Monday, 4 May 2009

Lovely Weekend and Show and Tell: Valborg och Första maj (a bit delayed)

It's a new month and Musikanta is deciding on the Friday theme, the first theme was Valborg/ forsta maj Friday just gone. Valborg is an old Swedish tradition where we have large bonfires against witchcraft and evil spirits (at least that what it said on Wiki). As English people don't celebrate Valborg and me not being really sure why we are celebrating it in Sweden, I have simply stopped acknowledge it. But I remember all the Valborgs when we stood by the harbour waiting for the most annoying and arrogant Åhus scouts trying to lit the bonfire on a barge out on the water (I went to the scouts for half a year and hated it and all the leaders, still have a phobia about camping which I blatantly fully blame them for ha ha). Before they finally managed to lit the rain soaked timber (sometimes they actually didn't even manage it, talk about anti climax) our toes where like ice taps and our ears felt like they where going to fall off. Unfortunately the fired didn't warmed us up either as it was a bit too far out for that, so double anti-climax! During my teenage years the occasion (like all occasions) was celebrated with home burnt alcohol and parties at someones summer cottage (still freezing), sometimes great, sometimes just crazily bad with boy problems and tears. Thank God I grown up and don't have to do that anymore!

1 May (equivalent to the English May Day which is today), the big day to demonstrate, which I must admit I have never done, get a bit scared of crowds and riot police , (there was a confrontation just 10min walk from where we live!!!) and no wonder when you read the news papers online tonight and look at the pictures. My friend A warned us this morning about promised trouble in Brighton today, not a nice place to be with a small child. We went to J's mum instead and had a good time, but we both were super tired and still recovering after the real celebration this weekend - out good friends Wedding on Saturday!

What a fantastic day which started with the civil ceremony at noon followed by a lovely dinner and speeches, slide shows and presentation of a "book" specially made for the happy couple. We didn't get home until 11 in the night (well evening), tired but happy. So excited that we are next (only 2 1/2 months to our wedding), B and T looked so happy the whole day, the weather was great and no major incidents, all in all a great wedding!


The happy couple before the ceremony (a bit nervous)


P & K in Pavilion Garden

2 comments:

Meatbreak said...

Is Valborg a Christian thing? Doesn't Scandinavia have a big Pagan vs. Christian thing still going where there's a lot of resistance from the traditional cultures against getting hammered down by the iron fist of the crusaders?! The Christians set up all these festivals to convince people of the evils of paganism. It's why the black metallers in Norway burnt down the churches - to reclaim the pagan lands the church built over.

something like that!

Dxx

Emmama said...

Åh jag saknar demonstrerandet faktiskt! :) Vilket fint bröllop men härliga bilder! Kram!