{"id":198066,"date":"2026-05-26T17:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T15:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=198066"},"modified":"2026-05-26T18:25:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T16:25:48","slug":"flower-crowns-barbecue-and-music-at-kralingse-plas-midsummer-students-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/26\/flower-crowns-barbecue-and-music-at-kralingse-plas-midsummer-students-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Flower crowns and barbecue at Kralingse Plas Midsummer students celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether to keep a tradition alive or to feel a little closer to home, dozens of students gathered at the Kralingse Plas for the fourth annual and biggest event of the Nordic Student Association, Midsummer, on a warm Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A

Students learned how to make flower crowns in a workshop.<\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDaan Stam<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Blankets are spread across the grass as girls sit in a circle, carefully wrapping colorful flowers onto metal strings. Excited with their new look, some take selfies with flower crowns tucked into their hair. At the barbecue nearby, burgers and hot dogs are already in the grill. Loud pop music plays from a speaker, while a few students gather around a table for a game of beer pong.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

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Midsummer is a Scandinavian celebration of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, which falls around the third week of June.<\/p>\n

The association celebrates the holiday in May rather than June, as students return home after exams.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Everyone is welcome\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Midsummer is celebrated differently depending on where students come from. In Sweden, it is a national holiday in which the whole day is dedicated to the celebration. \u201cYou go out on the street, everybody is well dressed, people party and eat with their family. It\u2019s the purpose of the whole day\u201d, says Timio Lemmerlijn Gummesson, the president of the Nordic Student Association. Originally rooted in religious tradition, it has since become a mainstream, something everybody does to drink and eat. Families gather around a big pole, the maypole,<\/em> and sing traditional songs together, each followed by a small glass of schnapps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Once

Taking selfies with your new flower crown felt like an almost mandatory part of the celebration.<\/p>

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The association he runs follows the same spirit, bringing together students from across all Nordic countries and anyone else curious about their culture. As an English-speaking association, it is open to everybody. Now in its fourth year, the event has become a tradition of its own, a way to mark the end of the academic year in Midsummer style before everyone returns home. \u201cEven if you\u2019re not in Sweden, it feels like home\u201d, adds Timio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A different celebration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Denmark, the celebration looks quite distinct. There is no maypole and no flower crowns. Instead, the whole neighbourhood gathers around a large bonfire in the evening on Sankthansaften <\/em>(Saint John\u2019s Eve). According to Emilia Bech, a bachelor\u2019s student in Psychology, a \u2018witch\u2019 (usually a stick) is burnt in the fire, after which the witch flees to Germany. \u201cAs a kid, you were given a small torch to throw into the bonfire. You felt like such a grown-up\u201d, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway has a version of Midsummer similar to the Danes, also called Sankthansaften<\/em>. In fact, Trym Braathen, a bachelor\u2019s student in IBEB and Philosophy considers the Swedish way \u2018weird\u2019. \u201cI\u2019ve heard that they dress in white clothing and dance around a giant stick that\u2019s supposed to represent fertility\u201d, he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norwegians hold a bonfire evening when the days begin to shorten again after midsummer. \u201cEverybody comes out, watches the bonfire, and listens to Norwegian music\u201d, Trym says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making the flower crowns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile at the Kralingse Plas, the flower crowns are the highlight of the afternoon. They take around ten to forty minutes to make, according to the students. Valentina Elm, marketing manager of the association, sees them as connected to the spirit of the day, nature, growth and the start of summer. \u201cMaking a flower crown is  open to everyone\u201d, she says. \u201cIt depends if they want to make one for themselves or others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thea Norgren, a first-year MISOC student, made her own flower crown for the first time. Back home in Sweden, she explained, it was usually mothers who made the crowns for smaller children. \u201cI\u2019m proud of it\u201d, she says. \u201cIt turned out really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Amelie Egger, events manager of the association, they serve a different purpose. \u201cWhen everyone was wearing them, it made us look like a group\u201d, she says. \u201cIt was easy to see who part of us was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Miko

Board members Miko, Amelie and Valentina baked hamburgers for the participants.<\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDaan Stam<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone making crowns today grew up with the tradition. Emilia made her first one at this very event two years ago, spending nearly an hour picking the right flowers with friends. \u201cMaybe we should adopt it in Denmark\u201d, she adds. Imogen Desmedt, who came to support her friends as a non-Nordic, was one of the first to finish her crown. \u201cEveryone asked me how I did this\u201d, she laughs. \u201cI just kept wrapping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closer to home<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For many students, Midsummer in Rotterdam is simply connecting with fellow Nordic students. \u201cFor young people it\u2019s mostly an excuse to drink and have fun\u201d, Thea admits. \u201cBut it\u2019s very much a family tradition too. It sounds like childhood.\u201d Her favourite memory is going to her grandmother\u2019s place outside the city as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emilia has come every year she has studied in Rotterdam, never having made it home for the actual date in June. Growing up, Midsummer meant the whole neighborhood gathering at her grandmother\u2019s place. \u201cI haven\u2019t been able to go home and celebrate\u201d, she says. \u201cSo, it\u2019s always a bit nice to connect again\u201d. For her, what makes it worth celebrating anywhere is simple. \u201cYou\u2019re just supposed to come, relax, and have conversation with people you enjoy\u201d, Emilia adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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