The traditional name of Sweden’s midsummer celebration held on the Friday before Midsummer Day is Midsummer Eve.
In Sweden, Midsummer Eve is one of the year’s most important celebrations. Since the 1950s, it has been observed on the Friday between June 19 and June 25, while Midsummer Day follows on Saturday. This movable arrangement keeps the main festivities near the solstice.
Families and friends gather outdoors, raise and dance around a decorated maypole, wear or make flower wreaths, and eat seasonal foods such as pickled herring, new potatoes and strawberries. Singing and traditional dances are also common.
Midsummer Eve is sometimes confused with Saint John’s Eve because both belong to the same wider European midsummer tradition. Sweden’s modern calendar rule, however, specifically identifies the Friday evening as the principal celebration.