The Swedes, like all Scandinavians, have a great love of dancing, and very many of their games take the form of a simple dance. On a summer evening you can see the villagers of all ages, men and women, boys and girls, playing at dancing games on the village green to the accompaniment of a fiddle or accordion. A very pretty picture they present if they are, as often happens in Dalecarlia, dressed in their bright native costume. While dancing they generally sing a description of each movement as they perform it. One dance has been handed down from time immemorial. It is named _Väfva Vadmal_ (Weaving Homespun). No doubt it arose from the fact that the Swedish women used to weave the cloth for all their clothes. The players imitate the weaving of cloth at the old handloom. Some represent the bobbins; others the warp and woof. In and out they go until they form a bale. Then they stand still for a time, after which they reverse, unwind themselves, and then disperse. This is a peculiarly Swedish game, and is enjoyed by every rank of Swedish society. There is another dancing game called _Skära Hafre_ (Reaping Oats). In this they tell in word and gesture how the farmer sows the seed, cuts the grain, binds it into sheaves, and threshes it. Another favourite game is _Enke-leken_ (The Widower’s Game). This is played in the open air, as a rule, by children and young people. They stand in pairs, a boy and girl, in a long row, one pair behind the other. There is an odd one who represents the widower. He stands in front with his back to the rest, so that he cannot see them. When he calls, “Enke-leken, enke-leken, sista paret ut” (The widower game, last pair out), this pair separate and run forward in a wide circle. The widower runs forward at the same time with a view to catching the girl, but as he is not allowed to look backward, he does not know on which side she may come. Very often the pair change places, and the widower comes in contact with the boy instead of the girl. If he succeed, however, in catching the girl, the other boy takes his place; if not, he has to try again. The pair that has just been out join the ranks at the front. In all these games there is never seen any roughness, and the players gain a great deal of health and pleasure in a very simple and natural way. Then there are what one might call the manly sports. The Swedes have ever excelled in these. The old Viking warriors are spoken of in the old legends as being often engaged in feats of strength and skill with the sword and javelin, bow and arrow, in jumping and wrestling, and other favourite sports. They have handed down this trait to the present generation. Nowadays the Swedes practise curling, football, acquired from other countries, and a system of gymnastics invented by a Swede, which is being used by nearly every nation in the world. The summer sports are very much the same as found in other countries, but it is in winter sports that most interest is taken.