Most Swedes celebrate holidays the Eve of the actual day and Valborg is no exception. Every April 30th, the Eve of May 1st or May Day, Swedes gather to celebrate the long anticipated arrival of spring! This is exciting…because winter is finally behind us and we have LONG sunny days to look forward to. Celebrating Valborg in Uppsala, Sweden is the best and biggest place to go. Every year this celebration attracts 30,000 visitors (this is a lot for Sweden) as there are events happening all around town.
Historically, Valborg has Pagan roots and was a way to mark the changing of the seasons and keep evil spirits away. Now it is a city-wide celebration with community events, singing, and bonfires.
Some people call it a student’s holiday because the university students also celebrate their graduation and get very very drunk to commemorate. This also reinforces why Uppsala is the best place to celebrate because of the high number of students.
Read more about living in Sweden here
The city of Uppsala usually has a schedule of the events and their locations on their website. But here is how the day usually goes.
River Rafting (Forsränningen)
The students work for weeks on self-made rafts that they then ride down the river in the middle of town. At 9AM, people with gather around to watch, it’s a fun and funny thing to see whose raft will make it all the way through.
Traditional Herring Lunch(Sillunch)
Herring is a traditional food in Sweden. It’s a great day to try it at one of the many venues around town serving it. Folks frequently accompany this with champagne. You will see people all over town drinking champagne, and some people even have it for breakfast.
Cap Toss (Mösspåtagning)
This is one of the iconic moments that everyone gathers for. At 15:00 everyone gathers at Uppsala University Library to witness a cap toss by the past and present graduates (they don’t actually toss it, but raise it in the air). Then a choir sings after to bring happy spring time vibes.
Go to the University
Go to Uppsala University where you will see swaths of Swedish students partying, celebrating, and having a good time with lots of alcohol involved. This is a time where you will really see Swedes alive and social.
Castle Ball
This is a paid event, where you will need to snag a ticket beforehand. If you do, you will dress up and experience a magical ball in the pink Uppsala Castle.
Bonfire
Usually starting around 21:00 the bonfires will start. These usually involve more singing, speeches, and fun. This is what signified keeping the evil spirits away in the past and the light we will have going forward. Note: these usually happen far out of town for safety reasons, so you will need to figure out transportation to get there.
Ending the Night
People will then usually go out to pubs or continue privately at friends’ places as May 1st is a National Holiday and everyone has the day off.
This was my first time experiencing this celebration. I really enjoyed the cultural aspect to it, as is one of the few times where you will see this many Swedes gather together. How will you celebrate Valborg?
