Valborg

Sounds of spring are in the air.  Birds are chirping, people are out and about laughing and singing, and champagne corks are popping all around us!  Well, they were last Monday, which was Valborg in Sweden.  Valborg is the day before May Day, and it is a fully-embraced holiday particularly in Uppsala.

We were told the day typically begins with champagne and strawberries for breakfast... which we skipped.  We did, however, attend the student rafting on the river.  Over 100 student groups constructed and decorated floats (and themselves) and took off at 10am down the Fyris River.  The link below has many pictures and a few videos that hopefully depict the joyous and celebratory mood of the morning.  The ride down the river included 2 waterfalls that rafters and their rafts fought to survive.  Needless to say, you could easily pick out the ones who didn't have a chance at making it past the waterfalls.

Valborg is a national holiday, so the champagne corks continued to fly throughout the day.  In the afternoon, university students gathered outside the Carolina Rediviva Library.  The University Rector came out on the balcony and waved her hat, at which time the students waved theirs back, and then they charged down the hill to the nations (like US fraternities and sororities) for more celebrating.  We did go downtown to see the swarms of people gathered at the library.  We were amazed at the number of people filling the streets - where they came from, we don't know!

In the evening, people have bonfires to conclude the Valborg activities.  We took a bus out to Gamla Uppsala, which is where the viking mounds are located (pictures from it were posted last fall).  It was by far the biggest bonfire we've ever seen, but it was exciting to see people ready to welcome spring in Sweden!

Speaking of spring, the sun now comes up at 4:30am and sets at 9.  It's 10pm as I'm writing this, and even though it's dark in the west, it is light in the north.  As weird as the darkness of winter was, I think summer will be even more strange. 

Happy spring!  Enjoy the pictures and videos  =)


https://picasaweb.google.com/101852905683847445633/SwedenValborg12?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCI3yvbixhqL8eQ&feat=directlink