On a trip to Sweden I got to experience the exceptional tradition of the Swedish summer solstice holiday, Midsummer. The celebrations begin with adorable Swedish children dancing around a Maypole-like structure resembling a cock and balls. The day continues with feasting, drinking (copious amounts of schnapps), and singing traditional erotic songs.

Since it’s never dark in the summer in Sweden, the drinking sort of just continues indefinitely, and inevitably devolves into running naked through the forest and skinny-dipping in a freezing lake.

The best part of Midsummer is that each girl gathers up a bouquet of seven different flowers and places it underneath her pillow, so that she can dream about her future husband. I didn’t have any dreams that night, which is just as well since Leonardo DiCaprio is probably not available to star in dreams.

- Haley Hogan

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