Midsummer Show Segment

Day ten of our trip, and the 20th of June - time for the Midsummer eve festival; always celebrated on the Friday that falls between the19th and 25th of June. Thanks to Suren and Annette our bus and several members of our group are decorated for the day with flowers and greenery. We began our Midsummer Eve celebration at Kalmar Castle. Kalmar Castle’s stunning beauty and fantastic location by the Baltic Sea is host to a 800 year old history filled with feats, court intrigues and assaults. During the 12th century a defense tower was built to protect against pirates and other sea-faring enemies. A harbor was constructed and through the course of time a castle grew around the original tower. Kalmar Castle was soon the key to the kingdom - a vital defense on the Danish border and an important part of international political life. Kalmar Castle was the center of activities in 1997 when the 600 year anniversary of the Kalmar Union took place marking 1397’s Nordic Union by Queen Margareta I of Denmark. This was when Margareta had her great-nephew crowned as king of Sweden, including the territory of Finland, Norway, including Iceland, and Denmark. The Union of Kalmar established a common ruler and foreign policy for the three countries. The Renaissance palace we see today was constructed by the Vasa Kings, who broke the union, giving Sweden the right to self-rule, in the 16th century. The horse and cart crossing into the castle are here for a wedding, a popular day for marriage in Sweden. Over the drawbridge that crosses the moat, along which the medieval revelers are camped, we enter into the courtyard of the castle. Here we wait for our tour of the interior of the castle amid the cobblestone yard with its 16th century well in the center. Our guide Maria gave us a brief history of the area and the castle. After seeing the site of the original tower, we headed to the dungeon, which later was used as a kitchen. The main entrance to the King’s Suite was by way of the King’s Staircase which like the Queen’s Staircase, was built of medieval gravestones. The King’s Chamber wall’s are furnished with intarsia, or mosaic inlaid wood, decorated wainscoting , and columns of oak. The coffered ceiling is painted in a stucco relief, depicting a hunting scene. In the window is a painting of Hercules, believed to have been done by Eric the Fourteenth. The wall to the left of the fireplace is actually a secret door, with one of the original images of Kalmar castle preserved. This door led to the king’s toilet facilities. Maria explains Eric the Fourteenth’s use of this escape route. The Golden Hall has a magnificent coffered ceiling with a elaborate knob or boss in the form of a fruit basket. This room was used as the King’s reception hall. Now pictures of the various monarchs line the walls. The south wing of the castle holds the chapel. This features a rounded vaulted ceiling in brick. The wall’s lime paintings include quotations from the Bible which are written in Swedish on the north side and Latin on the south. The musicians were practicing for a wedding as we finished our tour before reentering the courtyard. Here we saw the bridal party ready for their ceremony in the 16th century chapel we had just visited. Kalmar is one of the greenest and most blooming cities in Sweden; it offers the visitor a combination of the old and new with its port, castles and parks. Because of the holiday, the streets were almost empty, as all the revelers were gathered elsewhere for their own merrymaking.

Next we headed to Klastorp- Here we were welcomed to join.

This traditional celebration of Midsummer included the musicians playing songs, while people of all ages danced in a circle around the Maypole. The Maypole, the colorful symbol of midsummer comes from the old Norse verb meaning, “to adorn”, and not from the month of May. Arne joined in with the group, remembering when he was a young lad. The celebrants had brought thier picnic lunches and sat around and enjoyed the music, or like us had tea and cakes. The animals and children added to the traditional atmosphere of the day. The croft contains the buildings that were onced used by the farmers. Now they act as museums, preserving the past with it’s many items for the kitchen and household. Arne chatted with a woman who was demonstrating the art of spinning thread from wool. The afternoon came to a close as all the celebrants headed home for

Back to Kalmar area for a bus tour of Oland with a photo op to capture the old windmills that dot the landscape. Dinner at our hotel bfore heading to Kalmar Park for a Midsummer celebration with games, music and dancing and people excited to be a part of the day. And finally back to the Scandic Motel with our comfortable accomodations, for our last night in the Kingdom of Crystal where the sun never seemed to set. When we remember this day we will remember, Kalmar castle with all it’s medieval charms and history, the hospitality of the Swedish people in sharing thier traditional Midsummer celebration with us, and the beauty of the modern city of Kalmar, with it’s 800 year old heritage of castles,keeps and defense walls; its busy port with modern buildings and facilities; and the glorious Midsummer sun.