Every end of April, there will be selected areas in Sweden that build a bonfire (called as 'majbrasa' in Swedish - pronounced as 'mai-bra-sa') to welcome spring. These are selective places to ensure controlled burning. This year, the two public places are in Skansen (this one needs an entrance fee) and Rållis Park (the informal name for Rålambshovsparken). I was lucky that there was a bonfire near my neighbourhood. It was a 2km walking distance. Not too bad. This was my first time seeing the bonfire. I missed it last year because I was away for a short getaway to Dalarna. I also missed the part on how the bonfire was lit up. My partner informed me that kids throw candles into the pile of sticks and voila, the bonfire is up!
A bit of history on this special day. The history behind Valborg - to celebrate Saint Walpurga, a nun in Germany who studied medicine and battled “pest, rabies and whooping cough, as well as against witchcraft." She was canonized on 1 May. They celebrated her on this day with a bonfire and the fire also scares away the witches.
As I was approaching the place, I could hear singing and I saw a stage where the singers were singing classical songs to welcome spring. There were lots of food stalls, game stalls and apparently, lots of drinking session as the next day is a public holiday. All these were managed by the Scouts.
This is a manual carousel that is managed by the Scouts too. Kids sit and the Scouts run around the long branch and the kids gradually move up as the rope twists itself around the branch and the kids get down as the rope untwists itself. Pretty cool! I have never seen this before in Malaysia.
We were there from 7.15pm to 9.15pm. I found it amusing that as I stepped one foot away from the set-up boundary (for the fire), I felt cold. It is as if the heat is controlled. Maybe that is how it is with dry air. Next year, I will definitely get there 15 minutes earlier to see how the fire starts.
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