We’re in the middle of another wonderful heat wave here in Scandinavia so I’ll just keep today’s blogging entry short, wishing all of the readers of this blog - celebrating today’s holiday -  a wonderful and safe 4th of July.

As some of you may know this annual holiday is a very busy day of celebration and reflection not only in the States but in my own country, as well - as the annual Rebildfest is taking place in Denmark today, also.

Here’s further information on this annual Danish celebration in English:

The Rebild Festival

July 4th Favorites (from allrecipes.com)

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

As I’ve previously blogged about songs from some of the other Scandinavian countries, I think it’s time to introduce one of the most beautiful songs from my own country, the lyrics written by one of the most famous Danish poets, namely Holger Drachmann.

It’s pretty much become synonymous with Denmark and the month of May even though the song didn’t originate in Scandinavia, but was composed by the famous American composer Stephen Collins Foster.

Hope you’ll enjoy this test recording of the first verse of one of my favorite Danish folksongs - Se det summer af sol over engen - recorded with my new microphone, and featuring my own summer photos. 

Wishing the readers of this blog a great summer.

Happy Listening!

Many people around the world are probably watching the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship these days, and for those of you interested in reading a football/soccer-related book while waiting for the next match to begin, here’s a new thought-provoking book by Steve Menary, focusing on the many countries that - for one reason or another - have been relegated to the sidelines of world football.

Here’s further information on the book from Amazon.co.uk:

Happy Reading and have fun watching the football/soccer matches!

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, June 21st is the day of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as Midsummer.

Here in Scandinavia the midsummer celebrations started yesterday in Sweden with Norway and my own country Denmark getting ready to celebrate Midsummer’s Eve later today.

In this part of the world, Midsummer is usually celebrated around June 23rd or June 24th, and in my country the event is known as Sankt Hans Aften (St. John’s Eve) as Midsummer’s Eve is celebrated around the country on June 23rd - usually with lots of bonfires in the evening.

Here’s a brief description from the article “Midsummer in Scandinavia: The Midsummer’s Eve Traditions”:

 “…Among Danes, this event is known as Sankt Hans aften, or St. John’s Eve, and is celebrated on the eve of June 23rd. Danes sing on this day the traditional Vi elsker vort land, “We Love Our Land”, and burn a witch made of straw on the bonfire as a remembrance of the Church’s witchburnings of the 16th and 17th centuries. …”

Although the origin of this custom - as described above and also in the highlighted links - is arguably a barbaric one, it is today one of the most popular annual traditions throughout Scandinavia. While celebrating Midsummer today as a joyous occasion with bonfires and quality time with family and friends, it is still important, however, to take a moment to remember the thousands of people - primarily women - who lost their lives accused of heresy and witchcraft over the centuries. Their knowledge of herbs and the wonders of nature often died with them.

 May such an age of intolerance of different beliefs NEVER be repeated!

Sankt Hans aften has always been special in my family, and I have many fond childhood memories of celebrating this day with my family; my beloved grandmother in particular.

For those of you interested in learning more about this day, here’s a link to the mentioned article from About.com:

 Midsummer in Scandinavia

Last, but not least I hope you’ll enjoy today’s seasonal recipe which is also quite popular in my own country:

Midsummer Swedish Strawberry Compote - Jordgubbskräm 

Wishing those of you celebrating Midsummer these days a very Happy Midsummer and a great summer!

Wishing those of you celebrating the summer solstice these days a safe and happy Summer Solstice.

 Thousands mark summer solstice

It’s summer here in Scandinavia and as the weekend’s almost here again, I’d like to share a traditional Danish summer recipe which is very, very popular this time of year in my country.

It’s called kartoffelmad in Danish (open-faced potato sandwich) and is probably one of the most popular of the many Danish recipes in the category known as smørrebrød.

Chives

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Mayonnaise (Optional)

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Salt

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Pepper

As you can see from the pic, once the potatoes and eggs are done, one only has to slice the eggs and the potatoes and arrange them on a piece of bread. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper according to one’s personal taste and finish it all off with a few sprinkles of chives on top.

This recipe has always been a favorite in my family, and to those of you reading this blog entry, I hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

 

Happy Eating!

 

Still waiting for that e-mail to arrive? Blame it on the snail mail.

Here’s more on this thought-provoking story from BBC News:

‘Snail mail’ blazes slow e-trail

Just came across this BBC News article on the discovery of several so-called “super-Earths” 42 light-years away from our very own planet Earth:

Trio of ’super-Earths’ discovered

Recent thought-provoking LiveScience.com article on the life and times of Sir Isaac Newton:

How Isaac Newton Changed the World

Another thought-provoking LiveScience.com story on the possibility of water ice on the Moon:

Water on the Moon?