Midsummer celebrations predate Christianity in Sweden, marking the summer solstice when daylight in the north barely fades before dawn returns.
A flower-covered pole is raised and danced around, a tradition that likely absorbed Christian May Day customs rather than coming from pre-Christian solstice rites alone.
Swedes head to the countryside, eat pickled herring and new potatoes, and wear flower crowns in one of the country's most widely observed holidays.