Swedish Midsummer in Dallas

According to Fisher Family tradition, we packed ourselves in the car and went down to Dallas to celebrate Midsummer this weekend. There is a fairly large Swedish population in Dallas (compared to Oklahoma City metro) largely because of the Ericsson plant and IKEA. Not all of these Swedes participate in these celebrations, but some do. We go down twice a year: Midsummer and Lucia (Dec 13th). The kids LOVE it. I need to mention that Helene Honeybone and other wonderful women from SWEA (Johanna Davis is president) are key in arranging these events. They have been extremely welcoming to us Okies.

Several things happened this day:

1. We danced around the Midsummer pole and played the traditional relay games associated with Midsummer.

Helene helps Elina in the potato-on-the-spoon balancing relay.
Helene's daughter Emelie looks on.

2. I, Victoria, sang with the SWEA choir at both the Shawnee Park and at IKEA later in the day. (Free lunch at the cafeteria was the incentive, ha!)


SWEA kören på IKEA from Victoria Akselsen on Vimeo.

The choir downstairs at IKEA, Frisco. Elina, future choir member, participated.

3. Anja took her first real steps. Sure, she has taken three or four steps here and there for some time, but even though we knew that she could walk if she wanted to, she has not been confident enough in her own ability until Midsummer Day. Video footage shows first the finale of the Midsummer dances (which is the human rocket, or firework, depending on translation) then the camera pans to Anja who is doing her own thing.


Midsommar raketen och Annias första steg from Victoria Akselsen on Vimeo.

4. Isak, almost 6, lost his first tooth Saturday night. Well, lost... I finally pulled it. The new tooth has been coming in behind it since before we left Sweden, over two weeks ago. It was about time. He placed it in a glass of water and put in on the window sill, according to Swedish tradition. Over two or three days money builds up in the glass. You get to keep the tooth. At least, that is how my mom did it, so it has to be right. My mom is seldom wrong.

Click to enlarge and behold the wonder of tooth-lessness

5. A kind, older Swedish lady at the Midsummer celebration told Isak he must pick seven different kinds of flowers, place them under his pillow on Midsummer Night and he would dream about the one he will marry. (An old Swedish wives tale). Isak, who has been concerned about his single status since age 3, did exactly that. Elina followed suit. At church he suddenly remembered about the flowers and frustrated realized that he could not remember his dreams from last night at that point...