Jason and I are members of the Swedish Heritage Society in our area and attend some of their events during the year. This weekend we went to the Feast of Valborg. It is a celebration of Spring. I hope I explain this correctly-traditionally the Swedish communities build large bonfires to “burn off” the long, dark, cold winter and to welcome spring-the return of the sun and greenery. If you have been to Sweden, or other far northern countries you understand the end of winter is worthy of a feast/holiday! The kids had a great time playing on the playground, eating korv and potatis, and watching the fire burn. Jason and I were excited to eat Semlor (pastry) and Princess torte (the Princess cake). Many of the native Swedes sang some of the traditional Swedish songs and the Swedish National Anthem. And the best part..I think we did burn off winter! The weather has been great the past few days. In fact I just came back from a long walk outside. I didn’t take my ipod I just needed the sounds of nature this morning to clear my head.
And my neighbor gave me some yummy banana bars with cream cheese frosting-hey, it’s a superficial high after a rough day, but they were delicious. And since I’m not counting calories with the little one on the way, I could eat them all up.
Photo: Valborg in Stockholm
