Valborg

Yesterday, the 30 of April, it was Valborgsmässoafton (eng. Walpurgis Night). In the evening David, Jonas and me went down to the lake ("Trehörningen") where they installed a huge pyre for the bonfire. Alongside the fireplace were some small market stands which sold hotdogs and coffe or candyfloss. At 20:00, short after we arrived, they lighted the pyre. It didn't even take five minutes for the pyre to burn and soon we had to take a step back away from the heat of the growing bonfire. In one of the market stands a band was playing music and everywhere were crowds talking to each other and having a good time. At 21:00 there was a firework a bit away from the fire. David, Jonas and me didn't stay any longer, because it was getting cold and we were afraid that it also was starting to rain.
By the way; at Valborg you don't jump over the fire like some rumours (existing in Switzerland for example) say. It neither is a meeting for witches who come together from the whole country, riding through the night on a broom. It simply is kind of a welcome party for spring. Well, the ironic part of the whole story is that last weekend it was temperatures up to 21°C and last night, after Walpurgis Night it was snowing again. Now it's raining all day long. Nevertheless it's a beautiful day, because it's David's eleventh birthday and we are expecting relates on the afternoon. If you are wondering how this is possible on a perfectly normal Thursday; it's 1st of May, a holiday in Sweden. Therefore I'm enjoying an extra long weekend. :-)

Here you can see how high the pyre was

 Setting the fire...

 ...and soon it looked like this!

 Even from this distance, the heat from the bonfire was burning in the face so that it was hardly possible to look at it for a longer time.

The band was playing different songs, from oldies to instrumental pieces until the firework started.