Sunday, October 19, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Midsummer – a celebration of life, love and magic

Midsummer is an ancient Nordic tradition that is still very much alive today, particularly in Sweden. Throughout history, there has been a perception that this time of year holds a special kind of magic, that the veil to the supraphysical world is thinner than at other times of the year. Over the years, this special day has been celebrated in a variety of innovative ways.

Published 20 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
5 minute read

Midsummer marks the definitive arrival of summer. It means exactly what it sounds like, “in the middle of summer,” and the word already existed in Old Swedish as miþsumar. The holiday is celebrated in connection with the summer solstice, which is the time of year when the sun is at its highest point in the northern hemisphere. Midsummer Eve is always celebrated on a Friday.


This article was first published on June 21, 2024.


In northern Europe, midsummer has long been celebrated in conjunction with the Christian holiday of John the Baptist, which is also the reason why Saturday has become a public holiday. In Finland this holiday is primarily called Juhannus, in reference to John the Baptist. Denmark and Norway also celebrate John the Baptist’s evening by lighting bonfires and playing games. John the Baptist’s Day is also celebrated to some extent in Germany, but generally the summer solstice celebrations in the rest of Europe are fairly limited.

Ancient roots

It is not clear for how long Midsummer has been celebrated, as it seems to date back to prehistoric times, but it is definitely known that it has been celebrated in the Nordic countries at least since the Middle Ages.

However, very little is known about how Midsummer was celebrated in the Middle Ages. There are hints that the celebration was related to fertility and some older sources that show that there was ritual beer drinking and also blot – ritual animal sacrifice – during the Viking Age.

Photo: Håkan Dahlström/CC BY 2.0

Summer cleaning and little frogs

From around the middle of the 19th century, there is more clear evidence of how the celebrations were carried out in Sweden.. One important step was to clean the entire house, then dress the house both inside and outside with flowers and leaves from birch trees, among other things. The festive locations were also decorated with leaves, as were the wagons in which people traveled. Outside the house, leaf bushes were placed, which the farmers could also sell to the townspeople.

The midsummer pole has its origins in the May Day celebrations when a so-called maypole is erected in Germany and other parts of the world. The tradition probably came from Germany to Sweden in the Middle Ages, but since the Nordic countries rarely have time to start greening during May, this tradition was moved to the Midsummer celebrations. There is a widespread belief that the midsummer pole is dedicated to fertility and thus may represent some kind of phallic symbol, although there is no confirmation of this from known historical sources.

The midsummer pole has had different designs over the years, but during the 20th century the appearance was standardized and the midsummer poles became increasingly similar all over the country. Dancing around the midsummer pole has probably existed since at least the 19th century, says Jonas Engman, curator at the Nordic Museum.

But the dance with songs took off in the 1920s. This era saw the publication of songbooks with melodies and lyrics associated with holiday celebrations.

Perhaps the most classic Swedish midsummer song – Små grodorna (the little frogs) – has been traced to a military march from the French Revolution called La Chanson de l’Oignon, or The Onion Song. This song was turned into a taunt by English soldiers, replacing the word camarade (comrade) with grenouille  (frog). It is unclear when or how the song came to Sweden, but it is known that it has existed for a long time at Nääs Castle in Västergötland in connection with courses in handicrafts and games, where The little frogs was a game taught there and printed in the singing games book Sånglekar från Nääs in 1922. The singing of The little frogs is typically associated with jumping around the midsummer pole in a frog-like manner.

Food

What people used to eat around Midsummer depended on where they were in the country. Different types of fish, but also pork and other meat have all been part of the feast in different places. White porridge, that is, porridge cooked with milk and often also with wheat flour, is a dish that was common as a festive meal in various places. A Swedish filbunke, or viili in Finnish, is a fermented milk dish similar to yogurt or kefir which also used to be a common feature of the midsummer feast.

In modern times, herring and new potatoes constitute the core of the menu, along with the classic strawberries. Spirits of various kinds are just as essential – together with a good snapsvisa, of course! A snapsvisa is a traditional Scandinavian drinking song, often with comical lyrics.

Photo: Magnus D/CC BY 2.0

Midsummer magic

It has long been thought that the boundaries to the supraphysical reality were thinner during Midsummer. Everything that grew was considered to be charged with magical powers, especially during this time. It was therefore common, for example, to tie a wreath during Midsummer and save it. For the same reason, there was also a belief that one could regain energy during the winter by placing a dried midsummer wreath in the annual Christmas bath.

Midsummer dew, in particular, was considered to have special powers and it was not uncommon to roll around naked in it, or to collect the dew in sheets, for example, because it was thought to improve health. Drinking from springs was also common during Midsummer, which was considered beneficial to the body and mind. However, all activities involving any kind of magical aspects would be done in silence, so as not to break their mystical effect.

Keeping silent at certain special places could also bring visions of the future. For example, it was common to walk the so-called årsgång (year walk), which could involve walking counter-clockwise around a church or other holy place on an empty stomach.

– If the ‘yearwalker’ completed the entire ritual, on the way home he would experience sights or sounds that told him about events in the coming year, says Tora Wall, folklorist at the Nordic Museum.

Night of love

Midsummer has long been associated primarily with love. Many young women in Sweden still pick their seven or nine flowers and put them under their pillow to find out who they are going to marry.

“The Midsummer night is not long but sets seven and seventy cradles in motion” is an old Swedish rhyme.

Another way to predict one’s future partner was to eat a dream porridge made of flour, water and a lot of salt. The person who came later in the dream and gave you a drink to quench your thirst was your future partner. The type of drink could also give a hint as to whether you would have a richer or poorer life together.

Young people often arranged mock weddings and could choose a midsummer bride and groom, often each with their own floral wreath. It was also not uncommon for girls to tie wreaths to the boys to show that they were a couple.

A de facto national day in Sweden

In Sweden, the National Day celebration on June 6, commemorating the coronation of Gustav Vasa in 1523, has traditionally not been as big a holiday as National Day is in many other countries. One of several explanations for this, in addition to the long period of peace in Sweden, is probably that the nearby Midsummer celebration has de facto been the really big and obvious holiday alongside the more quiet Christmas.

That said, we would like to wish all readers a glad midsommar!

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Battlefield 6 breaks sales records – hailed as the series’ comeback

Published yesterday 14:54
– By Editorial Staff
3 minute read

After the failure of Battlefield 2042, the game series is now delivering a decisive comeback. Battlefield 6 sells over seven million copies during the game’s first three days and receives glowing reviews from Swedish gaming media, who believe the game finally delivers what fans have been waiting for.

At the same time, the game, like previous titles in the series, suffers from typical Americanization that at times contributes to a silly impression.

Electronic Arts can confirm that Battlefield 6 has become the biggest launch in the series’ history. During the first three days, over seven million copies were sold, while 172 million matches were played online and 15 million hours were streamed on various platforms.

We never take moments like these for granted, so I want to express our sincere gratitude to our global Battlefield studios and the passionate community that has helped us reach this point, says Vince Zampella, head of the Battlefield series.

The success is remarkable considering that its predecessor, Battlefield 2042, received devastating criticism for its technical problems at launch. To turn the tide, Electronic Arts invested in Battlefield Labs, a program where players could influence development through continuous feedback.

Byron Beede, general manager for Battlefield, emphasizes the strategy’s importance:

From the initial concept through the implementation of Battlefield Labs and into the record-breaking open beta, we have been obsessed with player feedback.

Swedish reviewers impressed

Swedish gaming magazine FZ gives the multiplayer portion high marks and highlights how different player classes complement each other. The review notes that the game succeeds even when you’re not dominating: “Even when I don’t go 28-0 in a match and dominate opponents, it’s fun to play,” and summarizes the experience as “a bullseye and a powerful comeback for the series,” according to reviewer Joel.

GameReactor is equally enthusiastic and calls the game the series’ rebirth. The reviewer highlights the large-scale battles for up to 64 players and the extensive environmental destruction. “It’s fast, brutal and penetrates concrete in a way you won’t soon forget,” writes GameReactor and concludes: “Saddle up, lock and load – Battlefield is back.”

Typical Battlefield scene where players get the opportunity to fight on land, water and in the air. Photo: EA

Campaign functions as introduction

The single-player campaign receives more mixed reviews. FZ describes it as “a fairly generic military story” that nevertheless functions well as an introduction to multiplayer mode. GameReactor is somewhat more positive and emphasizes the campaign’s visual quality: “When we maneuver vehicles across large surfaces in environments that are among the biggest I’ve experienced in a game of this type during the later part – while all hell breaks loose, then Battlefield Studios also shows what this is all about.”

Technically stable but silly experience

On the technical front, reviewers are unanimous. FZ reports that the game runs completely stable: “Not once have I noticed anything like that (lag, editor’s note) on console.”

GameReactor confirms the quality and states briefly: “On the technical side, there is very little to complain about.”

Among the more typical elements in modern game titles, Battlefield 6 also features typical Americanization, and the game has symptomatic multicultural elements of minorities with macho culture and NATO character, which at times makes the experience silly and flat.

Facts about the Battlefield series

Battlefield is a series of first-person shooter games developed by Swedish game studio DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The first game, Battlefield 1942, was launched in 2002 and became known for its large-scale multiplayer battles with up to 64 players and the ability to use vehicles such as tanks, helicopters, and fighter jets.

The series has since released numerous titles set in different time periods, from World War I and II to modern and futuristic warfare. Among the most successful games are Battlefield 3 (2011), Battlefield 4 (2013), and Battlefield 1 (2016).

Battlefield 2042, released in 2021, became a commercial and critical failure due to technical problems and lack of requested features. Battlefield 6 is the series' sixth numbered main game and marks a return to modern warfare.

Unjabbed: For singles who didn’t take the COVID vaccine

The criticized covid vaccinations

Published 12 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
"Don't give up. Anything worth achieving needs work", is the message from Unjabbed's founder Antonetta.
4 minute read

After conventional dating apps didn’t meet her needs, Antonetta decided for various reasons to start a dating site for people who didn’t take the COVID vaccine. On Unjabbed.net, people can meet others seeking love or friendship.

In 2023, Antonetta chose to use a popular dating app in an attempt to find love. Since she wanted to find like-minded people, she was also open about not having taken the COVID vaccine. This resulted in Antonetta’s account being repeatedly deleted. She doesn’t know why her account was removed, but she suspected it was related to her honesty about the COVID vaccine. Instead, she tried another app and chose not to explicitly state that she hadn’t taken the COVID vaccine, but used various hints such as “believe in natural health”, “avoid synthetic chemicals”, and “seeking people who took the red pill”. There she got a bunch of matches, but no one understood her hints and most of those she talked to had taken the COVID vaccine.

In the wake of this, Unjabbed.net was born, a dating and friendship site for those who didn’t take the COVID vaccine. Since 2023, it has attracted thousands of members from several countries, but users are primarily from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. In Sweden, there are a few hundred members at the time of writing. Worth noting is that the site only exists as a website, not an app. The app that exists with the same name is from a different creator, according to Antonetta.

Several dating sites also participated in marketing COVID vaccine campaigns during 2021, according to Antonetta. For example, Tinder created labels where people could fill in whether they had taken the COVID vaccine or not. After the site launched, she received responses from members that they had also had bad experiences on conventional dating sites.

After starting unjabbed.net, several members told me they couldn’t find anyone on conventional dating apps and as soon as they said they were unvaccinated they were either insulted or had their accounts deleted or felt their accounts were being hidden in search results or restricted in some way“, Antonetta tells The Nordic Times.

Financially challenging

Starting a new dating site is not always an easy path. To be visible, you need marketing and advertising – something that costs a lot of money. The site was free until last year when they chose to introduce a membership fee to afford reaching out to other singles who didn’t take the COVID vaccine. However, Antonetta wanted the amount to be affordable compared to many other dating sites and apps, which can cost up to 60 dollars for three months, and also charge for sending messages.

Our website just charges $16 USD for a whole year and we don’t charge for individual messages”.

The advantage of charging is also that many people think twice before creating an account, and it also prevents spam, says Antonetta. However, it’s possible to create a free account as well, but you don’t have all the features on the site.

Several have found love

Despite unjabbed.net being relatively newly started, Antonetta says she has received messages from people who found each other on her site.

One couple donated 50 dollars to us and told us they had met on our website and are now married. A woman contacted us and said she’s getting married to the man she met on our website. So it works!

Tips for finding the right match

If you’re planning to create an account, Antonetta recommends both writing something about yourself and having photos. If you want to be more anonymous, you can, for example, upload a picture in sunglasses or similar. She also suggests writing something that can create a conversation.

People can write anything. What are their thoughts on the future of the world? What line of work are they in? What are their hobbies? Favorite places in the world to visit? Funny stories”, she suggests.

She also advises that it’s more advantageous to write to people in your own country than outside the border. It partly signals that you’ve given up hope in your country, but it’s also very difficult to make long-distance relationships work. Furthermore, she also suggests spreading information about the site in your own city; there may be singles who didn’t take the COVID vaccine but missed that there’s a dating site for this purpose.

There is hope

Finding like-minded people can be difficult, and even though more and more people show understanding for those who chose not to take the COVID vaccine, there are still many who believe it was wrong not to take it. At the same time, Antonetta encourages unvaccinated singles to dare to go out and talk to people they meet in stores, in town, or on the bus. You never know who you might meet there. Finally, she also wants to say that you shouldn’t give up hope on love.

Don’t give up. Anything worth achieving needs work“.

Number of members at the time of writing on Unjabbed.net by country

  • USA: 1349
  • United Kingdom: 872
  • Canada: 984
  • Australia: 249
  • New Zealand: 68
  • France: 501
  • Germany: 705
  • Italy: 234
  • Belgium: 142
  • Switzerland: 70
  • Spain: 76
  • Portugal: 42
  • Denmark: 129
  • Norway: 204
  • Sweden: 479
  • Netherlands: 1019
  • Japan: 25
  • Ireland: 63

Moomin becomes new feature film

Published 10 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Moomin and his friends have spread warmth, security and adventure to generations of children and adults around the world.
1 minute read

Moomin is set to be produced as a new American animated feature film. This will be the first Hollywood adaptation of Finnish-Swedish author Tove Jansson’s beloved stories.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the magical Moomin troll, something that has been celebrated in both Finland and Sweden, where the troll is a cherished cultural figure.

Moomin, created by Finnish-Swedish author Tove Jansson, was previously produced as an animated feature film in Japan in 1992. There was also a Japanese-Finnish animated series that first aired in 1990 and became very popular internationally.

Now Hollywood will interpret the idyllic magic of Moominvalley, where Moomin and his friends embark on adventures, writes Moomin Characters, which manages the Moomin rights.

“We are honored”

The film will be produced by media company Annapurna’s animation division, which was founded in 2022 by former Disney animation executives Robert Baird and Andrew Millstein and is known for the Oscar-nominated film Nimona.

We’re honored to bring Tove Jansson’s timeless vision to the big screen, say Baird and Millstein.

It will be written and directed by Rebecca Sugar, known for the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe. Additionally, it will be produced by Julia Pistor, who is behind animated films such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Rugrats.

Earlier this year, Norwegian game developer Hyper Games also announced that they will release a new Moomin game. The game will be called Winter’s Warmth and is based on the book Moominland Midwinter.

YouTubers invest in their own businesses – ad revenues are unpredictable

Published 6 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has the world's largest YouTube channel with 442 million subscribers.
2 minute read

More and more YouTube personalities are reducing their dependence on ad revenue and brand partnerships and instead building their own business empires. The reason is that advertising income is unpredictable and can disappear overnight when the platform changes its policies.

YouTube has evolved into a gigantic platform that has contributed over $55 billion to the US GDP and created more than 490,000 full-time jobs. But despite the platform’s success, many of the most successful content creators have realized that it’s risky to rely solely on ad revenue, writes TechCrunch.

Many of the biggest channels have now transformed into vertically integrated media companies with product lines, physical stores and consumer brands that can survive algorithm changes. In several cases, these side businesses are growing faster than the YouTube channels themselves.

MrBeast leads the development

Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast with 442 million subscribers, is the platform’s most aggressive entrepreneur. His chocolate brand Feastables generated around $250 million in revenue in 2024 with over $20 million in profit – significantly more profitable than his YouTube content which lost approximately $80 million the same year. The first product sold over one million units and generated more than $10 million within 72 hours.

Donaldson also runs the food brand Lunchly, the toy series MrBeast Lab, the burger concept MrBeast Burger and the analytics platform Viewstats. Now he plans to establish his own mobile network.

Coffee and energy drinks as goldmine

Emma Chamberlain, with over 12 million subscribers, launched her coffee brand Chamberlain Coffee in 2019. In 2023, the brand reached approximately $20 million in revenue and in January opened its first physical store. Revenue is expected to grow by over 50 percent in 2025 and reach more than $33 million.

Logan Paul created the energy drink Prime together with KSI, which surpassed $1.2 billion in sales in 2023. However, sales have declined sharply, particularly in the United Kingdom where revenue fell by approximately 70 percent between 2023 and 2024.

Children’s audience and beauty products

Ryan’s World, hosted by 13-year-old Ryan Kaji, has expanded its brand through toys and clothing that reportedly generated over $250 million in revenue in 2020.

Within the beauty industry, Michelle Phan has founded the subscription service Ipsy and the makeup brand EM Cosmetics, while Huda Kattan built Huda Beauty which generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Other well-known makeup brands from YouTube influencers include Jeffree Star Cosmetics and Tati Beauty, showing that the beauty industry continues to be an attractive area for content creators who want to build their own business empires.

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