May Day Bonfire/ Majbål

May 1, or May Day, is celebrated in many northern European countries as the start of spring holiday - think dancing around the May Day Pole, lots of flowers and lovely girls. There is also, new to me -- Walpurgisnacht (German), or in Swedish - Valborgsmässoafton, celebrated on April 30 exactly six months from All Hallow's Eve during which big bonfires are lit in many cities at nightfall. Same roots though, a celebration of spring and the end of long nights.

Sweden's socialist tradition has celebrated May 1 as International Workers' Day since the 1930s. I love this place. Government and businesses close for the day and each city hosts workers' marches and speeches. I'm not sure how big a crowd the marches and speeches draw these days, as I'm guessing many people just enjoy the day off from work. I'll check it out next year. I missed the marches and speeches this year, in lieu of a day celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday with a seaside picnic. 

But we did manage to go out for the Staffanstorp May Day Bonfire, or Majbål, on April 30, Apparently during the day there are lots of students drinking heavily, perhaps like a big frat party in the parks, but the evening is more mellow with families enjoying the local bonfires. In Staffanstorp there was a band, majorettes, somebody making speeches (in Swedish, content unknown to me), and then the Scout troop marched in with torches to light the huge mound of branches and kindling. Unfortunately, the branches seemed fairly green and the whole thing took about 40 minutes of sweaty troopmasters and troop parents to get it blazing. 

Ruby suffering from jetlag, passed out before the bonfire got going. But I thought it was pretty neat.

Roger and Ruby heading up the knoll near Staffanstorp's 
waste water treatment plant where the bonfire was located.

The pre-fire show

And finally it's roaring and crackling! 

There's something so primal and fun about throwing things into a fire.  

Billie checking out the scorched earth aftermath.