6 Facts About Summer In Sweden and Australia That Will Blow Your Mind

This month’s beautiful gin, Dry Island, is the product of when two amazing distillers come together from across the globe: Hernö gin from Sweden and Four Pillars from Australia. Here’s how these two very different countries celebrate the warmer months.

Midsummer night's dream

Midsummer’s Eve is celebrated between June 20th  and the  25th, and  is one of the most important days of the year, even more so than Christmas! Think flowers in your hair, dancing around a pole, singing songs while sipping shots of schnapps and filling up on as much pickled herring as possible!The day marks the start of the summer holiday season, so events are held in  public parks, gardens, summer cottages and anywhere you can get outside to enjoy the warmer climate.

Take a Dip

About 20% of Swedes (around 1.8 million people) own summer houses, and as soon as there is a threat of summer, many will venture off to their sommarstuga to enjoy the sunshine, nature and silence and sit lakeside with family and friends, cooling off in the fresh, tranquil water.

A Good Grilling

The  one similarity we can draw when looking at the summer traditions of Sweden and Australia  is barbecuing! The  Swedes take this method of cooking very seriously, so when summer comes  around, don’t be surprised to see thin plumes of smoke and smell  the unmistakeable scent of  lighter  fluid on BBQs wherever you go. However, there will be no shrimps thrown on this barbie.  The Swedes prefer  grilled salmon, sausages, corn on the cob, vegetable skewers, and flintastek  – ham cut into slices.

Dreaming of a hot(?!) Christmas

As  December is the beginning of Australia’s summer, Christmas Day is a very different affair down under. One of the most popular Christmas celebrations happens on a beach in Sydney. Each year 40,000 tourists  and residents flock to Bondi  beach on Christmas Day to sing carols, crash about  in  the waves and chow down on barbecued turkey–wearing nothing but  swimwear and Santa hats.  

Underwear? On your feet?

We  know them as the humble flip flop, but in Australia they are thongs...it takes some getting  used to. And the Aussies wear them pretty much everywhere in the summer. The  beach, the  BBQ, the cricket, to the pub, even the office.

G’Day ‘Sport’

Summer sees the kick off of many of Australia’s large sporting events. Boxing Day is spent at a friend’s  house  to  watch the  Boxing  Day Test.  Each January, thousands of tennis fans travel  from all over  the  world for the Australian Open.