The prime time of the student year in Lund is finally around the corner. A deeply treasured weekend of the semester where students seem to forget, or actively ignore, their school assignments and usual routines. Instead of spending the days studying at EC and the other campuses, people will be seen in Stadsparken or in courtyards of the nations dancing along to the concerts being held. In Sweden, Valborg is a deeply rooted tradition, especially in student cities such as Lund and Uppsala. Except for Valborg, the student cities also enhance otherdays, such as Skvalborg, but despite its popularity, many people are unfamiliar with its origins and symbolism. I will therefore shed some light on what the weekend of Valborg historically represents.
As you already may know, the celebration of Valborg has its roots in a Christian holiday from the Middle Ages which explained how witches, on this date, would fly to the mountains and meet with the devil. To protect themselves from these malevolent spirits, people would light bonfires and dance around the flames as a way of keeping the evil away. Today, the celebration often is concerned circular and is about marking the new season, therefore people from all backgrounds can gather to have a fun day with friends and family.
As a student in Lund, you might have noticed that the 30th of april is not the only date which is celebrated in Lund. The town is as alive both the days before and after, and on Facebook there are plenty of events. But why do we also celebrate the other days and what do they historically represent? The answer is simple: nothing! It is solely a tradition, made up by students, to create a reason to forget about school for a few days as one day doesn’t seem enough.
As I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of fun things to do in Lund on these days, especially for us students. Stadsparken is one place you must visit, you can go there to have a picnic, play kubb or even just walk through to see all the people and gatherings. You can also visit the nations during Valborg weekend as each nation has its own date where they have concerts and day parties. Another fun thing to do if you want to celebrate in a more calm environment is to have a big feast with your friends and eat Swedish food such as potatoes, herring and if you are brave enough, a taste of surströmming.
Weekend Schedule for Lunds Nations:
