybody can ever even HOPE to see.
I had a British Lady tell me that in summer in her area of Britain, it can stay light out until 10PM. Now, in MY area in the USA, in summer, it can stay light up until about 9 Pm and possibly a bit longer, BUT, now, it is getting darker sooner a little bit at a time.
And, I would NOT really care much about it, BUT, this being the HOTTEST time in the season, with days in the 90's F here in MY area, I have to wait until the evening hours before I can even start cutting my lawn. SO, being that my property is kinda BIG, I need about 2 nights to cut it all since I must start cutting it in the evening, when the temps have gone down. I really can NOT be out in too much SUN. I am on some medications that make me more sensitive to sunlight. I had gone a couple of years ago to "Virginia Beach" with some friends, and OMG, just with about 3-4 hours of sunlight, I was RED like a freakin LOBSTER after it has been dumped into BOILING hot water. BUT, I would go again, JUST because seeing the ocean is a really GREAT experience.
And, I will admit that the waves had really hypnotized me, watching them roll in was really almost "intoxicating", and I had NOT drank a drop of alcohol. To be honest watching those waves had mad me dizzy as all hell. But, visiting the ocean is a great experience, EVEN IF you do NOT actually go diving in and swimming in it, it can be a really nice experience. I had really TRIED to "get out there" into the sea, BUT, I am NOT very steady on my feet, so, my "confidence" had built up to the point that I was thinking, "I can do this", meaning that I could just go and walk out into the sea to where my 2 best friends were out there in the sea. I mean, IF they can do it, why can't I? So, I went walking out there, and THEN, a nice strong wave had hit me, and MY weak ass just fell down, and then, each wave that had hit me had rolled me up the beach. I had sand in every crevice of my body, and in my hair.
I was SUPER embarrassed, BUT, I had pretended that I had laughed about it, because it had seemed like the best way to "save face", or to seem like I was NOT embarrassed by it. SO MANY people that were in the ocean had been able to "ride that wave", BUT, I had NOT been able to. I mean even little KIDS, had been okay in that situation, and my 2 best friends had jumped when that wave had come through, BUT, it had knocked my ass over, so easily. Previously, I had enjoyed just SITTING on the beach while the waves had just rolled in, and had washed over me, BUT, THEN, I just HAD to go and try to walk into the ocean at about waist deep water, and the waves just bowled me over.
That had been MY first time in the ocean trying stand up and walk. Previously, I had been in the ocean in Florida, on Big Pine key, BUT, I had just sat in the shallows because there had been signs up warning about a very dangerous type of "Jellyfish" that had been seen on that beach, and we had seen some of them all semi dried out on the beach. Anyway, it is Vodka that has made me so "chatty" here. BUT, soon in the USA, it will be getting dark much sooner, like at about 5Pm in the wintertime, in the USA, it will be dark in winter. And, in fall here in the USA, we have to turn out clocks back 1 hour, and in spring, we turn our clocks forward 1 hour.
If I remember correctly from my own research of Wiccan that I follow the maypole comes from that belief in the pagan festivals
Well Myself and many people like me, wants to change our national day to midsummer. There’s nothing more Swedish than midsummer.
My issue with the movie midsommar is that the nature, flowers and clothing are so off if you’re actually from sweden
It was filmed in Hungary
@@jisuo I think so? So for me as a Swede the nature and flowers are off. You usually pick the flowers yourself so they don't look as bold and extravagance as in the movie.
I kinda understand the choice in one way though because the flowers in the movie look cooler and more colorful
For a true Swedish Midsummer celebration, you need
* alcohol
* everything else (optional)
Wrong you need alcohol + herring and potatoes, everything else is optional! :)
I think the reason we don't "celebrate" our national day, is more because we're laid back, we do that a lot during school years, making it a bit annoying as we grow up. But as singing it when we end the school for the year, while standing up, with no real celebration. At least that is the generation I grew up in, I still love the national day, and play the song on that day, and outside it. But sadly more and more schools are cancelling singing the national anthem, and people are being called racist because of it.
Some of the reasons I can think of we're not going out with a "bang" like 'Muricans do, wish we did, sadly we don't. I wouldn't mind hearing people singing the anthem or playing it outside where I live.
Midsummer though is hilarious, especially with Surströmming and drinking on top of that
The rules for the games and food is nothing all Swedish people do 😅😆 everyone does it differently and have their own set of rules, mostly depending on where in Sweden you live I think.
I have hard of "Swedish meatballs" BUT, I have always THOUGHT that the American version MUST be NOTHING like the Swedish version, and in the USA, "Swedish meatballs " are really meatballs served in a "sweet and sour" sauce.
Okay, so THIS guy has mentioned eating the "cold foods" first, like Herring. SO I am guessing that Swedes eat Herring COLD?
I really am NOT sure that I could EVER even TRY cold Herring. It is sold in a store chain here in the USA called "Giant eagle", and it is in a jar, and is refrigerated. I had been brought up eating only fish that had NOT looked anything like it once had when it was alive. It would be breaded and fried, looking NOTHING as it once had looked. BUT, I had tried a tin of "Sardines" a while back, it was soaked in mustard, it was NOT TOO BAD, BUT, it was NOT TOO GOOD either.
As the video goes on, Strawberries are great when ripe, I just MAY plant some inside a GREAT BIG tire that is in MY yard next spring. Watching your videos about Sweden are really interesting, sorry IF I have posted TOO long replies to the videos, it is all of that Vodka I have been drinking. :>)
I'd say about half of the Swedes don't even know why June 6th is our national day.
Haha u american love celibrations i was in usa was so difffent 😁 the halloween in usa ex was crazy 😂😁 midsummer can be fun if its a good weather 😂
The food is not the same. There's meatballs on Christmas. Totally not the same. 😆
You are getting more and more Swedish, Herning, weather...hmm
Helan går, doesn't mean drink the whole. Helan is the name of the first shot, halvan is the second then there is some other named ones after that. Helan and halvan. A filled glas followed by a half filled one.
I don´t think even Swedes agree about that. I come from Sweden and as I have understood this, it is about drinking half of the shot or all of it at once. It is "the manly thing to do", to drink the whole shot at once. If you "bite it off" and only drink half of the first one, it means you will not get a refill for the whole shot. It is a whole shot or the half shot.
But I wont argue about it, it is just the way I have understood it.
Midsummer-booze and eat herring!!
Easter-booze and eat herring!!!!
Christmas-booze and eat herring!!!!
New years eve-booze and eat herring!!! no no no NEJ, there we go three course dinner ;-)