This song is sung while dancing around the Christmas tree or the Midsummer pole. Different verses can be sung or left out. Other professions or jobs can also be sung about.

Notes

When this is sung for Midsummer, it can be changed to "Räven raskar över ängen" (The fox runs across the meadow").

Here are more professions or types of people that are commonly sung about:

Grin-Olle: Person who cries (or whines).
(Action: Crying and rubbing one's eyes.)

Skratt-Olle: Person who laughs.
(Action: Laughing.)

Game Instructions

Dance Instructions:

On lines 1 - 4 of each verse, everyone holds hands and goes around the tree in a circle. On lines 5 & 6 of each verse, everyone stops holding hands and they stand in place. The action changes depending on who you're singing about (instructions below). On the last 2 lines of each verse, everyone goes around in a circle alone in place.

One lines 5 & 6 of each verse it depends on who you're singing about. Here are the instructions for lines 5 & 6 for the verses above:

Verse 1: Girl - Curtsy
Verse 2: Boy - Bow
Verse 3: Old Lady - Either lean over holding your back like an old lady or mime knitting.
Verse 4: Old Man - Mime smoking
Verse 5: Tailor - Mime cutting out fabric with scissors that you "make" with your forefinger and middle-finger.
Verse 6: Cobbler - Mime hammering on a shoe sole in front of you.
Verse 7: Painter - Mime painting a wall.
Verse 8: Baker - Mime rolling out dough.
Verse 9: Chimney Sweep - Mime holding the chimney brush-stick and sweep the chimney up and down.

Listen
Watch
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In the video below they go around the Midsummer pole.

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Sheet Music

Sheet Music - Räven raskar över isen

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Thanks to Monique for help with the dance instructions. Thanks to Christina for the correction!