No, not that kind of dry June, the odd cool glass of fläderchampagne or Uppsala Brygghus beer is still more than welcome! The ‘dry’ here is the meteorological one as we haven't seen more than a few scattered drops of rain since the end of May. The normally green fields and lawns of Uppsala are now coloured a decidedly Mediterranean brown. Good news for tourists and holidaymakers but not so great for farmers and gardeners. The drought (and it is officially a drought) has meant countrywide outdoor fire bans, which has put a damper on that popular Swedish summer tradition of outdoor barbecues. Most areas are just too dry to risk having rogue sparks flying around the pine trees. Sweden has a lot of forests, and those forests are tinder dry right now… We’d really hate to do a Canada and send clouds of noxious wildfire smoke billowing over neigbouring countries – way to ruin a summer. So, all in all, probably best to leave that BBQ until normal summer weather service resumes – and it will. |
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Haystacks near Stora Bärsta, Uppsala |
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Dry or not, June in Sweden of course means midsummer/Midsommar, the celebration of the longest day and shortest night which is, along with Christmas, one of the most anticipated festivals of the year. While the actual longest day falls on 21st/22nd June, the holiday is celebrated on the nearest Friday, and this year that was 24th, although as with Christmas it’s the day before – midsommarafton/Midsummer’s Eve when most of the festivities take place. That’s when Maypoles are danced around (including the inexplicable ‘Frog dance’), flower wreaths are worn, herring are eaten and, later in the evening, bonfires are lit (although perhaps not this year - see above!) Midsommarafton is also one of the very few days of the year when Yocha Studio closes as most of our staff and customers are busy doing their midsommar thing. But, fear not, we opened up the very next day. |
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Photo by Mikael Kristenso |
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Earlier this month, on perhaps the only grey day in June, the Yocha team travelled to Kista in Northern Stockholm to take part in the Made in Asia exhibition – an event that showcases all aspects of Asian culture. Everything from K&J-Pop to Manga drawing, from Chinese and Japanese calligraphy to various martial arts and Asian delicacies was on display and the crowds were huge. Of course, Yocha was there to spread the word about authentic Kung Fu tea! Our able demonstrators did their stuff admirably before a full house, explaining the intricacies of serving and appreciating tea the real Chinese way. In fact, the display was so popular that they had to hold a second one straight afterwards to accommodate those who couldn’t get in first time round! This allowed even more visitors to experience how tea is traditionally served and enjoyed in China – just our little contribution to extending awareness of this important aspect of Asian culture amongst our European friends – and judging by the increase in online sales after the show it wasn’t in vain! |
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While June may mean midsommar in Sweden, in China it is (usually) the month in which the hugely popular Dragon Boat Festival (端午, duānwǔ) falls. One of the four major annual festivals in China, it actually takes place on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar (but we won’t go into that now). The origins of the Dragon Boat Festival go back over two millennia, around the reign of the first emperor. In those days this time of year was considered particularly unlucky, so various ruses were used to keep any ill-intentioned evil spirits at bay. Today, these boil down to: making Dragon Boat pouches, eating delicious pyramid-shaped snacks known as ‘zongzi’, and holding colorful ‘Dragon Boat Races’, the latter more associated with southern China. While Yocha Studio is conveniently located next to the Fyris river in Uppsala, we couldn’t get hold of a Dragon Boat and crew at such short notice, so we decided to skip that part and hold a special Dragon Boat Festival workshop concentrating on the zongzi and pouches bit. As you can see, great fun was had by all - and the boats were hardly missed! |
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Finally, here’s a summer idea to help you get through the rest of these hot, dry days: with no more festivals on the horizon until the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, why not sit back, relax, enjoy the summer weather at one our outdoor tables while you sip one of our seasonal ice-cold summer drinks - and maybe pray for the odd shower to green things up a bit? And, as always, remember if you aren’t able to physically make it to Yocha Studio in Uppsala, you can check out our website www.yochastudio.com or social media channels for the latest news on all our Asian design products available for purchase online – all with delivery to your door. Till next month, happy June and may it rain soon. The Yocha Team. |
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