I have been away for a few days and now I'm waaay behind. There are lots of photos I would like to comment on, so I have bookmarked several pages and will try and do it soon, but for now I'll just be rude and post some of my own...
We have visited my fiancé's parents in Sweden and celebrated Midsummer. They live in one of the most traditional parts of the countries and lots of tourists go there to see the celebrations.
Midsummer is an old pagan holiday, which started as a fertility rite (the midsummer pole is the clear symbol...) to celebrate spring and to increase crops etc..
Here are some photos, all taken with 50L except the fourth that was with 24/2.8:
#1 The celebrations start with folk musicians arriving in old "church boats" (in the old days people on the countryside used to row to church in town with these boats):
| HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO |
#2:
| HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO |
#3 When they have arrived there is a parade to town center:
| HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO |
#4 The rising of the midsummer pole is the most important part of the celebrations. In this part of the country almost every little village have their own celebrations:
| HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO |
#5:
| HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO |
#6 Cute girls in local costumes. The yellow dress is for the really young girls and babies:
| HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO |
#7 Dancing around the pole after the rising:
| HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO |
#8 Then fun and games. It's mostly for the kids, but grownups enjoy it too:
| HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO |