Many immigrants over the past three centuries have traveled to, and resettled in America with the honest and heartfelt desire to preserve and cherish both their heritage and their traditions, brought with them from countries all over the world. In New Sweden, the desire is no different than any other previously settled colony.
In the New Sweden Colony, the heritage and tradition has been celebrated since the first Swedish settlers came to America, and settled in Aroostook County nearly a century and a half ago.
144 years ago, Swedish settlers planted roots all over Aroostook County, but nowhere is this more prevalent than in New Sweden itself. The settlers of New Sweden settled down in the middle of July, which meant it was too late for the country to celebrate its Midsommar Festival. This is why this year marked the 143rd annual Midsommar Festival celebrated here in New Sweden.
This year’s festival kicked off on Friday, June 20, and continued through the first official day of summer, which was this past Saturday. Beginning Friday morning, at 9 a.m. there was a flower gathering, where flowers like Queen Anne’s lace, daises, buttercups, bluevetch and tamarack branches were all procured and used for the making of traditional Swedish hair wreaths. Throughout the rest of the afternoon New Sweden local Lynn Johnson gave a presentation entitled “Finding your Swedish Roots” at the New Sweden Historical Musuem. Friday night the New Sweden American Legion held a Swedish supper and dance, with music by “The Swedish Meatballs,” as well as Stephen Boody and friends.
Saturday, June 21, which is, of course, the first day of summer, included a Midsommar Frukost (breakfast), Viking lawn bowling, a 4 p.m. Catholic Mass and the construction of the Midsommarstang, or Midsommar pole.
The events continued through the weekend and ended on Sunday, June 22 with the carrying of the Midsommar pole from the New Sweden Historical Museum to Thomas Park, where at 1 p.m. the Midsommer pole was raised in front of the Thomas Park amphitheatre, for musicians and New Sweden’s Little Folk Dancers to dance and perform in the traditional Swedish manner.
Before the Little Folk Dancers could perform their traditional dance, however, Boody, with his violin, led the singing of both the American and Swedish national anthems. For those who did not know the lyrics to the Swedish anthem, the words were copied on the back of the festival’s program, but in a Swedish Colony like this one, there was little need for help, as those in attendance have done all that they can to continue to pass down the Swedish traditions of their ancestors.
Nearly 100 people crowded into Thomas Park and sat intently as they listened to presentations and traditional songs performed by local musicians. Many also gathered around the front of the stage to take photos and enjoy the New Sweden Little Folk Dancers, as they dressed in traditional Swedish garb and provided lifelong memories for parents and community members in attendance — a portion of the festival that provided even more preservation of the township’s Swedish culture, for many years to come.
