Sweden hosts blazing celebration

Sweden's annual Valborg celebration of fire is to take place this weekend to mark the end of winter and start of summer.

On the eve of May Day, bonfires are lit officially in honour of St Walpurga, but in reality the celebration is an excuse for dancing, music and drink.

Towns and cities all over the country will be hosting official bonfires, but local areas will also have their own celebrations to which visitors are usually warmly welcomed to.

The biggest parties are said to take place at the university towns of Uppsala and Lund, though Stockholm and other cities will also be hosting celebrations.

Public revelry is common in Sweden, particularly in the summer, as an excuse to forget the long winter nights, with the national day and mid-summer festivals in June another reason for wide-spread partying.

Valborg celebrations usually follow a traditional pattern of plenty of beer along with accordion music and folk dances, though many substitute more modern melodies.

For visitors who fly to Stockholm, the Skansen open air museum is said to be the best place for traditional celebrations.

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