The Swedish North Star, continuously published since 1872. Volume 146 No. 4, March 15, 2018. Price per copy $3.50.
swedes and citrus in the sunshine state When Swede Johan Anders Boström immigrated to Florida from the Swedish island of Gotland in 1865, the land on the state’s Atlantic coast was still mainly wilderness. Boström arrived at the end of the Civil War, during which time the trees had gone from being a resource for a booming ship building business to becoming a source of industry as landowners sold their property to pioneer settlers but kept the timber rights. Some of those trees bore citrus fruit; orange trees had been planted in the northeast part of the state by the earliest settlers in the mid-1500s. When Boström arrived, he recognized the potential for cultivating oranges as a business, realizing their commercial potential early on. In the process, he and his brother founded a company that would boom into what is known today as the modern citrus industry. / Page 12
A Swedish Easter
The significance of Bergman
The average Swede celebrates Easter with the family, eats four eggs, gives away and eats Easter candy and decorates with Easter twigs. According to a survey in Sweden, the most important and most common dish on the Swedes’ Easter table is eggs. No surprises there since over 2,000 tons of eggs are consumed in Sweden during Easter week. More than half the people surveyed said eggs were most important on the Easter table, followed by herring (16%), salmon (7%) and Jansson’s temptation (6%). Only 6% eat lamb for Easter. More Easter traditions and a few recipes. /Page 10
Actress Liv Ullmann was in California in early February, kicking off the centennial celebrations honoring Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. Nordstjernan contributor Ted Olsson had the privilege to interview Ullmann, who remarked on how wonderful it is that Bergman is now recognized worldwide for his creativity as producer, director and author. She said the filmmaker never believed in heaven, but she hoped that somewhere he can marvel in the respect and recognition afforded him during this year of his centennial, The Year of Bergman. / Page 16 Swedish suffragettes travel cross country and make history worth remembering / p7 Vasaloppet isn’t just a phenomenon in Sweden anymore / 18 As promised, here’s a recipe to make the bread that sounds like its name: knäckebröd / p22 Ikea, increasingly committed to innovation, has a joint project with H&M: From tree to textile” /p23
dashboard | march 15, 2018 SCANDINAVIAN QUIZ
did Swedes used to call fa1 What thers who took time off work to be
with their children? A) Teddy bear dads B) Sugar dads C)Velour dads D) Lego dads
6 What is Sweden’s rank in Western Europe in terms
of geographic size? A) 2nd largest B) 3rd largest C) 4th largest D) 5th largest
7 What is the name of the strait that separates Nor-
way, Sweden and Denmark? A) Skagerakk B) Kattegat C) Dania Bay D) Skatnat Bay
2 What are “påskliljor” (Easter lilies) better known 8 Who is the Danish author of the novel “Out of
In 1974, Sweden became the first country to replace paid maternity leave with paid parental leave. Swedish fathers were also the first in the world to gain right to paid paternity leave. Since then, the government has continued to seek balance in giving women equal rights at work and men equal rights at home. Laws reserve at least two months of the generously paid 13-month parental leave exclusively for fathers; parents are entitled to a combined total of 480 days of paid parental leave when a child is born or adopted. Swedish mothers still take more time off with children — almost four times as much – but more and more men are using their paternity leave as well: Today more than 85 percent of Swedish fathers take parental leave. And for 390 of those days, parents are entitled to nearly 80 percent of their normal pay. Parental leave can be taken until a child turns 8. The leave entitlement applies to each child (except in the case of multiple births), so parents can accumulate leave from several children. Name’s Days of the Swedish Calendar Namnsdagar i mars
March 15 March 16 March 17 March 18 March 19 March 20 March 21 March 22 March 23 March 24 March 25 March 26 March 27 March 28 March 29 March 30 March 31 March 15
New York Chicago Stockholm Kiruna Lund Los Angeles 2 NORDSTJERNAN
Kristoffer/Christel Herbert/Gilbert Gertrud Edvard/Edmund Josef/Josefina Joakim/Kim Bengt Kennet/Kent Gerda/Gerd Gabriel/Rafael Marie bebådelsedag Emanuel Rudolf/Ralf Malkolm/Morgan Jonas/Jens Holger/Holmfrid Ester |
Sunrise & Sunset
7.07 am 7.02 am 6.04 am 6.00 am 6.22 am 7.03 am
7.02 pm 6.57 pm 5.49 pm 5.37 pm 6.10 pm 7.00 pm
Africa”? A) Naja Marie Aidt B) Piet Hein C) Karen von Blixen-Finecke D) Johannes Jensen
3 Roberta Joan Anderson, AKA Joni Mitchell, has 9 What is the oldest and longest cross-country ski paternal ancestry in what nation? A) Sweden B) Denmark C) Sápmi D) Faroe Islands
4 What is the name of the spot where three Nordic countries meet? A) Kokkola B) Arvidsjaur C) Heimetslokko D) Treriksröset
5 Swedish fish are one of the only gummy candies
that do not contain what? A) Gelatin B) Sugar C) Starch D) Coloring
CULTURE
Namnsdagar
race in the world, inspired by a Swedish king in 1520? A) Birkebeiner B) Vasaloppet C) Ragnar Relay D) Lilienfelder Ski
10 Stockholm only hosted the 1912 Summer Olym-
pics and to help Melbourne with what event in 1956? A) Equestrian B) Water polo C) Table tennis D) Tug of war Answers: 1:C, 2:A, 3:C, 4:D, 5:A, 6:B, 7:A, 8:C, 9:B, 10:A
Photo: Mikael Ericsson
as in the U.S.? A) daffodils B) tiger lilies C) lilies of the valley D) white pointsettias
Mars
March 19 - Josef / Josefina Josefina/Josephine is a female name, the feminine form of Josef/ Joseph, which is taken from the Hebrew name Yosef, meaning “Jehovah increases.” Like several other biblical names, Josef has gained popularity since the mid 1980s. Josefina has been in the almanac since 1824 when it was introduced to Sweden by Queen Josefina, the new wife of King Oscar 1 but has fallen off the top 100 list for baby girls, though it is one of Princess Madeleine’s middle names. Josef is the 37th most popular name for boys in Sweden. March 23 - Gerd The mostly female name Gerd is of Old Norse origin with two possible meanings. It could mean either “shelter” or “she who belongs to the house.” In Germany Gerd is a man’s name. Gerd is quite common among women between the ages 50-70, but among younger women it’s not common at all. There are 23,480 women named Gerd in Sweden and 127 men with the name.
founded in new york city in september 1872 Nordstjernan (ISSN 1059-7670), founded in New York City in September 1872, is published by Swedish News, Inc., 570 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022 • Readers services and editorial submissions: P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Periodicals Postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. www.nordstjernan.com, Nordstjernan is published semimonthly, except for the months of January, February, July when it is monthly and Augustwith no issue. POST MASTER: Please send address changes to Nordstjernan, P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Subscription rates: 1 yr. = $55, Two yr. = $99, outside US 1 yr. = $167.
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this week…
March TO DO 3.16 SLEEP IN: “Internationella Sömndagen” / World Sleep Day
3.29 DON’T EXPECT TO MAKE BUSINESS CALLS TO SWEDEN: “Skärtorsdag” / Maundy Thursday is a vacation day for most Swedes
3.17 DON SOMETHING GREEN and join the Irish for Saint Patrick’s Day 3.22 CONSERVE WATER: “Internationella Vattendagen” / International Water Day
3.25 LOSE AN HOUR OF SLEEP: “Sommartid” / Time to spring forward for Daylight Saving Time
3.30 EAT CAKE OR BUY A NEW CAKE PLATE AT IKEA: “Födelsedag” / Celebrate the founder of Ikea at his store - Ingvar Kamprad (1926-2018) would have been 92 years old on this birthday
3.25 EAT WAFFLES* “Våffeldagen” / Not to be confused with National Waffle Day in the U.S., which commemorates the first patent for a waffle iron in 1869
3.31 PREPARE FOR EASTER: “Påskafton” / Easter Eve is when most Swedes are celebrating Easter also ... think about what not to fall for on April Fool’s Day.
*In Sweden the waffle has its very own day, Våffeldagen. It got its name due to a mistake, actually, but so long as we’re eating waffles on March 25, it doesn’t really matter why. Jungfru Marie bebådelsedag (Lady Day, also known as the Annunciation) celebrates the angel Gabriel’s announcement that Mary would conceive and become the mother of Jesus. Jungfru Marie bebådelsedag was called “vårfrudagen” (Our Lady Day), and “vårfru” quickly became “våffla” in popular speech, giving way to the wonderful tradition of spending an entire day eating våfflor (often heart-shaped) with jam and whipped cream.
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Princess Sofia skied in Vasaloppet’s Tjejvasan, the largest women-only ski race in the world, held a week prior to Vasaloppet.
Dashboard, p4-5
Clean fitness craze / Stockholm Cityscapes / Three Michelin stars for Swedish restaurant / Life is good in NYC / A place for peace / The King goes the to Olympics / American Polar Music Prize winners rock the house.
Events calendar, p6-9
What’s going on in Swedish America.
Feature, p10
Easter in Sweden is steeped in tradition.
Stay informed in a Swede way. Nordstjernan is published every other week with the exceptions of Jan.-Feb. and July-Aug.
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The possibilities are endless with marzipan, especially in Swedish bakeries. You can find these Easter “peeps” at Balders Bröd in Solna or try making your own, recipe on p11
Swedish News, p23
Sami case goes to Supreme Court / Refugees cope with trauma / Craft beers stir up business / New exploration for minerals / Six years for music piracy / Dual citizenship / Cash-less society coming fast / Stone Age gravesite.
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The face of a fighter. Sweden’s ski champion Charlotte Kalla celebrates another win. The Exchange Rate:
$1.00 = SEK 8.29 (02.28.2018)
MARCH 15, 2018 3
Photo courtesy: Maja Tesch
dashboard | march 15, 2018
They may not be the only ones to do it, but the efficient and environmentally conscious Swedes have named it: plogging. The term is a mash-up of jogging and “plocka upp,” meaning pick up. Swedes have made a sport out of filling up trash bags while they’re jogging – and though it won’t likely become an Olympic sport, it is spreading across Europe and the U.S. “I’m not going to just let litter sit there. I’m not going to just walk past that plastic bottle,” said American plogger Emily Wright, who has been plogging for several months but just recently learned that what she’s been doing has a name. The Swedish-based fitness app Lifesum, even makes it possible for users to track plogging activity and calories burned (30 minutes of plogging burns 288 calories on average, a brisk walk burns about 120).
The stories, the traditions, the people behind the news.
The image above shows the new color—much closer to the original color reviewed by Nordstjernan in 1874.
Stockholm Cityscapes
Nationalmuseum, The National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm, is set to reopen after a fiveyear renovation in October this year. But it’s not just the museum that is undergoing a major transformation at Blasieholmen (across from the Royal Palace) in central Stockholm; the block with Grand Hôtel is also changing. The facade facing Stockholms Ström (Stockholm’s stream) and the Royal Palace will regain some of the
19th-century grandeur that disappeared during renovations in the 20th century. At the same time, the inner parts of this Wallenberg-owned hotel block will get taller. There will be new office space on top of the property, also known as the Grand Royal. Work on the exterior, bringing back the original brighter color of the facade will be completed as early as this spring. For more info, see www.grandhotel.se
founded in new york city in september 1872 executive editor & publisher:
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson (editor@nordstjernan.com) editor:
Amanda Olson Robison (editor@nordstjernan.com) managing editor & production: Everett Martin graphic design: Nadia Wojcik (design@nordstjernan.com) contributors:
Chipp Reid - Lisa Mikulski - Ted Olsson - Leif Rosqvist Ulf Kirchdorfer - Valorie Arrowsmith - Olle Wijkström Bo Zaunders - Göran Rygert - James Kaplan - Gunilla Blixt publications director:
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Sweden gets its first three-star restaurant
Just over 100 restaurants in the world have three Michelin stars, and now a restaurant in Sweden is one of them: Stockholm’s Frantzén has earned its stars. Sweden has been waiting for its first 3-star restaurant, and the 1-year-old, rebranded Frantzén is recognized for star chef Björn Frantzén’s “unique vision of Nordic cuisine, combining sublime ingredients with astounding culinary techniques.” Not far from Blasieholmen, Stockholm’s tasting menu restaurant Frantzén is on Klara Norra kyrkogata. www.restaurantfrantzen.com
Photo: Grand Hôtel
Clean fitness craze
dashboard | march 15, 2018
Life is good in NYC
Partial Faces, color pigments on canvas, by Johan Wahlstrom
The Georges Bergès Gallery presents Johan Wahlstrom’s Life is Good exhibit of abstract forms and brushstrokes that highlight, explore and emphasize the importance of the human struggle. Johan Wahlstrom, born in Stockholm, is a fifth-generation artist. His first creative direction was music, in which he had a long career as a keyboardist and singer, but now Wahlstrom is painting, making a conscious effort to describe the social political landscape of our contemporary world on canvas. Opening reception at Georges Bergès Gallery, 462 West Broadway, is March 15 at 6-8 p.m. The exhibit is on view through April 8. www.johanwahlstrom.com
King Carl XVI Gustaf, an avid sportsman, always visits the Olympic Games and enjoys time spent with the Swedish athletes. Here he is during the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea with the Swedish biathlon women’s team and coaches after the team won the silver medal. Linn Persson, Mona Brorsson, Anna Magnusson and Hanna Öberg hold their skis with the King, center, immediately behind the skiers. Photo: Kungahuset.se
A place for peace in NYC
Outside the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City is the sculpture of a revolver tied in a knot, called Non-Violence, by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd. He created the bronze sculpture, also known as “the knotted gun,” in 1985 as a memorial tribute to legendary singer and peace activist John Lennon after he was shot and killed in New York in 1980. In the early 1990s Reuterswärd (1934-2016) co-piloted the Non-Violence Project in Sweden, and over the next few years it grew establishing offices in the U.S., Brazil, Germany and South Africa. The sculpture – by then known as one of the strongest peace symbols on the planet – was also unveiled in several strategic places around the world. Based on ideas of the power of knowledge, violence prevention, and conflict solving, the NonViolence Project’s goal since 1993 has been to inspire the next generations in how to adapt a peaceful lifestyle. There are currently 21 copies of the sculpture around the world, 12 of them in Sweden.
American Polar Music Prize winners rock the house with Afghan children American hard rock band Metallica will join Dr. Ahmad Sarmast of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) as they accept their 2018 Polar Prizes in Music from HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in Stockholm on June 14. The annual award, often described as the “Nobel Prize of Music,” celebrates the power and importance of music and is awarded to individuals, groups or institutions for international recognition of excellence in the world of music. Established by music legend Stig “Stikkan” Anderson, the annual prize is meant to honor exceptional achievements that transcend music genres and break down musical boundaries by
bringing together people from different worlds of music. Metallica (above left), founded in 1981, is recognized for taking rock music to places it had never been before. The strength of the band’s uncompromising albums has helped millions of listeners transform their sense of alienation into a superpower, said award committee members. Dr. Ahmad Sarmast (above, with children of his music school) is the founder and director of ANIM, formed 10 years ago to bring the rich musical heritage back into the lives of Afghan children after it had been forbidden for years following their civil war. www.polarmusicprize.org MARCH 15, 2018 5
local events
Local Events Florida
Sarasota 03.24, 6-11 PM 30 Year Jubilee: The Swedish Club of Sarasota celebrates their 30th anniversary with dinner and dancing. 941.705.7700 / info@SwedishClubSarasota.org / www. swedishclubsarasota.org Boca Raton 04.06, 7-9 PM Roberta Swedien - Swedish Rhapsody: Take an armchair journey into the heart of Sweden through a musical celebration of Sweden’s inspiring beauty and landscape of the Swedish soul in words and music. Piano music is interspersed with narrations of the Swedish countryside, Viking poetry and reminiscences by the composers. It finishes with a medley called “The Swedish Flag.” Congregational Church on the Hill, 251 SW 4th Ave. www.robertaswedien.com Clearwater 04.06, 12-3 PM Suncoast Scandinavian Club: Learn more about our club and enjoy the April entertainment program, Baby Contest. RSVP to 732.546.7756, dinner is $17 at Banquet Masters. blekinge93usa@ gmail.com
Illinois
Chicago “Available Light” is an exhibit of still and moving images of life on a Swedish farm by Swedish-American artist Erika Råberg, created over several years on
her family’s farm in rural Värmland. At the Swedish American Museum through March 29. 773.728.8111 / www. swedishamericanmuseum.org 03.16, 11 AM Hejsan: Monthly story and craft hour for children of all ages and their parents. This month’s music theme features the percussion of drummer Anders Johansson. Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org 03.17, 11 AM The Dream of America Guided Tour: Dive into the history of Swedish immigration to Chicago with a guided tour of our permanent exhibit that reveals stories of what awaited the millions who came to America via Ellis Island and what life was like in Swedish neighborhoods such as Andersonville in Chicago then and now. Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org 03.25, 10 AM - 5 PM Vå f f e l d a g e n : T h e f e a s t o f M a r i e Bebådelsedagen, or Annunciation Day, was the day the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Swedes have found a great way to celebrate this day – by eating waffles! Come join in the waffle eating at the Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www. swedishamericanmuseum.org 03.26-03.29, 10 AM - 4 PM Spring Crafts Camp for Kids: Easter-themed activities all week with Swedish Easter traditions such as creating Easter trees with feathers and dressing up as witches! Each day is a little different. Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111/ www.
swedishamericanmuseum.org 03.27, 6-8 PM Easter crafts for teens+adults: Learn some Swedish traditions and create beautiful decorations. For adults and children ages 12+. Swedish American M u s e u m , 7 7 3 . 7 2 8 . 8 1 1 1 / w w w. swedishamericanmuseum.org
Kansas
03.24, 10 AM - 5 PM Våffeldagen: Spend the day in Lindsborg eating waffles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. De smakar mycket goda! (They taste very good!) 785.227.8687 / travelinfo@lindsborgcity.com /www. visitlindsborg.com
Louisiana
New Orleans 03.22, 6 PM Opening Reception - Why Is Everything A Rag: Stockholm-based artist Jockum Nordström exhibits in the U.S. for the first time. Children’s books, jazz and blues vinyl covers, collages, drawings, paintings and paper sculptures collected from the start of his career through today, figure in a practice animated by and built of a visual vernacular. Contemporary Arts Center, 504.528.3805 / www.cacno.org
Maryland
Greenbelt 03.17, 7-10 OM Scandia DC Saturday Dance: Review or learn popular Scandic dances, no partners necessary. This month’s live fiddle music features Loretta Kelley, considered the most accomplished American-born hardanger fiddle player, the Scandia DC Spelmannslag and some recorded music. Teaching 7-8 p.m., open dancing 8-10.
Swedien brings a Swedish rhapsody to Florida
Third-generation musician and musical storyteller, Roberta Swedien, who grew up in Chicago, has SwedishAmerican roots in Stöde in Medelpad, Östergötland, Dalarna and Jämtland. Her maternal grandfather immigrated to the U.S. at the advice of his aunt, who worked as a cook for the Roosevelt family in New York. He moved to Minnesota, married and started a family, and then spent nearly 30 years in India. Roberta’s mother, Bea Anderson Swedien, is the author of “Under the Red Blanket,” which is about growing up with her Swedish parents and siblings in the jungles of Northeast India and with tribal headhunters. Roberta’s father is the legendary producer, recording engineer and 5-time Grammy Award winner Bruce Swedien. He recorded, mixed and assisted in producing the best-selling album in the world, Thriller by Michael Jackson, and is known for his work with Quincy Jones, but his rise to fame began in 1962 on Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons “Big Girls Don’t 6 NORDSTJERNAN
Cry.” He also recorded and mixed for many jazz and pop artists, and in 2001 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in philosophy from the Luleå University of Technology, Sweden for his achievements as a sound engineer. Swedien also held masterclasses at the Swedish National Radio for practicing sound engineers. Roberta keeps their Swedish heritage alive through her music. She says, “I am an American with roots deep in the Swedish countryside for which I am extremely grateful. This music speaks to me with a strangely familiar voice. It feels so right. It is music of earth and water and heart and mind.” Her masterful interweaving of narrative and musical interpretations make Roberta Swedien a unique cultural treasure among contemporary classical pianists. She has performed all over the world for more than 40 years and is bringing her special show to the Congregational Church on the Hill in Boca Raton, Florida on April 6. This program, called Swedish
$10. Greenbelt Community Center Dance Studio, 202.333.2826 / linda@scandiadc. org / www.scandiadc.org.
Massachusetts
Newton 03.24, 1-2:30 PM A road trip for suffrage: Hear an incredible account from 1915 when three women, two of them Swedish immigrants, drove from San Francisco to DC, carrying with them 500,000 signatures on a petition for Congress and President Wilson, demanding an amendment to the US Constitution enfranchising women. Scandinavian Cultural Center, 617.795.1914 / kerry@ scandicenter.org / www.scandicenter.org
Minnesota
Minneapolis 03.17, 9-10 AM Kids at the Castle - Mighty Moose: It’s fun for kids and their grown-ups during this morning playdate an hour before the general public can enter the museum. Come for creative activities including games, stories, crafts, music and movement inspired by the season and current exhibitions. Ages 2–5. American Swedish Institute, 612-871-4907 / www. asimn.org 03.25, 11 AM-2PM Våffeldagen: Stop by FIKA at ASI for a heartshaped waffle with whipped cream and jam or fresh berries. American Swedish Institute / www.asimn.org 03.25, 1-3 PM Youth Nordic Craft Workshop - Intro to Embroidery: beginners will doodle a design for their piece, learn the basics of embroidery, they stitch their doodles to life with needle and thread. Each student will create one wall hanging or addition for clothing and household fabrics. $20-$25. American Swedish Institute, 612-871-4907 / www.asimn.org 03.31, 9- 10:30 AM Easter in the Castle: The whole family can hunt for colorful eggs hidden throughout the 33-room Turnblad Mansion. All across campus, ASI celebrates other favorite holiday traditions including storytime with the Easter Witch (påskkäring), adding feathers to the Easter tree (påskris), making a craft to decorate your table on Easter, and creating traditional Swedish-style Easter greeting cards to share with friends. This intergenerational family program is recommended for children under 10 years of age and their special adults. $10 ASI members / $13 non-members. Free/ under age 2. Register by March 23, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org
Rhapsody, is a tribute to the Swedish soul, expressed through words and music of the Swedish countryside, Viking poetry and includes Rangström’s Mälardrottningen, PetersonBerger’s Frösöblomster, Jazz from Dalarna by Lindberg and a medley to the Swedish flag. www.robertaswedien.com
04.07, 7 AM Svensk Frukost: Join the ASI Male Chorus for a full breakfast smörgåsbord and a selection of traditional Swedish music. Funds from the breakfast support the Male Chorus and help preserve the Swedish
Do you know about an upcoming event in Swedish America? Submit it any time to our online calendar at www.nordstjernan.com/ calendar
local events
Why is everything a rag During their tricentennial year, New Orleans continues to recognize Swedish influences in music and art. The very first Swede arrived shortly after the city’s founding; not acknowledged for artistry, Frederick D’Arensbourg of Stockholm had served as an officer in the Swedish army when he became a commandant in Des Allemande, Louisiana after meeting with founding father Jean-Baptiste, Sieur de Bienville in 1721. The exhibition of 19th century artist Bror Anders Wikstrom’s Mardi Gras designs at NOMA runs through March and is joined in art and music by contemporary Swedish artist Jockum Nordström on Mar. 22. Nordström and Swedish musician Joakim Åhlund have been playing and recording together since early 2007. They describe their music as neither jazz nor blues, but something in between, bringing rock, blues, jazz and visual art together in their recordings. Jockum Nordström’s first U.S. solo art exhibition opens at the Contemporary Arts Center (cacno.org) on Mar. 22. The aftershow with Swedish musicians at HiHo Lounge at 9 p.m will feature Nordström, guitar; Åhlund, bass; Cissi Efraimsson, tambourine and drums; Per-Erik Adamsson, flute; Moussa Fadera, drums and Ulf Engström, synth. The group will also perform in Washington, DC at the House of Sweden on Mar. 27.
Jockum Nordström in his studio, possibly contemplating his upcoming New Orleans exhibition. Photo: Karl Melander
Sweden Day June 2, 2018
Come celebrate a weekend of Culture and Fellowship at:
Sveadal
8220 Croy Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037 Presentation of Swedish artist Gunnar Widforss by Alan Petersen, Curator of Fine Arts, Museum of Northern Arizona
Akvavit Kryddat Brännvin World Championship
Activities and games Tours and hiking Saturday Evening Catered Dinner Cabin Reservations: www.sveadal.org Information: Jim Melin (408) 272-1700 jimmelin@jacklondon.net
www.vasagoldengate.org
A (Swedish) road trip for suffrage
A road trip for suffrage: hear an account from 1915 when three women drove from San Francisco to Washington, DC, carrying with them 500,000 signatures on a petition for Congress and President Wilson, demanding an amendment to the US Constitution enfranchising women. In the group were two Swedish immigrants, Maria Kindberg and Ingeborg Kindstedt. Maria was a 55-year-old midwife who purchased the car in San Francisco. She did most of the driving; Ingeborg was the mechanic and alternate driver. Despite considerable hardships along they way because they were immigrants (and often left out of descriptions of this trip), they made it to DC and were met by 80 members of Congress on the steps of the Capitol, and later in the day they met with President Wilson. One hundred years later in 2015, Maine author Anne Gass was so inspired by the story that she retraced the famous trip; she took a 10-week road trip along the same route to see what else she could learn about it. “Along the way I met with women's rights activists to understand what had changed for women, and what hadn't,” says Gass. Hear her presentation on the crosscountry drive, the meeting in DC, and other important women of the suffrage movement at the Scandinavian Cultural Center in Newton, MA at 1 p.m. on March 24. Gass has been inspired by her own great-grandmother, a suffrage leader in Maine whom Gass wrote a book about: Voting Down the Rose: Florence Brooks Whitehouse and Maine’s Fight for Woman Suffrage. Scandinavian Cultural Center, 617.795.1914 / kerry@ Swedish immigrants (center and right) Maria Kindberg and Ingeborg Kindstedt in front of the scandicenter.org / www. Overland Six automobile they drove from San scandicenter.org Francisco to Washington, DC in 1915. MARCH 15, 2018 7
local events choral tradition in the Midwest. Tickets $20/adults, $10/children also include a guided tour of ASI and its exhibitions. American Swedish Institute / www. asimn.org Park Rapids 03.20, 1-3 PM Scandinavian Crime Thrillers Today: Dr. Jim Kaplan will discuss Scandinavian crime novels, which express the real lives of Scandinavians today and are a fun introduction to literature. Featured will be “Jar City” by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason, “The Snowman” by Norwegian author Jo Nesbø, and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. Park Theatre, 218.237.8950 / kaplan@mnstate.edu
Through
NORDSTJERNAN 1.800.827.9333 Ext 10
New York New York 03.17, 11 AM - 12 PM Saturday Art Workshops: Scandinavia House presents arts and storytelling for children - this workshop of craft dances is based on visual cues, drawn from images of Scandinavian trees and plants. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / jennifer@amscan. org / www.scandinaviahouse.org 03.20-21, 6 PM - 9 PM Edvard Munch by Peter Watkins: In conjunction with the Edvard Munch Photography exhibit (on view through April 7, 2018), the screening of this original TV 1974 film takes place over two nights: Part I on March 20 and Part II on March 27. The film finds enduring significance in a brief affair and his participation in the café society of anarchist Hans Jæger and later in Berlin with August Strindberg. Through it all Munch’s melancholy and his desire to render his innermost feelings on canvas, cardboard, paper, stone, and wood are evident. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / jennifer@amscan.org / www.scandinaviahouse.org 03.22, 6 -9 PM Per Tengstrand: The Hammerklavier. Swedish pianist Per Tengstrand returns for the Music on Park Avenue concert series for his performances of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. The Hammerklavier was deemed unplayable and not performed in public until more than 50 years after his death but Beethoven considered it his best. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / j e n n i f e r @ a m s c a n . o r g / w w w. scandinaviahouse.org
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Call for information about the store nearest you that carries our quality products.
03.24, 11 AM - 12 PM Saturday Art Workshops: Drawing Sounds Each Saturday morning, Scandinavia House presents arts and storytelling for children. Our Saturday morning art workshops invite children to work with Nordic themes in the Halldór Laxness Library. In March, a series of workshops led by Heidi Alasuvanto will combine visual arts and dance. Using creative movement combined with painting and drawing, we will create visual canvases of Nordic soundscapes. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org 03.25, 11 AM-4 PM Spring Market: High Mass on Palm Sunday is followed by a market street with vendors and activities for young and old. The cafe will be open with traditional Swedish shrimp sandwiches and hot dogs. Svenska kyrkan in New York, 212.832.8443 / www. svenskakyrkan.se/newyork 03.29, 6-9 PM Per Tengstrand: Farewell to the Paino. Swedish pianist Per Tengstrand returns for the Music on Park Avenue concert series and ends the journey through Beethoven’s piano sonatas with the three last sonatas, Op. 109, 110 and 111, a wonder of poetic expression in music. Beethoven lived another five years following these works but never wrote another piano sonata. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / jennifer@amscan.org / www.scandinaviahouse.org Through 3.30 Exhibit - Mixed media on paper: Swedish artist Stig Knutsson works to capture the ethereal, supernatural relationbetween woman and man in his art. Through paper collage with pen, ink, pencils and crayon, Knutsson approaches a transcendent world, “the fragile side of the erotic relation between woman and man, here expressed in an abstract manner.” Church of Sweden, stig.e.knutsson@ gmail.com / www.stigknutsson.se and www.svenskakyrkan.se/newyork
04.04, 6-9 PM New Nordic Cinema: See Johannes Nyholm’s film, The Giant (Jätten), in Swedish with English subtitles, 90 min. Rickard is a 30-year-old man with autism and a physical disability. It is difficult to communicate with others, but he finds comfort by retreating into a rich fantasy world and by competing as his care facility’s star player in petanque, a French bowling game. When he’s compelled to form his own new team to compete in the Nordic Championship, his fantasies and real-life dreams must find balance. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / jennifer@amscan. org / www.scandinaviahouse.org
Oregon
Portland 3.24, 6:30-8:30 PM Armchair Adventurer Series: Polar Opposites: Amundsen, Scott, and the Race for the Pole. Lawrence Howard of Portland Story Theater tells this story that recounts a tale of agony and ecstasy, of accomplishment and failure, of a glorious victory overshadowed by an even more glorious defeat in Antarctica 100 years ago. $15/members , $20/non-members. Nordic Northwest, 503.977.0275 / www. scanheritage.org 04.04,6:30-8:30 PM The Complete Songs of Edvard Grieg: Soprano Laura Loge in concert. Northwest Edvard Grieg Society at Nordic Northwest, 503.977.0275 / laila@scanheritage.org / www.scanheritage.org
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia 03.20, 10:30-11:30 AM Toddler Time: Build language and math skills by learning the alphabet and how to count in Swedish - we’ll read D is for Dala Horse: A Nordic Countries Alphabet by Kathy-jo Wargin and reinforce letter and number practice through museum exploration, letter matching, Swedish counting games, and a stamp craft. $5/child, free/members and accompanying caregivers. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / info@americanswedish.org / www. americanswedish.org 03.25, 2-4 PM Easter Family Fun Day: Introduce your little ones to Swedish Easter traditions with Easter crafts, face painting, Easter witch dress up and an egg hunt! Free/members and children 2 years and under and $10/non-members. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www. americanswedish.org
Augusta’s Daughter Ever wonder what made so many emigrate from Sweden in the nineteenth century? Judit Martin’s novel, “Augusta’s Daughter,” about 19th century Swedish peasant life made such an impression on us, we decided to offer it to the Nordstjernan readership. call 1.800.827.9333 for your own copy ($24.90 incl. S&H to continental U.S.).
local events
The Year of Bergman 2018 celebrates the rich legacy of Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday on July 14, 2018.
Texas
Houston 03.29, 5-8 PM Swedish Traditional Thursday: Join us and friends from other Nordic and European Chambers of Commerce for a night of networking and traditional Swedish pea soup, pancakes, punsch, beer and wine at Chef Søren’s Kitchen, 2314 Dunlavy St. Our guest speaker is Madeleine Onne, Swedish prima ballerina and artistic director at The Swedish Royal Ballet. RSVP via www. sacctx.com
Washington
Kirkland 03.25, 2-4 pm Egg hunt and picnic: Bring your family, friends, a picnic and 5 eggs per child to share. Denny Park, 12302 Holmes Point Dr NE. program@sweaseattle.com / www. seattle.swea.org Seattle 04.05, 10:30 am Nordic storytelling: in our 11th year of Nordic stories geared toward preschoolers and their grown-ups, The Three Billy Goats Fluff by Rachel Mortimer is shared along with a fun craft project. This month (through May) storytelling takes place at Secret Garden Books in downtown Ballard, 2214 NW Market St. 206.789.5707 / www. nordicmuseum.org 04.08, 8 am-1 pm Pancake Breakfast: Authentic Swedish pancakes, music and folk dancing, good friends, and real Swedish coffee. Everyone is welcome! Breakfast includes pancakes with lingonberries or strawberries, ham, milk, coffee, orange juice and seconds. $9/members, $11/non-members, free-$5/ children. Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave., 206.283.1090 / www.swedishclubnw.org
Bergman retrospective continues in California An Ingmar Bergman retrospective at the California Film Institute celebrates the 2018 Year of Bergman. Mar 1-31, 2018
California Film Institute, 1001 Lootens Place, Suite 220 San Rafael, CA 94901 415.383.5256 / info@cafilm.org
Enchanting Transparency
One hundred years ago Swedish artists realized people were losing a sense of beauty in everyday things, and after a lackluster display at a 1914 World’s Fair in Sweden, craft organizations began demanding beauty in household glass. The design revolution that followed launched Sweden (and later Norway, Denmark and Finland) to the peak of the international glass industry. The American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia is celebrating the proud history of Scandinavian glass in a new exhibit, opening on March 17 in its renovated Linnaeus-Kalm Gallery: In Enchanting Transparency, explore 300 years of glass production and the companies who launched their products into households around the world. See photographs and sketches from the 20th century artists and artisans who brought Swedish glass to global fame. Most importantly, find the magic within the “everyday objects” - each engraved vase, decanter and bottle transforms in a flash of light into scenes of enchantment and wonder. 215.389.1776 / www.americanswedish.org
For more local events in Swedish America see our online calendar at www.nordstjernan. com/calendar or download the free app Nordic in AmericaEvents from App Store or Google Play www.nordicinamerica.com
Experience
SWEDEN on one of Brekke’s 2018 Scandinavian Tours: • TASTE OF SWEDEN & NORWAY June 21 - 30 Stockholm with Uppsala and Dalarna as well as Oslo, Bergen and the fjords • CAPTIVATING SCANDINAVIA July 11 - 24 The fjord country, the Swedish Glass District and visits to Bergen, Oslo, Copenhagen, Gothenburg & Stockholm
Cont act
Brekke Tours
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1-800-437-5302 Tours@BrekkeTours.com www.BrekkeTours.com
@BrekkeTours MARCH 15, 2018 9
feature
Easter in Sweden Easter in Swedish is called “påsk” which comes from the Hebrew word “pesah” meaning passing. Easter and its preceding holy days have a unique history in Sweden. It is a decidedly yellow season. The yellow color has nothing to do with the liturgical colors for Easter, which are black, white and violet. No, Easter’s yellow comes from the fact that many of the symbols we have for Easter seem to be yellow (as opposed to Christmas for instance, which is red): the feathers, the daffodils and the chickens on the Easter cards. Over 1,500 tons of herring, 2,000 tons of eggs and SEK 1.5 billion spent on flowers, mostly daffodils or yellow tulips ... Easter, is in Sweden a serious holiday for sure. The Easter egg (påskägget) is a paper or plastic egg with pictures of chickens on it, which gets filled with candy and is given to children. Since Swedes don’t have an Easter Bunny in their celebration, these eggs are very important to children. But the egg is also the main Easter symbol in that it embodies the message of death and resurrection. The egg’s
Last year’s Easter witches all dressed up to visit neighbors in a Stockholm suburb. Photo: Gunilla Blixt
shell is a symbol of the grave, and what it contains is a symbol of new life, the chicken growing inside eventually opens its own grave and walks out. The colorful twigs with feathers (påskris) that you see everywhere in Sweden at this time of year, has less jolly implications. Bound by birch twigs, the påskris was in the 17th century used for Long Friday’s flagellation. Today you buy it at the local market and tie colorful feathers to it. You can also decorate your påskris with blown out eggs that you dye yourself, or you can buy plastic eggs. Roosters, hens, chickens and witches are also used to decorate not only the påskris but your house as well. The Easter witch (påskkärring) is an old tradition that has its roots in the activities of Maundy Thursday. According to folklore, all the world’s bad spirits were let loose the instant Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. During the 17th century the belief in the devil created witch hunts, and women (mostly) were executed for having participated in the banquet of the devil on Maundy Thursday. Where did it all take place? On the island of Blåkulla (also known as Blå Jungfrun) situated in the Kalmar Strait of the Baltic Sea. The witches flew there on brooms. Swedish children dress up like påskkärringar complete with grandma’s dress, apron and a kerchief tied under the chin, they paint rosy cheeks and freckles on their faces and therefore don’t much resemble the American picture of a witch. A påskkärring also carries a broom, an old-fashioned coffee pot and a basket, and walks around the neigh-
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borhood, Halloween-style, giving out drawings in exchange for candy. Each region or “landskap” in Sweden has its own traditions when it comes to what to eat for Easter, but most include eggs and some kind of salmon while lamb is less common in Sweden. There’s also the “påskbord” (Easter smörgåsbord) with eggs, pickled herrings, salmon and Jansson’s temptation traditionally served on the Saturday preceding Easter Sunday. Unlike the food we eat for Christmas, Easter food is lighter and almost always includes marzipan and candy-filled Easter eggs for dessert.
It’s not Easter without eggs in every way, shape and form. Here, the eggs are used as place cards.
Making the classic dessert yourself isn’t that difficult. All you need is basic marzipan. You’ll find a recipe on the next page (as for the knäcke, crisp bread, recipe we promised in the previous issue—another must really at the Easter table—turn to page 22).
Ingredients for basic marzipan 2 cups sugar 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 4 cups ground almonds (or almond flour) 2 egg whites powdered sugar for dusting 1. Prepare a workspace by sprinkling powdered sugar over a marble slab, wooden cutting board or large baking sheet. Fill your sink or a large bowl with cold water. 2. Place the sugar and 2/3 cup water in a large heavy saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. 3. Add the cream of tartar and turn up the heat. Bring to a boil and cover, boiling for 3 minutes. 4. Uncover and boil until the temperature reaches soft-ball stage, 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. 5. Place the bottom of the saucepan in the cold water you’ve prepared, stirring the sugar mixture constantly until it becomes thick and creamy. 6. Stir in the ground almonds and the egg whites, then place back over low heat and stir for 2 minutes more until the mixture is thick. 7. Spoon the marzipan onto your prepared work surface, and turn it with a metal spatula until it cools down enough to touch. 8. Coat your hands in powdered sugar and begin to knead the marzipan, working it until it is smooth and pliant. 9. Your marzipan can be used immediately or stored by wrapping it in plastic wrap and keeping it in an airtight container. Now that you have marzipan you can make påskägg (Easter eggs) or other figures with a little bit of yellow food dye and baking chocolate (approximately 100 g). Melt the chocolate. Just use a few drops of the food dye. Shape little eggs of the marzipan, then dip in melted chocolate. Let cool in the fridge.
The holy days of Easter This year, Holy Week, the seven days before Easter, starts on March 25. Many people in Sweden leave their jobs early on Wednesday or Thursday or take off that entire week before Easter. Many traditions of the past influence today’s celebrations. Palmsöndag: Palm Sunday celebrates Christ’s entrance to Jerusalem on a donkey when people spread palm leaves on the ground for him. Years ago it was difficult to get palms in Sweden, so pussy willows were used instead; they are still used today. Svarta måndag: In the old days it was called Black Monday because it was the day chimneys were swept. Vita tisdag: Tuesday was called White Tuesday because the chimneys had been cleaned and were
Cold poached salmon with herbs
A typical food for Easter feasting is cold poached salmon with herb garden sauce, dill and lemon served with fresh boiled potatoes and asparagus. Makes 6 servings for lunch or dinner 2-1/2 pounds salmon filets with skin 3 quarts water 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 2 tablepoons salt 5 white pepper corns 2 bay leaves 1 small onion, sliced 1 carrot, sliced 1/2 leek, sliced
and boil for 10 minutes. Pour the boiling marinade over the salmon, covering the fish under at least 1/2 inch. Then cover the baking dish with plastic or wax paper and let it stand and slowly cool. Herb Garden Sauce 4 tablepoons mayonnaise 2 tablepoons finely chopped chives 2 tablepoons finely chopped dill 2 teaspoons dried or fresh tarragon 2 teaspoons dried or fresh chervil 1/2 cup heavy cream salt and white pepper
• Clean the salmon filets and remove any remaining bones with tweezers. Cut the salmon into six equally large pieces and place them in a baking dish or pan with high edges, about 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle a little salt on the filets. • Place all remaining ingredients in a saucepan
• Mix the mayonnaise with the herbs. Whip the cream, carefully fold the mayo mix into the heavy cream, add salt and white pepper. Let sauce sit in the fridge for at least an hour. • Garnish the salmon with dill and lemon slices, serve with freshly boiled potatoes, Herb Garden Sauce and asparagus.
nice and white. Dymmelonsdag: Exactly why it is called “dymmel” remains unclear, but the Wednesday of Holy Week was observed quietly, and a little wooden clapper was put on all the bells of the churches. Skärtorsdag: Maundy Thursday acquired this old Swedish word for cleansing - because Jesus washed the feet of his disciples after the Last Supper. Historically, it was a dangerous day to be out, because the old spirits had been let loose (when Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus). Långfredag: Good Friday was the day Jesus was crucified, a long (lång) and painful day. In remembrance of Jesus, fasting was especially important, and it has been a holiday in Sweden since the 17th century. Påskafton: In Sweden, “påskafton” is the
Christmas Eve of Easter, a day for feasting and eating. After a week of fasting and seriousness, it is time for “påsksmällare” (Easter crackers) and “påskeldar” (Easter fires). This was also the day for the “påskkärringar”(Easter witches) to return from Blåkulla. Not too long ago, Swedes would write “påskkort” (Easter cards) to each other, and children would make drawings of witches, chickens and eggs along with a little verse. Påskdagen: Church bells chimed again on Easter Day and the organs in the church played. An old tradition was to go out early on Easter Sunday and watch the sun dance, which, people believed, it did out of happiness that Christ was resurrected. Annandag Påsk: The day after Easter is traditionally a non-religious holiday but Swedes keep celebrating.
MARCH 15, 2018 11
feature
swedes and citrus in the sunshine state They’re a symbol of the Sunshine State; when you think oranges in the United States, you think Florida. You certainly don’t think Sweden.
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Florida’s citrus industry is one of its economic mainstays, generating more than $8 billion a year. The state’s 12,000 citrus growers cultivate some 107 million citrus trees on more than 858,000 acres of land. The state produces more oranges than any other region of the world, except Brazil. But at the risk of sounding like a Swedish version of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” we have a Swede to thank for it all. The fact that Swedes founded Florida’s modern citrus industry is a forgotten chapter of Swedish-American history. Johan Anders Boström, a sailor and a teacher’s son from the Swedish island of Gotland, is the undisputed father of the U.S. citrus industry. He set out to cultivate oranges, realizing their commercial potential early on. In the process, he founded a boom industry, as well as the cities of Daytona Beach and the nearby Ormond Beach (Florida’s first millionaire playground) on the Atlantic coast.
Boström’s orange boom
Fate obviously wanted Johan Boström in Florida—he survived three shipwrecks off its coast before taking the hint and leaving the sailor’s life behind to settle there for good in 1865. At that time, Florida was still mainly wilderness, with only about 100,000 people, and still recovering from the Seminole and Civil Wars. Boström took advantage of Florida’s Armed Occupation Act, which accorded each settler five acres to cultivate, then 160 additional acres after five years plus one year’s rations. He settled at Hog Pen on the Halifax River and sent for his brother Charles from Sweden to help him in his orange groves. He didn’t know much about agriculture, but he learned a lot during the five to seven years it takes for orange trees to produce their first fruit. Boström acquired additional land for $1 an acre and built the first house on the banks of the Halifax River, on what is now Riverside Drive in Ormond Beach. They founded Daytona Beach as a grove center, and a couple years later the brothers also developed large groves further north. Once Boström’s orange groves were in full production, people began shipping crates of oranges to friends and relatives up north. Most likely that’s how the Corbin Lock Company of New Britain, Connecticut first discovered the fruit and realized the crop’s potential. In 1871, they dispatched horticulturists to Florida to look at Boström’s groves and scout for suitable land for colonies for their employees. They purchased an area of land bordering Boström’s along the Halifax River. The arrival of Corbin Lock was the start of what might be called a citrus gold rush—that, from the growers’ perspective, came to be dominated one way or another by Swedes for the next 15 to 20 years. Oranges made Boström a wealthy man. He built a new 14-bedroom house MARCH 15, 2018 13
feature he called “Bosarve” (“Bo’s inheritance”) in 1903, along with much of the city of Ormond Beach. He shared the estate with his brother and two sisters, and hosted the likes of the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts. Boström lived there until his death in 1927 at age 91, the town’s oldest inhabitant (and former mayor). His grandson still lives there today.
A Swede in every grove
By the mid-1870s, Swedish growers and workers were a major presence in the citrus groves of Florida. The industry was a magnet for Swedes seeking fortunes in the New World. Olof Larsson, for example, a native of Värmland, acquired several thousand acres in Piedmont, which is now part of the town of Apopka, near Orlando, and covered in large part by Disney World. Further to the east, between Orlando and Boström’s groves in Volusia County, lies the town of Pierson. It is named for Per Persson (known locally as Peter Pierson) and his family, who founded and ran the town for years. From St. Petersburg to Daytona Beach there was, as someone said, “a Swede in every grove”—so many that there was even a Swedish-language newspaper for a time, Florida Posten.
The story of New Upsala
The sons of noted judge Lars Henschen of Uppsala, Sweden also have historic importance in the citrus industry. Henschen’s son William immigrated with a group of friends to Seminole County, Florida, where they established an agricultural settlement called New Upsala. The settlers cleared the land and planted orange trees. While waiting for their first yield, they earned livings as carpenters, blacksmiths and tailors. That was until the former general and ambassador Henry S. Sanford saw what the Corbin Lock Company and others were doing; then he, too, invested in the citrus industry. He bought 12,500 acres along St. Johns River and Lake Monroe, north of the small village of Orlando. Sanford had been advised to use immigrant labor due to Florida’s hostile view of using black labor. He hired all the Swedes in New Upsala and asked the Henschen brothers to bring over some more. The first group of 32 emigrants sailed from Gothenburg on board the “SS Scandinavia” on April 23, 1871; another group from Gothenburg came on October 10, 1871; and a third group from Liverpool, England came in July 1872. As more Swedes arrived, New Upsala grew to support two churches, a school and a railroad station. For the colony to be as self-sustaining as possible, New Upsala attracted workers including masons, carpenters, tailors, cabinetmakers and tanners, as well as farm workers. The colony grew and it was renamed Sanford. There are still many reminders of its Swedish heritage, however: Upland Road still leads to New Upsala Swedish Baptist Church; and the Sanford Museum contains Swedish memorabilia and artifacts, including a list of every Swede who arrived to work at the Sanford groves. Sanford not only developed citrus groves, but it also took pride in cultivating practically every fruit-bearing tree of the tropics. For that, he relied on his Swedish head gardener, Wenström, and botanist Alfred Löfgren. For his head horticulturist, he turned again to Sweden, hiring Dr. Carl Leonard Vihlén of the University of Uppsala, whom the Florida Citrus Manual credits with developing the Valencia orange, the basis for today’s juice industry. The New Upsala colony thrived in Sanford until the terrible “double freeze” of the winter of 1894-1895, which destroyed the citrus crops. Many of the Swedish families were forced to leave the area to find work, and scattered across the state. William Henschen didn’t stay long either. He pulled up stakes after only a couple years and moved to Brooklyn, New York, where from 1873 to 1874 he served as editor of the newly founded Swedish-American weekly newspaper Nordstjernan. UBM Original research by the late Lars H. Ottoson 14 NORDSTJERNAN
The last of the Swedish citrus pioneers to make a major impact on the industry was Axel Hallström, a farmer’s son from Skåne in southern Sweden. He arrived in Florida toward the end of the century, looking for suitable land to grow pineapples. He discovered that pineapples weren’t a profitable proposition and
switched to citrus on a grand scale. He had loading docks for the Florida East Coast Railroad built right on his property, just south of what today is Vero Beach. He named the area Viking County and owned the land between Oslo and Stockholm roads. Oslo Road is today one of the main roads through the former Viking County, now called Indian River County. Hallström became the first president of the Orange Growers Association and the Florida Citrus Growers Exchange. He also founded the only area bank to weather the Great Depression. Driving along the Old Dixie Highway south of Vero Beach, you have to
The birth of St. Petersburg Joseph Henschen, who was more of a businessman than his brothers, dabbled in the railroad. He and three partners, Demens, Sweetapple and Taylor, together founded the Orange Belt Railway, which is remembered chiefly for its role in founding one of Florida’s major cities. Early in 1887, when construction work on the Orange Belt Railway was starting and post offices were being established along the road to the west, Mrs. Ella E. Ward was appointed postmistress for the town at the far west end of the road. She immediately faced
a dilemma: The town had no name. How would mail be addressed? She was told the town should be named after one of the four original backers of the Orange Belt: Demens, Sweetapple, Taylor or Henschen. So Mrs. Ward went to the railway headquarters, but only Henschen was present at the time. Several stories have been told about how the town finally did get its name, but according to Henschen himself, it went like this: “They wanted me to name the town, and I didn’t know what to call it. We’d already named a town along the way after Taylor [Taylorville], to call it
Fun facts about Swedes, oranges and Florida
+ Citrus trees aren’t native to Florida. China is credited as the birthplace of citrus—dating back to 2200 BC (hence the Swedish word for orange, “äppelsin” or “Chinese apple”). The first citrus fruit was brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage, and early Spanish explorers planted the first orange trees around St. Augustine (about 50 miles north of Ormond Beach) sometime
between 1513 and 1565.
+ Pierson and St. Petersburg aren’t the only Florida towns named by or after Swedes. In 1897, Bengt Magnus Johansson, a crofter’s son originally from the Swedish province of Halland, moved his family to Florida from Illinois to improve his ailing health. Johansson, formerly the pastor of the Augustana Synod Lutheran seminary in Paxton, Illinois, had by then changed
admire a noticeably large, beautiful red brick Victorian building set back anonymously from the road. Some time ago, it was named the new headquarters of the Indian River County Historical Society. It had been donated by Axel Hallström’s daughter. She was born in the house, which took her father, a young widower, 10 years to build. She never married and willed the house to the society upon her death at age 100. On the other side of the Indian River Lagoon, in the city of Vero Beach, there is another Swedish memento: the Wahlstrom Sculpture Garden, which includes Carl Milles’ “Boy and the Dolphin,” and is part of the large Vero Beach Museum.
Sweetapple would have doomed the town from the start, and my name is too difficult to spell. However, I knew that Demens wanted a town named after his Russian place of birth. So I thought to myself, why not call this town down there on the Gulf of Mexico St. Petersburg – it will never amount to anything anyhow, so its name won’t make any difference. That is the way St. Petersburg got its name.”
his last name to Halland to honor the province of his provenance. During his first winter in Florida, he founded a new congregation that eventually grew into a village and is now a city of close to 100,000 people. That city is Hallandale, just a few miles north of Ft. Lauderdale. + Orange juice is a staple in today’s refrigerators. But the orange juice industry (as opposed to whole fruit)
Hallstrom House photo: Ingemar Svala
The Hallströms of Vero Beach
More on this Swedish Florida pioneer in our next issue, 18/05
didn’t develop until after World War II. The post-war era ushered in the baby boom and the growth of America’s suburbs. Frozen concentrated orange juice, along with other frozen food items, started to appear in freezers throughout the country. Frozen concentrate remained the most popular form of orange juice until the early 1990s, when ready-to-serve chilled orange juice surpassed frozen juice in sales.
MARCH 15, 2018 15
feature
Bergman 100
This is the first in a series of articles on Ingmar Bergman, his films, his troupe and his significance. A giant of cinema in his day, his reputation has only increased since his death a decade ago. The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA or PFA) are conducting one of the largest worldwide celebrations of this phenomenal artist with a year-long showing of almost all of the master’s 71 films. Of course he was also renowned for theater and television productions.
During the first week of February 2018, Liv Ullman initiated the yearlong Bergman100 festival of films at the Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA, Berkeley) and at the California Film Institute (CFI, San Rafael). Photo: Tommy Lau
In early February I had the privilege to interview the actress Liv Ullmann who was in town for the centennial celebrations of Ingmar Bergman. The celebration began in the Barbro Osher Theater at PFA; Ms. Ullmann’s visit was sponsored by both the Norwegian and Swedish Consulates, by the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and Norway House. At the reception Ullmann remarked that it is so wonderful that Ingmar is now recognized worldwide for his creativity in film: as producer, director and author. Following the reception his still daring film Persona was shown, with comments before and after the film by Ullmann. A similar format has been followed at the California Film Institute (CFI) of San Rafael, where on several occasions she answered many questions from her adoring fans.
Already an accomplished Norwegian actress in theater and film, Ullmann had been recommended to Bergman by Andersson, who was a member in Bergman’s troupe of actors. Legend has it that Bergman ran into the two women sometime on a Stockholm street. When they met, Liv was 25, Bibi, 26 and Ingmar, 46 — a “god” among the mighty film directors of that day, with a distinctive style and themes, as well as his own select troupe of repertory actors. He immediately offered the newcomer a bit role in a film he was going to shoot and in which Bibi was starring. Ullmann accepted, becoming the first foreigner in his Swedish troupe of actors. But shortly thereafter Bergman was hospitalized with a very serious case of influenza. Since the film was interrupted by the filmmaker’s illness, the two actresses took off for a European vacation.
Bergman’s muse
It seems most appropriate to begin this series by interviewing Liv Ullman, Bergman’s love, muse, actress and chosen director. Born in Tokyo to Norwegian parents, she lived in Canada and 16 NORDSTJERNAN
the U.S. during WWII and returned to Norway late in the 1950s to act in film and theater. After meeting Ingmar Bergman in 1965, he cast her in a starring role with her friend Bibi Andersson, in the landmark film, Persona. On the set of this first film they fell in love, and Bergman told Ullman on that spot on Fårö island he would build a house for them — which he did. He also predicted to her: “You and I are painfully connected.” While Bergman had four marriages with half a dozen children and many lovers, Ullman was a constant presence in his life and work. The two lived together for five years and had a daughter, Linn Ullmann, now a noted novelist and journalist. Ullman spent the better part of a decade in Hollywood and on Broadway. She acted in 10 of Bergman’s films and directed two other screenplays (Private Confessions and Faithless), which he wrote after retiring from directing films. They are also two of his most biographic and elegiac films. Ullman has authored two memoirs, Changing and Choices. She hopes to write another.
New beginnings
During this isolation, which he often craved while composing his films, Bergman conceived an entirely and radically new film on a different
topic. By the time he recovered, the two actresses received a notice from the embassy: They were to co-star in Bergman’s new film, the daringly novel Persona, and shooting was to begin in two weeks. They flew back immediately to Sweden. Thus began Ullmann’s lifelong relationship with Ingmar. It is interesting that Ullmann’s favorite films, of all she acted in, are Jan Troell’s films, The Emigrants and The New Land, from Vilhelm Moberg’s famous Swedish emigrants saga. Had she never acted in another film, she said she would have felt fulfilled as an actress, grateful for having portrayed this role. Like Bergman, Troell wrote his own scripts, but unlike Bergman, Troell was also his own director of photography. The Emigrants is based upon Moberg’s first two novels, The Emigrants and Unto A Good Land. The sequel film, The New Land, is based upon Moberg’s last two novels, The Settlers and The Last Letter Home. In both films Ullmann played opposite Max von Sydow, another of Bergman’s staple troupe of actors. While Bergman never forgave his actors
Liv Ullman initiated the beginning of a year of Bergman films at the PFA and CFI, sponsored by the Consulate of Sweden and the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation. Gathered here (L-R) are: Richard Peterson (CFI), Susan Oxtoby (PFA), Liv Ullmann, Barbro Osher and Dr. Donald Saunders, husband of Ullmann. Photo: Tommy Lau
... in his directing, Bergman transforms the scene into what he had conceived and what he needed the actors to portray ...
remembers. But the other important aspect of this teamwork was the collaborative craftsmanship of working together on a film. It took all of them, at their highest art to craft his films.
(like von Sydow nor Gunnar Bjorstrand) for taking roles in another director’s films, he always forgave Ullmann, attributing this to her Norwegian independence. But Ullmann particularly enjoyed these two films for the role she played of a poor, proud and industrious Swedish immigrant, who lived and loved her life with her husband, contributing to her new country. She had once thought that could be her life, but meeting Bergman changed her life completely and forever, for the better. Discovering how much these immigrants gave to their new country was unforgettable. She marveled at the couple’s fidelity and fulfilling life under impoverished conditions. After a lifetime of working and living together, they said, “We were the best of friends.” Ironically only after their split were Ullman and Bergman able to confess that same love.
After Ullmann separated from Bergman, she returned to Norway with their daughter. The press had hounded her throughout their tempestuous relationship and particularly upon their separation, much as was done to Ingrid Bergman after her marriage to Roberto Rosselini, until their prudishness was squashed by public support upon her winning another Oscar. But soon Ullmann recognized that she had to return to Sweden to earn her living. She dreaded the reception. When her plane landed she could see protest placards, but as she approached she recognized many female actor friends waving “Welcome home, Liv” signs. That night they all camped at Bibi Andersson’s home trading stories of what each had to overcome in their lives. She was welcomed back by her friends and by Bergman into the troupe, for he had recognized from the beginning her amazing integrity as an actor to portray the inner soul of any character.
Bergman’s actors and crew
Ullmann spoke with great fondness of the troupe that Bergman selected for his films, and of the honor for her to be the first foreigner incorporated onto the team. They were consummate artists, whose skills he trusted completely to bring to life his dramas. They too had great camaraderie and complete trust in one another. Incredibly, over such a long span of time, there was never the slightest jealousy or tension among the troupe and crew. All of Bergman’s team worshipped their director and his stunning creativity. They functioned as a family. And they all delighted in Bergman’s childlike delight in telling jokes with his teammates and to clown with his colleagues. In spirit, Ingmar Bergman was the youngest of them all, Ullmann
Separation and reunion
Bergman the author
One of the most important contributions of Liv Ullmann’s visit in California was to refocus us upon the significance of Bergman’s writing in all his scripts. She believes that because of his stunning images, people have overlooked the excellence of Bergman the author. She mentioned that people remember the circumstances but do not remember how creative Ingmar’s language is. It is worthwhile to study the scripts. Curiously, those who are forced to enjoy Bergman films by reading subtitles, which are excerpts of his scripts, may be in a better position to appreciate his
authorial superiority than those hearing the language while focusing upon the visual scenes. The miracle was not merely the script, but that in his directing, he transforms the scene into what he had conceived and what he needed the actors to portray. Ullmann says now that Bergman’s gone, cinephiles must study his scripts - not merely his films. She believes we will never see movies with better writing.
Bergman’s directing style
He wrote an entire script and spent great but lonely periods of creativity trying to make precise his depictions of the human condition in a striking and dramatic way. On the set, he would spend time explaining the drama and blocking the action. He had an uncanny sense of blocking. He thought out each of the angles of the film. Throughout the entire production he was a keen observer, both to achieve the effects he was aiming for, as well as to notice actors’ gestures or body language that could summarize and symbolize something of the moment or of the theme itself. Again, above all, he trusted his actors and was a marvelous, observant audience for every nuance. Ullmann so admired Ingmar’s visual sense. The Seventh Seal meant so much to her as a young woman because of its images — so stark, stunning and well-composed, that yes, they can distract from his equally powerful writing. Bergman placed great trust in all his people: actors and crew chiefs and staff. Every one of those people have contributed to this achievement. He tried to pick the best and relied on them to contribute their talents to this composite art. They added their talents to faithfully represent his concept. The creation (in contrast to the concept), therefore, is a communal art. This is the true reason for the long list of scrolling credits after every film. (When you view your next Bergman film, stay through the credits to appreciate how many MARCH 15, 2018 17
feature
Vasaloppet,
In Mora, Minnesota, Vasaloppet representatives from Japan, China, Sweden and Minnesota met for a conference that promotes the ski events in each country. This display stood along the main street, the photographer is seen reflected in the window, dressed for the weather. Others were invited to warm up inside the Zimmerman shop.
It was an honor and great pleasure for Ted Olsson (left) to interview Liv Ullmann on her illustrious career—shown here at the inauguration of the Bergman100 festival at both PFA & CFI. Photo: Tommy Lau
people it took to entertain you.) Bergman and all of his co-workers essentially agreed not to trample on each other’s fantasy. But everyone agreed tacitly, almost as a prerequisite of joining the Bergman troupe’s community, that his script and its vision of the drama, were sacrosanct. Because of this the words of his films are as important, but less studied —until now— than his imagery. This distinction is what makes Bergman’s reputation continue to grow beyond its original, serial reviews of his films and life’s work.
Bergman’s death
Ullmann had not communicated with Ingmar for some time but was continually thinking of him. One day she sensed that something was wrong and urgently flew to Fårö and went to his house. The neighbor’s housekeeper let her in and informed her that he had been in bed for some days. Ullmann sensed that he was already “on his way out,” sat at his bedside for many hours, communing silently with him. Before she left, without speaking, she responded to this great influence on her career and life, the father of her beloved daughter, and said “because you called” as he had written in Scenes from a Marriage. He died that night. Reflecting upon his lasting and growing fame after his death, she said, “Artists are forever. They are needed for every generation to teach us who we are and that we are here together and must depend upon one another.” This is his true and lasting mes18 NORDSTJERNAN
sage for generations to come, she believes. Most films content themselves with telling external stories. But Persona, for example goes deep. That is what made this film so revolutionary in its time. It focuses upon the psychological drama of each of us, while he encourages us in Aristotle’s phrase to “Know thyself” or in Shakespeare’s: “To thine own self be true.” Ullmann mentioned that in turbulent political times such as these, it is worth noting how important our artistic geniuses are to people, reminding them of their fundamental values and the ties of humanity. At the times of the release of his movies many considered Bergman to be dark and fatalistic; instead, Ullmann said, it is the opposite: Perhaps his movies are even more relevant today for showing us how to get beyond darkness. She reminded us that in The Seventh Seal, the knight asks Death for one more day to allow him to do good for someone else to give meaning to his life. Bergman is moral in defining the struggle to be human. Ted Olsson, San Francisco With thanks also to Susan Oxtoby, senior curator of PFA and to Richard Peterson, executive director of CFI, as well as their staffs, for supporting my reporting throughout this year. To bring this celebration to even more people in northern Californians, PFA partners with the California Film Institute of San Rafael, CA. I will have more to say about them and their institutions during the year.
The annual Mora, Minnesota Vasaloppet, founded in 1973, provided perfect weather for skiers and watchers alike during the weekend of Feb. 9-10, almost a full month prior to the original race in Sweden (this year on March 4, with a full week of activities before it). Besides several ski races, skijoring, and fat bike races, there was an international conference of Vasaloppet organizations in China, Japan, Sweden and Minnesota. The goal for this gathering was to promote Vasaloppet. Other cultural features included the annual art show, produced by the Kanabec County Arts Association, the Opening Ceremonies, the Radio Show, and new this year: an original song written by regular participant Steve Pearson. He said the neighboring Birkebeiner ski race includes a lot of musical numbers about the people, the event, and the community that hosts it, and he thought it was time for Mora to have a Vasaloppet ski song, too. Like the lyrics of Pearson’s song say, “Gotta get back to … the friendliest people, the once-a year feeling, the blueberry soup, the bell tower bell, the finish on Main Street, the hometown flavor, the celebration tent, the Dala horses, and the very best volunteers.” Text & Photos: Valorie Arrowsmith
Artist Keith Raivo answers questions about his sculpture depicting Vasaloppet board members. Members of the Swedish contingent were viewing the artwork.
Minnesota
Main Street in Mora, MN is lined with flags and pennants to welcome skiers to the finish line.
At the end of the race, Torbjörn Pettersson, head of the China Vasaloppet, and Jonas Estéen, head of the Mora, Sweden Vasaloppet, compared notes with local Mora, MN cross-country ski coach Chip Gerdin.
The weather conditions were great for skiing, and this participant from Sweden shows some icy additions to his beard after his race.
Steve, Paul, Jill, Mary and Steve enjoyed some time visiting in the Welcome Tent at the Mora, MN Vasaloppet. Steve Pearson, far right, added an arts element to the festivities when he performed an original song called, “Gotta Get Back…(to the Mora Vasaloppet)” about the ski race during opening ceremonies. He recorded it and made CDs available for donations to the Vasaloppet organization.
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viewpoints
Världens främste teateragent Karl Ragnar Gierow var en gång chef för Dramatiska teatern i Stockholm. Han utnämnde Dag Hammarskjöld till ”vår tids främste teateragent”. Så här gick det till har jag lärt mig av boken Dag Hammarskjöld, ”Att bära världen”, utgiven av Henrik Berggren. Trots - eller kanske tack vare - sin hårda arbetsbelastning ägnade sig Dag Hammarskjöld med stor kraft åt litteratur och konst. På hösten 1955 tog Dag Hammarskjöld på begäran av Gierow, dåvarande chef för Dramatiska teatern i Stockholm, kontakt med änkan till den amerikanske dramatikern Eugene O´Neill. Gierow hade på något vis fått veta, att det fanns opublicerade pjäser i O´Neills kvarlåtenskap och ville sätta upp något på Dramaten. Hammarskjöld lockade skamlöst änkan med att bjuda henne på middag tillsammans med Greta Garbo och poeten W. H. Auden. Manövern lyckades och den 12 december 1956 hade ”Lång dags färd mot natt” premiär i Stockholm. Hammarskjöld hade fullt upp med Mellanöstern och
Subscription Subscription $28 $30 per year per calendar year. Subscribers are invited Subscribers are invited to genealogical to aagenealogical Workshop in Salt workshop in Salt LakeLake City each autumn. City each October.
fick aldrig tillfälle att se uppsättningen men Gierow var djupt tacksam och utnämnde sin vän till ”världens främste teateragent”. Den 20 september 1960 belägrades FN huset på Manhattan i New York av bland annat 23 regeringschefer och 52 utrikesministrar. Bland dem som fanns på plats var Eisenhower, Khrushchev, Mac Millan, Nehru, Tito, Castro, Nkrumah, Nasser, Sukarno och kung Hussein. Stämningen var ingalunda jublande. Skälet till belägringen var, att det fanns missnöje med Dag Hammarskjölds arbete för att avkolonisera Afrika. Hammarskjölds beslut att sända fredsstyrkor till Kongo hade mötts med kompakt motstånd från Sovjetunionen, som krävde hans avgång. Presidenten och förste partisekreteraren i dåvarande Sovjetunionen var inte bara från första början tveksam till Dag Hammarskjölds kandidatur (Hammarskjöld valdes första gången 1953 och blev omvald 1957). Han krävde i själva verket att generalsekreteraren skulle ersättas med en trojka, en ledningsgrupp bestående av representanter för kapitalist-, socialist- och utvecklings-länder. Khrushchev befarade att Hammarskjöld på grund av sin bakgrA quarterly journal devoted to Swedish und var västvärldens man och därför American biography, genealogy, and personal history. Founded in 1981. olämplig som chef för FN. Castro hade inkvarterats på fashionabla hotellet Waldorf Astoria. Han hotade med att tälta i Central Park Swedish American Genealogist eftersom han var missnöjd med Swenson Center Augustana College servicen på det hotellet. Till slut acRock Island, IL 61201-2296 Phone 309 794-7204 cepterade han att slå sig ner på ett www.augustana.edu/sag hotell i Harlem.
Dag Hammarskjöld var på många sätt annorlunda än andra personer som utnämnts att leda en stor världsorganisation. Han var inte dominerande och högröstad. Han hade inte något brett folkligt stöd bakom sig. Han hade aldrig blivit vald av befolkningen i ett land som ledare oftast blir. Han hade endast blivit byråkratiskt utnämnd till en befattning utan folklig kamp. Dag Hammarskjöld växte upp i en högborgerlig miljö i Uppsala slott där pappa Hjalmar, som tidigare tjänstgjort som statsminister (1914-1917), var landshövding. Dag var en tänkare och filosof. I FN huset inrättade han ett särskilt rum för meditation. Han fann tröst och glädje i naturen. Han älskade långa vandringar. Ofta i fjällen och i ensamhet. I rollen som generalsekreterare utnyttjades han ofta för att klara krångliga uppdrag och få ledare i olika dela av världen att mötas och lyssna på varandras argument. Suezkanalen, kriser i Mellanöstern och Afrika. Dag trodde på nödvändigheten av personlig kontakt. På sina många resor kom han att personligen möta blicken hos den tidens beslutsfattare. Israels BenGurion, Etiopiens Haile Selassie, Egyptens Nasser och Afrikas många presidenter och upprorsmakare. Han omkom - som hela världen vet – i en flygolycka under en av de många resor han gjorde i fredens tjänst. Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961) var sannerligen inte endast världens främste teateragent.
not my time to die Titanic and the Swedes on Board by Lilly Setterdahl The 123 Swedes on board made up the third largest ethnic group on the Titanic after the American and the British. The book profiles each of the Swedish passengers; including the 34 survivors... Perfect bound, large size paperback, 296 pages. Richly illustrated.
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art and culture
our favorite knäckebröd Benny Andersson. Of course, these days, as many of you know, you’ll find a (Swedish) factory-made crisp bread in any Ikea store’s food section. It’s good enough, but suffice it to say, once you start making your own, it’s hard to turn back to the store varieties. Here’s our favorite recipe:
Thin crispbread
This is a basic recipe that can be varied with different flavorings: Try seasoning it with thyme, rosemary, lemon zest or fennel, says recipe creator KC Wahlberg. 4 servings Ingredients: 2 dl (1 cup) milk 50 g (1-3/4 ounces) fresh yeast 4 dl (2 cups) coarse rye flour 1-1/2 tablespoons caraway seed 1 tablespoon salt flakes 4 dl (2 cups) all-purpose flour Crispbread is the most Swedish of all breads. No Swede moves abroad without solving the problem of how to find it on local shelves or through mail order. Traditionally, it is baked with rye flour. It is either rolled out into thin, flat sheets, as in this recipe, or with a special crispbread rolling pin with pegs on it that rolls out sheets with the characteristic holes. Time was when crispbread rounds were made with a hole in the middle so they could be threaded onto a pole and hung under the roof — they could (and can) be stored almost indefinitely due to their very low water content. Dalarna and the bordering area of Värmland are the heart of the crispbread belt. Leksand and Falun have given their names to special types of crispbread, and in Dala-Järna, at the Pyramidbageriet (The Pyramid Bakery, www.pyramidbrod.com), the Egyptian flat bread tradition meets the Swedish. In the previous issue (18/03) of Nordstjernan, Ulf Kirchdorfer also mentioned Skedvi Bageri (www. skedvibrod.se), which still makes its bread by hand and is partly owned by former ABBA member
Instructions: 1. Heat the milk to body temperature (37–40˚C/98– 102˚F). Add the yeast, stirring until dissolved. Mix in the rye flour, caraway, salt and about half the allpurpose flour. Knead to form a stiff dough, beginning with a wooden spoon, then continuing by hand. 2. Knead in the rest of the flour until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Sprinkle with a little flour and let rise for 30–40 minutes. 3. If you don’t have a pasta machine, which is useful for rolling thin sheets of dough, sprinkle the work surface with flour then place the dough on it and sprinkle the dough with more flour. Roll to a thickness of 1–2 millimeters. 4. Preheat the oven to 225˚C (425˚F). 5. Cut the dough into the desired shape – square, round or free-form. 6. Bake for 6–8 minutes, turn off the oven and open the door. Remove the crispbread when it is completely dry. Store in a dry and airy place.
Here’s another recipe we received some years ago, of a tasty crispbread that’s just as good eaten without any kind of spread. Perfect for an afternoon snack, it’s filled with healthy seeds, takes only minutes to prepare and mix prior to spending an hour in the oven. Ingredients: 8 ounces corn flour 4 ounces sunflower seeds 4 ounces peeled sesame seeds 2 ounces oil (we use rapeseed oil, but canola oil is also fine) 8 ounces boiling water 1/2 teaspoon salt flake salt to taste (we use a garlic mix to add additional flavor) Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 300˚F. Put baking paper on a cookie sheet. 2. Mix together in a bowl all the ingredients except the flake salt. 3. Pour the batter on the papered cookie sheet, put another paper over it, and using a rolling pin distribute the batter evenly over the entire cookie sheet, making sure it is really thin. 4. Remove the top paper and drizzle flake salt on top of the ”knäckebröd,” using your hands to lightly push the flake salt into the batter, so it doesn’t come off. 5. Put in oven and bake for one hour. 6. Let the finished bread cool and enjoy!
Photo: Bruno Ehrs. Recipe: KC Wallberg from the book “Wonderful Sweden” (ISBN 978-91-534-3873-1)
Augusta’s Daughter Ever wonder what made so many emigrate from Sweden in the nineteenth century? Judit Martin’s novel, “Augusta’s Daughter,” about 19th century Swedish peasant life made such an impression on us, we decided to offer it to the Nordstjernan readership. call 1.800.827.9333 for your own copy ($24.90 incl. S&H to cont. U.S.). The sequel,
Kajsa
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news in brief
Swedish News Sami case goes to Supreme Court
In a case between a Sami village and the Swedish state, confusing language that the village of Girjas has a “better right” than the Swedish state to control the small game hunting and fishing on reindeer herding land – but not the sole right – is now being analyzed in the supreme court. The village has been using the land for more than 1,000 years.
Refugees cope with trauma
According to an Uppsala University evaluation, group therapy is largely effective for refugee minors coping with PTSD. Trauma experieced in the countries they fled, during their journeys and in surviving alone has affected the lives of tens of thousands of unaccompanied refugee children who have sought asylum in Sweden. Of the minors in the study, 76 percent screened positive for PTSD, but overall results indicate therapy offered in a community setting is a promising intervention.
Dual citizenship
A Stockholm-based scientist who is facing a death sentence in Iran has been granted citizenship in Sweden, but the Iranian Foreign Ministry is protesting; Iran does not recognize dual citizenship. Ahmadreza Djalali, a medical doctor and lecturer at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute, was in Iran in April 2016 when he was arrested, eventually convicted of espionage. A spokesperson for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sweden will continue to make demands for his release.
Mining new minerals for cars
Sweden is charging forward with a search for more precious minerals such as cobalt and lithium, key battery components among makers of electric vehicles. The Swedish government will invest SEK 10 million ($1.2 million) in the next two years to map locations of minerals deemed important for growth. The Geological Survey of Sweden has 18,000 core samples to analyze for traces of materials that were previously overlooked; it will also examine waste material from existing base metals mines.
Stone Age gravesite
In Motala near Lake Vättern in central Sweden, archaeologists at the Kanaljorden site - what was once a shallow lake - came across an odd discovery in 2009: the remains of ten 8,000-year-old humans skulls, animal bones from more than seven animal species and wooden stakes. A research team from Stockholm University recently published results of the study in the journal Antiquity, citing the skulls date to the Mesolithic period, between 6000 and 5000 BCE. All of the adult skulls show signs of trauma, with different patterns according to gender, a likely reflection of socio-cultural behavior of the hunter-gatherers and different roles they played in combat or interpersonal violence. These blunt force traumas, which healed to some degree before death, have been discovered in other northern European Mesolithic populations, but beyond the cause of the injuries, there are more mysteries, including why wooden stakes were found inside two of the skulls. The skulls appear to have been mounted on them, and there’s evidence to suggest all the skulls and animal remains had been displayed in a similar way, perhaps in a ritual.
Six years for music piracy
An amendment related to Pirate Bay cases would add more severe punishments for “gross infringement” of copyright and trademarks. Those found guilty of “normal” copyright or trademark infringement face fines and a maximum prison term of two years, but in more severe cases, the amendment proposes that “a person may be convicted of gross copyright infringement or gross trademark infringement and sent to prison for at least six months and not more than six years.” It would also allow the state to confiscate physical and intangible property, such as domains names.
Cash-less society coming fast
Authorities worry the shift toward being a cashless society may be moving too quickly. Though the transition has been a steady one over a number of years, it may still prove difficult to maintain the infrastructure for handling cash. Shops, museums, restaurants and even some banks are already cash-free. And while credit card or mobile payment is easy for many, enough people still don’t - and won’t - have access to digital forms of payment. A broad review of the central bank legislation is now underway and a report is expected this summer.
From tree to textiles
Treetotextile was founded three years ago with the goal of using wood pulp, or cellulose, to make textile fibers in an environmentally friendly manner. Swedish CEO Lars Stigsson, a chemist who has founded several companies and teaches at Lund University, owns one-third of the company. H&M and Ikea own the rest; Treetotextile is the first company they own together. The venture is in its early phase, according to a release from H&M: “We have a long-term perspective on all investments, and with this project, where we partner with Ikea, we believe we will be able to contribute to a more sustainable future textile production.”
Craft beers stir up business
Innovative Swedes’ interest in healthier living have also found a way to skirt Sweden’s strict alcohol laws. Systembolaget, the government-run retail store that sells alcoholic beverages containing more than 3.5 percent alcohol, closes at 3 p.m. on Saturdays and doesn’t reopen until Monday morning. But in Stockholm, consumers have other options for low-alcohol craft beers: Grocery stores are now allowed to sell “folkol” (people’s beer), which contains 2.8 - 3.5 percent alcohol made by craft brewers. And the trend is fueling interest in this formerly low-prestige beverage.
The best-selling snus in the world, and still climbing. FindGeneralSnus.com
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WARNING: Smokeless tobacco is addictive. MARCH 15, 2018 23
sports
Swedish women excel at Winter Games Topping the gold medal podiums were Sweden’s female skiers, who had four first-place finishes, four silvers and one bronze. For all the talk of the Swedish men’s hockey team, the top seeded team in the 2018 Winter Olympic tournament, it was the Swedish women who pulled in the medals, winning five of the team’s seven golds. Sweden finished with its second-best total ever, racking up 14 medals — seven gold, six silvers and a bronze. Sweden won 15 medals at the Sochi Winter Games in 2014. Charlotte Kalla was the top individual podium finisher, with one gold and three silver medals in cross-country skiing. Kalla took the very first gold medal awarded at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang when she won the skiathlon, breaking away from the leading group on the last lap of the course to take victory with a lead of 7.8 seconds over secondplace Marit Bjørgen of Norway. It made her the first Swedish woman to win three Winter Olympic golds, and tied her with canoer Agneta Andersson as the female Swede with most Olympic gold medals overall. It was also Kalla’s sixth Olympic medal, equalling Anja Pärson’s record for the most Winter Olympic medals among Swedish women. Kalla went on to win silver in the 10 km freestyle individual start, the 4x5 km relay (together with Anna Haag, Ebba Andersson and Stina Nilsson) and the team sprint (with Nilsson). In addition to the two silvers, Nilsson also won a cross-country skiing gold as she took first place in the women’s sprint and won the team’s lone bronze medal with a third-place finish in the women’s 30 km classical race. Biathlete Hanna Öberg was also a multiple medal winner. She took the gold in the women’s 15 km individual, as she racked up a perfect score in shooting, beating Anastassiya Kuzimina of Slovakia and German Laura Dahlmeier. She skied the anchor leg in the women’s 4x6 km relay in which Sweden finished second to Belarus. Frida Hansdottir won the gold in the women’s slalom, beating back a late surge from Swiss skier and current World Cup leader Wendy Holdener. Andre Myhrer won the men’s slalom, grabbing the first gold for the Blågult male athletes. Perhaps the biggest surprise came in the men’s biathlon when Sweden came from behind to beat Germany and Norway and snatch the gold. Fredrik Lindström emerged victorious from a frenetic battle on the final leg with Norway’s Emil Hegle Svendsen to take the gold medal in the 4x7.5 km relay. Lindström held his nerve as Svendsen struggled on the final shoot, skiing away to win by 56 seconds. With the Swedish women’s team winning silver, coach Wolfgang Pichler was delighted with the performance of his biathletes at the Games. “This is the best thing I have done as a coach, 24 NORDSTJERNAN
Charlotte Kalla took the very first gold medal awarded at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang when she won the skiathlon. She was also the top individual podium finisher among Swedes, with one gold and three silvers.
this is the highlight. If you win the men’s relay, the gold medal, it’s the best thing you can do as a coach,” Pichler said. Although the vaunted Swedish hockey team failed to advance out of the quarterfinals, losing 4-3 to Germany, Sweden’s curling teams both reached the finals, where the men fell to the U.S. in what American newspapers immediately dubbed the “Mira-curl on Ice,” while the women beat South Korea. Skip Niklas Edin’s men’s team looked unstoppable as it roared through the preliminary round, dropping just two games. The Swedes beat the Americans 10-4 in the first round. In the final, however, the Americans rode a wave of momentum as they won five games in a row to reach the medal round. The Americans used a blockbuster eighth end to seize a 10-5 advantage that proved to be insurmountable. The two sides played perfunctorily from there, with the U.S. keeping the house clean of enough stones to be a threat. Sweden added two points in a quick ninth end to trail 10-7. As the U.S. played defense and focused on preserving its lead, skip Edin took his last stone,
whirled it around for a moment and gently flung it down the sheet of ice toward the other end, conceding defeat with grace. In the women’s final, Sweden easily defeated host team South Korea to claim the gold. The top-ranked women’s curling team in the world, The Swedish rink – skip Anna Hasselborg, Sara McManus, Agnes Knochenhauer, Sofia Mabergs and Jennie Wåhlin (alternate) – grabbed the early lead, scoring two stones on the third end when ROK left their final shot short. Using the hammer (final shot) on the seventh end, Swedish skip Hasselborg cleared the house of a ROK stone and left three of her own, increasing the lead to a near-impregnable 7-2. The rink of the home nation fought hard and skip Kim Eun-jung used the hammer to claw back one shot on the eighth end, but Sweden used the same advantage in the ninth to take a stone and an 8-3 lead that prompted a concession from the ROK rink. That handed the gold medal to Sweden, while the ROK team won its first-ever Olympic medal, a silver. Chipp Reid