[NOTE:This essay is an sidebar to Ted Olsson's Sveadal Midsummer article. The author, 8-year old Anita Beroza, is a granddaughter of Muriel Beroza, historian of Golden Gate Swedes. The note was written as a gift to her grandmother. There's no doubt who will succeed Muriel. ~TED OLSSON]

The story on Midsummer in Sveadal 2012: Midsummer maypole attracts throngs

Midsummer is a day to have fun with flowers, a long day, flags and parades. It’s a time for you to be happy that you are Scandinavian. It is a hot, long day to swim, play horseshoes, ping-pong, tennis, dance, and use flowers for decoration and it’s a day to fly our flags, sing songs in Swedish, and dress like you would if you were a Scandinavian peasant in a town during Midsommar.
On Midsommar in Sweden the sun never sets; a day lasts 24 hours: including midnight. It’s a day to be joyful. It’s a day to recognize nature’s beauty, that’s really what it’s for: the blue sky, green trees, and … people. Tons of people picnicking, people playing, people swimming, people dancing; people singing; people parading; people eating, and finally … people sitting, and people listening, and now, last but not least: people talking — people chatting, talking, babbling and gossiping. That’s what Midsommar is about to most people.
But really Midsummer is also really about meeting friends and family around the maypole.