Bright sun and smiles in Swedesburg

SWEDESBURG — Smiles were as bright as the sun this weekend in Swedesburg, and pride radiated from those of Swedish decent, as Swedish heritage was honored in a big way, in this small town.

Friday and Saturday brought lively festivities to the Swedesburg community just outside of Mt. Pleasant with the Midsommer festival and 30th anniversary of the Swedish American Museum.

According to Britannica, Midsommer is a traditional festival which celebrates the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Swedesburg certainly knows how to honor this tradition.

In preparation for the event, the Swedish American Museum board members prioritize cleaning the museum and historical properties weeks before the event, much like their ancestors would have cleaned their homes and decorated with flowers.

The weekend was full of many rich Swedish traditions.

Friday, the community and visitors gathered to decorate the Majstång (May Pole) with fresh greenery and ribbons and Jaerv kicked things off with a compelling Swedish quintet performance.

According to Swedish travel guide Heidi Vandenbussche, the Majstång is a cross-shaped pole which is decorated with greenery, ribbons, and flowers to symbolize the fertility of the earth.

The sun shone on the warm Saturday as festivities continued in Swedesburg.

Keeping with tradition, the celebration included fiddle and history lessons prior to the Små grodorna, dance around the May Pole.

Swedish fiddle tutors, Vidar Skrede and Patrik Ahlberg, invited people to record the lesson and ask questions.

Ahlberg, Swedish immigrant and 10-year Chicago resident, explained the “A” and “B” parts of the traditional Swedish songs.

As mesmerizing call and answer of the fiddle sons filled the Parish Hall, a cupcake walk took place.

Skrede played walking music just outside the Parish Hall by the May Pole.

“Hardanger Fiddle is the walking music,” Skrede said of the music being made by the National Instrument of Norway, the fiddle.

Covered wagon rides slowly strode through the little town, and a Viking re-enactment group taught on different weaponry through demonstrations.

There was not a single horn to be found on a Viking helmet, but there were goggle type and nose plate type helmets worn by the actors.

The troupe consisted not only of men willing to demonstrate the weapons, but women and children dressed in traditional outfits of the era.

The women and children watched from a safe distance, but one little boy, Bryn Bind-Christianson of Des Moines, was more interested in testing his short dagger on the trunk of a nearby tree.

Kathleen Almelien stood under a canopy near the May Pole weaving on a handmade upright weaving loom.

Next to her rested a wooden box which she explained to a curious festivity patron.

“When a woman would get married, she had to weave sock holders for all of the important people of her in-law family to show that she could weave,” Almelien said.

The Bride would have one of the boxes like the one next to Almelien and she would fill it with these sock holders prior to her wedding.

According to Almelien, weaving is an important part of the Swedish culture.

“Sometimes an unmarried sister would move in with the family and her job would be to spin wool,” Amelien said. “This is where the term spinster comes from.”

The sweet weekend was brought to an end with recognition of the museum’s founding members, volunteers, Lucia alumni, the much anticipated dance around the May Pole, and the fiddle music of Skrede and Ahlberg.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com