Swedish midsummer (almost) in Sapporo

Sweden Hills, Japan

In Sweden, midsummer is celebrated on the Friday closest to the summer solstice. Near Sapporo we have a place called Sweden Hills, where everyone lives in houses built to look like Swedish houses. They are sister cities with the small town of Leksand in Sweden, and they celebrate lots of Swedish holidays etc. In Sweden Hills, midsummer is celebrated on the Sunday after the Swedish midsummer.

Elderflower flavored water

This year, I got a lift from a friend who lives in Sapporo but who was going to Sweden Hills by car that day. We also found some flavored water that was said to taste like Elderflower juice, which is a common summer drink in Sweden. The taste of the flavored water was similar, but a very weak flavor.

Swedish food for sale

Swedish food (Swedish bread!) made by my friend

We got to see more people in Swedish folk dress than I have ever seen in Sweden. Here, most of them were black haired (there were two Swedish women there too). In Stockholm, where I used to live, almost no one owns traditional Swedish folk costumes, but I am told that Swedes in the countryside (like for instance in the sister city of Sweden Hills) usually do.

Swedish folk costume

People were playing Swedish folk songs on traditional instruments and dancing old folk dances for children, quite like people do in Sweden at midsummer. There was also some Swedish food you could try.

Getting married in Swedish folk costumes

What surprised me the most was that there was a young couple getting married that did so in Swedish folk costumes in front of everyone at the midsummer festival.

Dancing

Dancing