Once upon a summertime in Sweden…
June and strawberries are synonymous in Swedish culture. It feels like a miracle that there is such scrumptious ruby fruits growing from the earth after such a long winter and sometimes very cold springtime. Perhaps that’s why they taste that much more delightful after so much anticipation.
Native Americans gave the June full moon the name “Strawberry Moon” and according to the Farmers’ Almanac: “This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. Because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June, the full moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry.”
In the far north, land of the midnight sun, the sun and moon hang in the night sky at the same time. It’s a magical time of the year, leading up to the summer solstice, where enchantment lingers in the twilight. Midsummer in Sweden is one of our favorite times of the year and we took any chance we got to enjoy the daylight that is so elusive the rest of the year.
Several years ago when we lived there, a special occurrence happened where the strawberry moon full moon landed on the summer solstice, something that hasn’t happened for 70 years and won’t happen again for about the same amount of time! Naturally, with a flower crown, shawl, and lanterns in tow; we drove out to a growing wheat field and enjoyed some strawberries under the midnight sun and moon.
They say if you eat a strawberry under the full moon in June then any wish you desire will come true. It’s a moment in time we wish we could capture in our lanterns, so that the magic of the midnight sunbeams and strawberry moonbeams could be mixed into a special elixir we could stow away for a very bleak winter day.
Have you ever experienced the midnight sun and moon at the same time?
Bye for now & Hej då allihopa,
Jonas & Lindsay Dianne
