Swedish Midsummer Traditions for Everyone in Singapore

Two Australians, some Singaporeans, two Danes, some Finns, and big bunch of Swedes spent Saturday 26th June seated at blankets at the Botanical Gardens in Singapore.

All they attended Young Professionals’ Midsummer Picnic. What was meant to be a ordinary After Work event at pub on Friday evolved into a celebration of the Swedish tradition Midsummer on Saturday.

And even without the traditional maypole the spontaneous Midsummer Picnic became a great success. Everyone or least almost everyone enjoying Swedish schnapps, singing Swedish drinking songs and playing the Swedish outdoor game called Kubb.

One of the songs was an ABBA track with a little twist:

Thank you for the brännvin,
that keeps us singing,
thanks for all the joy it’s bringing,
who could live without it,
I ask in all honesty?
What would life be?
Without a snaps and a skål, what are we?
So I say: thank you for the brännvin,
for bringing it to me!

But some were excused for not enjoying the Swedish booze. One of them Regina Hermelin, who is expecting a baby Amanda or maybe Bianca together with her boyfriend Ulf Svensson.
“We thought a lot about the name, but we are not sure yet, but we both like Amanda,” says the pregnant and smiling Regina.

Others were enjoying a beer or a glass of wine and a game of Kubb as a supplement to the schnapps and Swedish songs. Kubb, in Danish called Vikingespil, is played over all Scandinavia at summertime, and for that reason you can easily buy it anywhere. But in Singapore the game is quite unknown and actually the game for the picnic was custom-made by a local carpenter.

Another characteristic item were the traditional Midsummer garlands that some of the girls wore on their heads. One of them were Singaporean Fransisca Wijanarko, who was invited to join the Midsummer Picnic by her Swedish friend Cherie Tan:
“We are very good friends, we actually used to live together and I once visited Cherie’s family in Sweden. And I really like it there,” said Fransisca.

More photos from the picnic in the photo gallery .

What is Young Professionals?
Young Professionals is a social network for Young Professionals and students between 18-35 years. In addition to providing a great network platform, YP hosts many different social events to make sure to keep the Scandinavian traditions alive in Singapore. YP is a subdivision of Swedish Business Association of Singapore (SBAS) and is open for all nationalities. Source:

One Comment on “Swedish Midsummer Traditions for Everyone in Singapore”

  1. Hi,

    Will there be a Mid Summer celebration in Singapore this year?

    Tack

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