NEW SWEDEN, Maine — Whether they came from near or far, Midsommar offered everyone a chance to take part in New Sweden’s most cherished cultural traditions.
For the first time in several years, Midsommar began with sunshine instead of rain showers. The weather was fitting for the holiday, which originated in Sweden as a celebration of the summer solstice.
On Saturday, hundreds gathered at the New Sweden Historical Museum on a sunny and warm mid-morning to chat with various craft vendors and catch up with friends while waiting for the New Sweden Little Folk Dancers to perform.
People formed a long line next to the Lindsten Stuga, a replica of an 1870s log house, for their chance to construct hair wreaths of lupines, buttercups, purple vetch, tamarack and other wildflowers.
Kearsten Landeen Clasby of Taunton, Massachusetts, served as this year’s New Sweden Colony Queen. She helped children make hair wreaths while talking about her family’s roots in New Sweden.
Clasby’s family plans to move back to town after her father retires. The holiday now carries a sad but special meaning since the passing of her maternal grandmother, Norma Landeen.
“Every year we come back for Midsommar,” Clasby said. “[The traditions] are so important to us, especially with my grandmother being gone now.”
Not far from the wreath decorating, Rita Anderson of New Sweden and Sandy Ferguson of Caribou demonstrated how to make rugs with traditional “rug hooking,” pulling loops of yarn through stiff linen, and needle punching, which uses a hollow needle to “punch” loops of wool yarn through holes.
Ferguson saw Midsommar as an ideal place to share her techniques. The holiday is an annual tradition for her and Anderson.
“We both have Swedish roots, so we have to come and support our heritage,” Ferguson said.
Folks gathered nearby as New Sweden resident Sven Bondeson started to twine wildflowers around the 30-foot-tall wooden maypole. Many visitors were eager to help him decorate and stand the maypole up next to the museum.
Then came the big moment for the Little Folk Dancers.
Led by their instructor, 17-year-old Hannah Chartier of Fort Fairfield, the group of nearly 30 children and teens marched in pairs and then danced around the maypole. They sang several songs in Swedish, including “Mother’s Little Pigs,” “The Little Frog Dance,” “Carousel” and “Now We Have the Sun.”
Chartier’s family does not have roots in New Sweden but have been taking part in Midsommar since she was a child after friends invited them. She grew up as a Little Folk Dancer and is now the main instructor.
“[The best part] is seeing all the kids dance. They have so much fun,” Chartier said.
Even the adults joined in on the fun. During an encore of “Now We Have the Sun,” dozens of visitors held hands and formed a giant loop while walking around the museum. Everyone shouted, “Valkommen to Midsommar!” which translates to “Welcome, Midsommar!”
Traditions like the maypole dancing are New Sweden’s best homage to the immigrants who established Maine’s original Swedish colony, said Lukas Lagasse, president of the New Sweden Historical Society.
Though New Sweden’s earliest settlers celebrated Midsommar starting in 1871, the tradition did not resemble its modern-day version until the 1960s when a new wave of Swedish residents moved to town from the Midwest.
People from as far as California, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts attended this year’s festival, even more so than the last few rainy years, Lagasse said.
“It’s a way to recognize the hardships of the past and the sheer effort that went into creating this community,” Lagasse said.
