The traditional Swedish children’s dance performed around the Midsummer pole is Små grodorna.
The Swedish title means “The Little Frogs.” Dancers circle the maypole while singing about frogs that have neither ears nor tails, using playful gestures to point toward those missing body parts. The dance is a comic children’s tradition, but it has become one of the most recognizable sounds and sights of Swedish Midsummer.
Its melody has an unusual history. It is connected with the French Revolutionary-era march “La Chanson de l’Oignon,” or “The Onion Song.” An English parody reportedly changed the march’s words to refer mockingly to frogs, and the tune later entered Swedish children’s culture. The exact route by which it reached Sweden is not firmly documented.
Små grodorna is most strongly associated with Midsummer, when people dance around the maypole, but it can also be performed around a Christmas tree. It is not the Chicken Dance or another international party dance; its frog-themed lyrics and Swedish setting are distinctive.