Yesterday, April 30th was Valborgsmässoafton or Walpurgis Eve.

It was named after St Walpurga (Valborg in Swedish), an eighth-century abbess in Germany. In Sweden, her name-day falls on the 1st of May and is known as Valborgsmässa. The word for eve in Swedish is afton. It is believed to have been brought to Sweden by early German settlers.

On the evening of April 30th, crowds of people gather around roaring bonfires. In university towns, many wear white caps and as the fires blaze they sing spring songs like Sköna maj välkommen (Welcome beautiful May), Vinterna rasat ut (Winter is gone) and Vårvindar friska, leka och viska (Spring winds are rising, playing and whispering).

Apparently, during the Viking Era, the fires were set both to hurry along the coming of spring as well as to scare off witches, but today they remind distant watchers of the warmth soon to come. The fires were also meant to scare off any wild animals in the area as it is time for domestic farm animals to come out of their winter quarters into the open fields again. It is also a great way to dispose of any branches and leaf litter lying around. These crackling bonfires can be seen all around the countryside.

The traditional meal on this evening is gravlax, a type of fresh salmon marinated in salt, sugar and fresh dill, served with fresh potatoes and a dill/mustard sauce. However, we decided to eat sushi instead, which gave us an opportunity to try out the new sushi bar in town.

Lars-Göran had never tried sushi before, but being Swedish, he is used to the idea of raw fish so he was not adverse to giving sushi a go, especially as I raved about it. The restaurant was clean and inviting and the sushi was very fresh and well-made. The menu is small, but very select. As this was a first for my guy, I chose a mixed platter containing both nigirisushi and makisushi. These were served with thin slices of pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. Nigiri is a small oval made of pressed rice, with a slice of fish and a touch of wasabi on top. I selected four different toppings to try - raw salmon, tuna, swordfish and prawn. Maki consists of fish and fresh vegetables rolled in a sheet of nori (roasted seaweed) and rice.

I really savoured it as I have not had sushi since I left Australia nearly five years ago. It was heavenly and I wish I could eat this every day. Lars-Göran also enjoyed it (the maki in particular) and I look forward to introducing him to some different tastes next time.

The bonfire in Nynäshamn is a little different as it is lit on the beach near the nature reserve at Lövhagen. Because it is on the beach, one can go there by boat and lay by anchor in the bay and watch it, which several people from the boat club did.



We can't do this until next year, so we joined the large, lively crowd that gathered on the grassed area between the woods and the shore where the local boy scout troop had set up the bonfire. There was a choir that led the singing of spring songs and the mood was of a friendly family orientated gathering, with hot coffee, hot dogs and soft drinks for sale and several people enjoying a picnic on the beach. Most people gathered around the pile of leaves and timber waiting for it to be lit.



Around 8.30pm, just as dusk was falling, the boy scouts appeared with flaming torches, gathered around the pile and set it alight while people cheered.



People drew near the fire and watched as it roared into life. I was rather surprised to see many unsupervised children quite near the inferno, but nobody seemed concerned and it all went on without a problem.



While it was a clear night, it was still very cold standing out on the beach, so I was glad that I'd worn my winter coat, hat and gloves and that we had scored a spot close to the fire, where it was lovely and warm.



The fire burned steadily and the people seemed very content to stand around and watch the flames and chat to friends and family. We spoke to a few people we knew there and Lambi was kept busy with her canine friends. Once the fire was reduced to glowing embers, the night ended with a fireworks display.



Isn't it beautiful to see the reflections of the fireworks in the water? Lars-Göran thinks this is a very new addition to Valborgsmässoafton, as he can't ever remember seeing fireworks before. I thought it was a perfect ending to a very low-key but enjoyable evening