Midsommar/Midsummer

Last week, June 20 was summer solstice for our northern hemisphere. Which means I finally had my long-anticipated introduction to the Swedish Midsummer celebration! In prior trips to Sweden, we never coordinated our travel dates to include Midsummer. But I know about the Maypole tradition and Swedish strawberry appreciation, and having read about May Day celebrations as a kid and soaked up my friend Kim's stories about her childhood May Day remembrances in the U.S.'s midwest, I was excited about experiencing it firsthand.

Despite the rain forecast I was determined to see a Majstång/Maypole, and my Swedish family kindly indulged and Roger found a celebration just north of Lund. In hindsight, I can see now that it's an event for kids, or for those who are a little kitschy or adamant about sustaining cultural traditions. But in my mind, sometimes it's good to be a kid again, or to indulge your inner kitsch, or to remind oneself why the traditions exist.

In Sweden, regardless of the actual solstice date, Midsommar is a 2-day national holiday taking place on an adjacent Friday (when most of the celebrating occurs) and Saturday (I guess for recuperating from the hangover). It's a big deal here, and why shouldn't summer be a big deal after a long, dark, cold winter? 

The Maypole makes its appearance on Friday (remember in Sweden, it doesn't show up on May Day), and flitting about are the young girls with flower wreaths on their heads. The rain-soaked celebration we attended, (yes - my luck: it was warm and sunny the day before and clear the day after, but Friday we were huddled under our umbrellas) there was the pole, dancing, music, and of course coffee and snacks. Simple and so sweet, and for me it seemed abundant and sincere with good humor & good cheer.

For many that forego the community Maypole celebrations, Midsummer seems to be a time to relax with family and friends and enjoy the traditional meal of pickled herring, créme fraiche, chives, boiled new potatoes, fresh strawberries, snaps (shots of aquavit), and beer. A lot of simple flavors combining to create a light and refreshing summer evening repast. My mother-in-law created a beautiful dinner spread. I sampled everything and enjoyed it all - except for the herring which I don't think I would eat again even if I weren't vegetarian.

For me, Midsummer feels like a Swedish Thanksgiving (but with more alcohol) - traditional food with seasonal and positive associations, shared with loved ones, and followed with televised sports. Yep, it's the European Football (Soccer) Championship; Sweden's out.

Here's the photos, but check back in a week and hopefully I can edit and upload some goofy videos too.

Although the celebration was on the northern outskirts of Lund,
the setting was sweetly idyllic & pastoral. Roger mentioned
hobbit and shire at some point.

The weather was less idyllic, but no matter. Look at all the hardy souls
with spirits undampened. That dog is even smiling.

"Hmm, this is interesting."

And so is this...

Raising the Majstång.

Let the dancing begin!

This fellow, who stepped out of the 1800's, sang and called out the
dance instructions (Ruby and I faked like we knew what we were doing).

It's just possible I was more enthused 
than Ruby about dancing around the Maypole.

Fika, the Swedish equivalent of the Brits' tea time, includes
coffee, snacks - here it was baked goods, and for Midsummer also
elderberry and ligonberry juices.

Ruby got her pony fix for the day. Lucky for her, 
there are horses everywhere we go.

I believe these fun folks are wearing samples of Skåne's folkdräkter
(scroll down in the link for English translation), traditional clothing.
Each province has its own recognizable costume.

Radishes, chives, matjessill/pickled herring, créme fraiche mixed with dill & caviar.

My mother-in-law dressed up the new potatoes for us vegetarians.
Traditionally they're served boiled and unadorned.

Beer and snaps - perhaps crucial in washing down the herring.

A traditional Midsommar dinner, with some smoked salmon
thrown in for good measure.

And the perfect ending...

... or alternatively, this may be the perfect ending for some folks.
This aquavit had a nice hint of anise, and gave a warm "glow" to the meal.

Moderna Museet

- I chose a new template/new look for the blog - some visual spring cleaning so to speak. Maybe it's that Scandinavian design aesthetic filtering in...

A few Sundays ago, Ruby, her Aunt Carola, and I visited the modern art museum in Malmö. Moderna Museet is a state-owned museum in Stockholm, and three years ago in a collaboration with the city of Malmö and Skåne province a subsidiary site of the museum was opened in Malmö in a renovated electricity plant. (To my former colleagues at the DeYoung and Palo Alto Art Center - check out the museum link and be prepared for website envy. I love how aesthetically it's so clean and efficient, and easy to navigate. Very user friendly, even in the English translation!)

The last Sunday in the month is "Family Sunday" and of course, I had to check it out. It's always fun to visit another museum's education programs and experience it as just a happy-go-lucky member of the art-loving public. The program is pretty much the same model as what I've taught at the DeYoung museum in San Francisco. I guess it's the standard these days - a kids tour and related art activity. 

The exhibit was "The Girl, The Monster, and The Goddess," artwork by Niki de Saint Phalle. Our group was small, the tour was short and sweet as it should be, and the art activity was ... a little underwhelming (as far as I understood it "paint a monster of your own creation" was pretty much the only prompt). Still the kids were focused and engaged; who doesn't like smushing and smearing paint around on paper?

One observation that gave me a good chuckle: walking into the workshop I realized the teaching artist was giving an introduction and, although I didn't comprehend a single Swedish word of it, I pretty much understood everything she was saying from having repeated it myself thousands of times over the past 13 years - right down to the part where she raised her hand and wiggled her fingers to explain how we can't touch the artwork because the oils in our fingerprints are damaging. I guess there is an universal mantra spoken by museum kids' docents worldwide. :)

To get a better view of the new facade, visit the link. I like the exterior
design, except that the name of the museum disappears 
once the cafe/giftshop window coverings are opened.

Here's our fearless art educator in action.

Getting up close and personal with the art - except for Ruby hanging 
out at the back.

I had studio envy.

I'm including this because Ruby took this photo of her aunt and 
I thought, "wow, pretty good shot!"

Here's the entrance to the education studio, visible and accessible 
from the adjoining gallery space. I liked that the studio is open 
at all times, even without workshops taking place, so that the 
public can see the ongoing children's projects.

Again with the studio envy! Lots of natural light and feels like a 
working studio space. The industrial clutter on the left is a remnant of 
the electricity plant, a nice reminder of the history of the building.

This is a nice group project on color - note the pixelized portrait
 being referenced on the left. For a better overall view of the project,
scroll up to the previous photo.

Another fun display in the studio, put together with audience 
participation - each thought bubble contains a viewer's speculation
on what is being portrayed in the artwork.

A nice touch to the coatroom lockers - each locker has an artist's 
name on its front and a quote on the inside.

Canadian Oilseed, Low Acid

Upon arriving here in Skåne, I couldn't help but notice the shockingly bright yellow fields lining the highways and scattered across the rolling landscape. It's pretty stunning in the intensity of color. I thought it might be mustard greens, but I learned the crop is raps, or rapeseed. Rapeseed is one of Skåne's major crops, along with wheat, rye, barley, oats, sugar beets and potatoes. 

I then learned rapeseed oil (which I knew of) is the same as canola oil (which I did not know). I did a little more research on rapeseed (I'm unemployed currently) and found some interesting trivia:

- "canola" is an abbreviation for "Canadian Oilseed, Low Acid," the acronym first used by the Manitoba government when the plant was in its experimental stages to create a less bitter, more palatable, oil.

- the leaves and stems are eaten as well in Asian cuisine. So that's what yao choy is! And rapeseed greens can also appear as sag, as in sag paneer - one of my favorite Indian dishes.

Here's a glimpse of the fields. 

Along with traditional agriculture, a lot of
wind farms in Skåne as well. 

Vårtid/Springtime

We were lucky enough, a few weeks into our stay, to experience a  little heatwave. I'm talking mid to high 70's (it's all relative, you know), with lots of bright sunshine, lasting about a week. And the change was dramatic - the clothing layers came off, kids were playing in the fountains, everything seemed "sunny" and enthusiastic. But more or less, most of our days since arriving have been cooler, windier, and often overcast with drizzle or sporadic downpours. So I can appreciate and revel with the Swedes in their sheer enjoyment of the sun and warmth. 

The California Bay Area spring (and I have debated this with several East Coast natives and Roger: San Francisco does have seasons, albeit more nuanced) is much less distinct and less dramatic than here in Sweden. So as a SF native, what is really notable for me is the springtime lushness of the foilage - shoots popping up, blossoms opening, fields ripening. I am loving and savoring all the vibrant colors and fresh smells.

Kungsparken in Malmö

Tulips are in abundance here, and in so many varieties! 
(Makes me wonder what Holland looks like in the spring.)

Casino Cosmopol in Malmö

These reminded me of Diane Arbus' "Identical Twins."

Downtown Lund

Stadsparken in Lund

Purples and blues in Landskrona

Not sure ... but it seemed like an organized tree-climbing session 
in Malmö's Kungsparken.

Homage to Lee Friedlander

Peonies the size of Ruby's face!

Sunny weather brings out the sunny
disposition in everyone.

Weathervanes and more

Several weekends ago, my mother-in-law invited us to the annual community fair in her Lund neighborhood. The big draw for us was that there would be pony rides offered! Ruby is right smack in her horsemania phase.

So despite the cold and drizzle, which doesn't stop the Swedes from getting out and enjoying a spring day, we headed out and had a great time. It was part garage sale, part small-town talent show, and part community outreach all rolled into one. We especially enjoyed the Cirkusvagn - a gypsy-like trailer that appears at local events and provides free art activities! It's run by two fellows from Uruguay and volunteers. The project was weathervanes made from wood stakes, recycled plastic and paint. Ruby and Roger teamed up and with some thought and great concentration painted a cheerful vane that now proudly spins and rotates in my father-in-law's garden.

I was really enthused by the ingenious idea to use liter soda bottles (just the bottom) to create the weathervane's propellor. Jen Ewing, I was thinking of you and all those plastic bottles - maybe vehicles of flight will be next?  My friend, Jen, creates beautiful and whimsical boats out of plastic bottles, and other fun materials. You can check out her work here.

Other things that were fun - the local police and fire departments had vehicles and staff out to mingle with the neighbors. Lund's public servants were super nice; and the burly firefighter in the photo below that looks like he just rolled out of bed, was so genial despite the language barrier. For some reason, it just tickled me that the police officers and firefighters were having a good time passing out take-aways and letting kids crawl all over their vehicles. I guess it seems so long since I've seen the San Francisco police or fire departments represented at any community events. I'm sure lack of funds and overworked staff move community events down on the priority list, but a little goes a long way in developing good relations I think.

Local artists, crafters, musicians were in attendance as well. I was particulary intrigued by a display of frivoliteter, "tatting" in English, which I'd never heard of before. It's an European craft of knotting and looping thread into intricate, lacy designs. Seems so detailed and miniature - what I imagine blind, Belgian nuns laboring at in their convents hundreds of years ago. As if knitting isn't frustrating enough to me.

All in all it was a good day. Despite the fact that the pony cancelled its appearance because of the rain.