The Swedish North Star, continuously published since 1872. Volume 146 No. 10, June 15, 2018. Price per copy $3.50.
The magic of
Midsummer
Raising of the Midsommarstång (Maypole) in Lindsborg, Kansas. Photo: Jim Richardson There just isn’t any holiday like a Swedish Midsummer, and maybe with the exception of December’s Lucia, there are few things more traditionally Swedish than a Swedish Midsummer celebration. Midsummer is something everyone looks forward to, a tradition that even non-Swedes can fall in love with as well. And while many annual traditions have developed and changed from year to year and from family to family, everything about Midsummer has remained much the same since its “modern” evolutionary changes of the 20th century. But that doesn’t mean the beloved holiday doesn’t remain fresh and current and lively; it’s a piece of culture to be proud of and share - with all the delicious food, flowers, fun, dancing and sunlight that the summer solstice brings. And wherever you are, there is very likely a Midsummer celebration near you, so check our comprehensive list of events and all the information you need, whether you’re celebrating in the U.S., in Sweden, in your memory or imagination. / p2, 6, 16 The Swedish election is predominantly about migration, law and order / p5 Really, who needs banks? / p4 A modern twist on Midsummer menu / p18
Page 18
The record heatwave in Sweden is now stopping trains /p29
‘The European Superpower’ In the 16th and 17th centuries, Sweden was the predominant power in Northern Europe. With barely one million inhabitants, the country rose in power and at some point controlled so much land that the Baltic Sea was essentially Sweden’s inland sea. Its influences in language and especially architecture remain to greater and lesser degrees in the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and parts of western Russia. History — and the Swedish kings’ wishes — notwithstanding, it’s not surprising given their geographic proximity. / p22
dashboard | june 15, 2018 SCANDINAVIAN QUIZ
1
The word majstång does not actually refer to the month of May; “maja” in old Swedish means “löva” to dress with leaves. Photo George Katsekes, Jr.
Exactly how long Midsummer has been celebrated in Sweden is unclear, but it’s definitely centuriesold since Midsummer celebrations are described in early texts, including the 16th century book “History of the Nordic People.” At the time the feast was celebrated on the evening before John the Baptist’s day, June 23. This year, Midsummer’s Eve is June 22, because since 1953 the celebration has always been on a Friday. The way we celebrate Midsummer’s eve today is a mix of new and old traditions. Many of the traditions, such as the dance around the Midsummer pole (Majstång or Midsommarstång) and the flower wreath in the hair, began during the national Romantic Period in the late 1800s and early 20th century. The Midsummer pole, or as originally called, the Maypole, can be traced as far back as the christening of Sweden. Name’s Days of the Swedish Calendar Namnsdagar i april
June 15 June 16 June 17 June 18 June 19 June 20 June 21 June 22 June 23 June 24 June 25 June 26 June 27 June 28 June 29 June 30 June 15
Margit/Margot Axel/Axelina Torborg/Torvald Björn/Bjarne Germund/Görel Linda Alf/Alvar Paulina/Paula Adolf/Alice Johannes Döparens dag David/Salomon Rakel/Lea Selma/Fingal Leo Peter/Petra Elof/Leif |
New York Chicago Stockholm Kiruna Lund Los Angeles 2 NORDSTJERNAN
Sunrise & Sunset
5.24 am 8.28 pm 5.14 am 8.27 pm 3.31 am 10.05 pm above horizon 4.22 am 9.53 pm 5.41 am 8.06 pm
French Corporal C) The French Marshal D) 2 Once home of the longest bridge in Europe, The French Baguette what province is also known for being a tour7 What Swedish American architect was chosen ist paradise with its beaches and limestone for the AT&T building in New York in 1982? plains? A) Gotland B) Östergötland C) Öland A) August Nordin B) Jake Gyllenhaal C) D) Norrbotten Denver Johnson D) Philip Johnson 3 During which season was the Swedish king’s journey, the Eriksgata, NEVER done in olden 8 What milestone did Ingmar Bergman reach on his 57th birthday, July 14, 1975? A) he times? A) spring B) summer C) fall D) winter married his 5th wife B) he won his third 4 In what country would you receive a pepper Academy Award C) he built a cinema D) shaker and get called Pepperman or Pepperhe retired to Fårö maid if you turn 30 and are not yet married? A) Denmark B) Finland C) Norway D) Sweden Answers: 1:A, 2:C, 3:B, 4:A, 5:B, 6:B, 7:D, 8:C
Midsummer
Midsummer has a long history that 5 4. Which Swedish King was born on 32 Rue de Monceau in Paris? A) Karl XIV Johan B) likely included people adorning themOscar I C) Oscar II D) Fredrik I selves, their homes and barns – and their maypoles – in greens to celebrate 6 Many of the Gustavian supporters gave what name to the first King of the House of Bethe season of what? A) fertility B) sunnadotte? A) The French Lieutenant B) The light C) the king’s birthday D) frogs
CULTURE
Namnsdagar
Juni
Görel – June 19 The woman’s name Görel is an Old Norse name which means “protective spear.” It has been used in Sweden since the mid 1500’s chiefly among the nobility, and has kept some of its noble touch throughout the years. The name has never been common. Among the youngest generations it is in fact extremely uncommon. In 2005 there were 1,515 people with the name Görel in Sweden. Paulina – June 22 Paulina is a feminine version of Paulinus, which in turn is a variant of Paulus. The meaning is the same for all three names: “the little one.” There’s also of course Paula and Pauline. The name Paulina has been used in Sweden since the 18th century. Paulina climbed the list of most popular name at the end of the 1900’s but is now on the way down again. There are 8,052 Paulinas in Sweden.
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…
June TO DO 6.16 Go for a swim. Nudisternas Dag. Henry David Thoreau did, as did Carl Larsson, Albert Engström and many others. Enjoy skinny dipping that is. This is the International Naturists’ Day. As most of you born Swedes know, Scandinavians in general have a somewhat different opinion about skin than us here in the U.S. There are 75 naturist beaches in Sweden. 6.19 (in Swedish history): Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf marries Miss Silvia Sommerlath in Stockholm’s Storkyrkan in 1976. Archbishop Olof Sundby officiates at the wedding, which takes place at noon and transforms the bride into Queen Silvia. There are 1200 invited guests, and the bride wears a wedding gown from Dior, created by Marc Bohan. It is the first marriage of a reigning Swedish monarch since 1797. If Carl XVI Gustaf had married Silvia during the reign of his grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, he would have lost his position as heir-apparent as his grandfather believed royalty must marry royalty. 6.21 Move slowly ... Långsamhetens Dag / International Day of Slowness. Do you think everything is spinning a little fast in today’s society? This day, you can hit the brakes and celebrate the Day of Slowness. Buy a hammock, relax, think a bit more about how to get from point a to b. Walk a lot. Slowly. 6.22* Midsommarafton, Midsummer’s Eve. Comments superfluous ... *June 22 in Swedish history. 1634: Gustav II Adolf is buried in Riddarholms-kyrkan in Stockholm. More on the Swedish king, page 22. As Sweden starts winding down for what we all hope will continue to be a long, sunny summer break, many people are concerned about the fall election – yet another thing we have in common this year. Sweden goes to the polls on September 9 and most traditional election themes, of jobs, equality or healthcare are not as dominant as recent years’ migration and concerns about law and order. Hence the sense of uncertainty that Swedes might be taking with them – but probably hoping to forget about, temporarily at least – as they pack their Volvos and head for their summer cottages. Nothing touches the Swedish heart like Midsummer, celebrated on the Friday falling closest to June 24. On this, “the shortest night of the year,” the whole population is out in droves, singing and dancing around maypoles raised in villages and public parks throughout the country. Summer is definitely the time to visit Sweden. Well over a century ago, the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow visited Scandinavia and fell in love with the magic of its white nights: “O how beautiful is the summer night which is not night, but a sunless yet unclouded day, descending upon earth with dews, and shadows, and refreshing coolness...” In Sweden, where the winters are long and depressingly dark, the summer when it finally arrives is an overwhelming experience, causing a form of national catharsis. Gone is the Ingmar Bergman gloom; usually introverted Swedes turn extroverted. As days lengthen and people stay up longer and longer, the countries erupt in a flurry of activity - cultural events, sports competitions, music festivals. The time is now, whether one loves the frenzy of a rock concert with thousands of cheering fans, or prefers the utter tranquility of a century-old steamboat, meandering at the top speed of 5 miles an hour through some of the world’s most beautiful countryside. At Nordstjernan we’re starting a much calmer period with this issue, not just to observe International Day of Slowness but to prepare for the fall and winter’s special features. Your next issue will be dated July 15 and in the mail in early July. Wherever you are, wishing you a nice, slow start of Ulf Barslund Mårtensson summer! Editor & Publisher
New take on folkdräkt: The midwestern town Lindsborg creates its own folk costume / p4
Dashboard, p4-5
Gateway X Epicenter in NY / Who needs a bank? / Viking Beer Garden in Mystic / Little Sweden USA debuts official Svensk Folkdräkt / English in Uppsala / A royal greeting
Events calendar, p6-11
All the Midsummer festivities and other events going on in Swedish America
Readers Forum, p12
A reader shares personal history that relates to how many Swedes share in the anniversary of Finland’s independence, too.
Page 15 Bergman100 movie screenings www.ingmarbergman.se, p8
Swedish News, p29
Sun curves stop trains / Personal fuel supply / Dynamic AI hub in Sweden / Recycling wastewater / Geoblocking technology / U.S. upgrades Swedish arms.
Page 17
Midsummer with a somewhat modern twist. The Exchange Rate:
$1.00 = SEK 8.82 (06.01.2018)
JUNE 15, 2018 3
dashboard | june 15, 2018
Photo: Andy Price/Mystic Seaport Museum.
Little Sweden USA debuts official Svensk Folkdräkt
‘Seaport After Seven’
The first Seaport After Seven: Viking Beer Garden kicked off the season with a sell-out crowd of Vikings and Scandophiles on the wraparound deck of the exhibition building at Mystic Seaport. They enjoyed Swedish meatballs, a variety of beers and mead, music and kubb, as well as tours of the two new exhibitions (The Vikings Begin and Science, Myth, and Mystery: The Vinland Map Saga) and a chance to step aboard the Draken Harald Hårfagre Viking long ship (whose traditional dragon head can be seen above). The first 50 people to arrive in Viking-inspired attire received an extra drink ticket. (We know the horned helmet isn’t really representative of Vikings, but we can argue these costumes were Viking inspired. ) For more info, see www.mysticseaport.org
The stories, the traditions, the people behind the news. 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 - Ted Olsson - Leif Rosqvist - Kitty Hughes Ulf Kirchdorfer - Valorie Arrowsmith - Olle Wijkström Bo Zaunders - Göran Rygert - James Kaplan - Gunilla Blixt publications director:
Mette Barslund Mårtensson (mette@nordstjernan.com; 800.827.9333, ext 12)
nordstjernan p.o. box 1710 new canaan ct 06840 contact us at 1.800.827.9333 ext 10 for reader services, email: subs@nordstjernan.com; ext 12 for advertising, email: ads@nordstjernan.com www.nordstjernan.com Covering three worlds: Sweden, America and Swedish America. Order your own copy, $55.00 for a year (18 issues) Choose ‘subscribe’ at www.nordstjernan.com or call 1.800.827.9333, ext 10 4 NORDSTJERNAN
Tara Killilingsworth (left) and Carla Wilson (right) designed Lindsborg’s Svensk Folkdräkt collection, which should be available in time for the city’s 150th anniversary in 2019. Photo by Jim Richardson
Lindsborg, Kansas, AKA Little Sweden USA, recently adopted an official Swedish folk costume — the Svensk Folkdräkt. Noted for its Swedish immigrant heritage, Lindsborg joins Mora, MN, the only other city in the U.S. that’s known to have a community-specific Swedish folk costume. Fundraising is under way to gather the $20,000 needed to roll-out the Svensk Folkdräkt for men, women and children in time for the city’s 150th anniversary in 2019, a very special Svensk Hyllningsfest year. Designers Tara Killingsworth and Carla Wilson began their project in 2017 after Wilson brought a collection of Swedish folk costume patterns to Killingsworth’s new store in Lindsborg, The Ivory Thimble. It was the first of many times they would meet, as they forged their interests and knowledge of fabrics, fashion, Swedish history and folk art. When the idea for a Lindsborg folk costume was born, they wanted input from residents. They asked locals asked about the colors they associate
Who needs a bank?
with Lindsborg and the region, and a distinct color palette emerged: the golds of sunflowers, ripe wheat and sunsets; the greens of spring prairies and growing crops; the blues of the valley’s hazy mornings and the Swedish national flag; and the reds of Lindsborg’s brick streets and Dala horses. Because most early residents of Lindsborg emigrated from the Swedish province of Värmland, the designers researched symbols such as wildflowers and the province animal, the wolf; they considered clothing functionality and researched fashion from rural Sweden and America in 18671900, a period of great immigration. Lizette Graden, associate professor and researcher in the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences at Lund University in Sweden, welcomed Lindsborg’s folk costume design, saying Lindsborg’s Svensk Folkdräkt “adds to the history of Swedish traditional arts in the United States.” For more on the history and development of Swedish folk costumes, see p20.
In our most recent issue we reported how the ongoing digitization has made most Swedish banks considerably reduce the number of offices. It is actually getting crowded among disruptive online lenders in Sweden as well. In addition to Toborrow, Sparlån, Froda and Lendify, there’s also the so far Gävle-based Savelend (all listed at NTL*). Savelend mediates loans on a peer-to-peer basis. The company's latest product, launched this spring, is a service for corporate loans. But instead of setting the interest rate through an auction process, Savelend decides the interest rate itself by making a risk assessment. *NTL, Nordic Tech List provides data on private companies in the Nordic region, www.nordictechlist.com
dashboard | june 15, 2018
Gateway X Epicenter in NY
The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, New York in cooperation with Swedish incubator Epicenter will establish a physical meeting place in New York. The goal is to increase interest in Sweden among U.S. investors, entrepreneurs and companies. The collaboration with Epicenter will result in a meeting place in central Manhattan that will serve as a springboard for Swedish companies to the U.S. market. The project is called "Gateway X Epicenter" and the premises will open in September 2018. "We see that many Swedish growth companies that come to the U.S. have a tendency to lose traction a bit initially. Then we can provide advice and support and point them in the right direction,” SACC-NY CEO Anna Throne-Holst recently told Swedish business daily Dagens Industri. According to the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, there is a huge need for a place where companies and entrepreneurs from both countries can meet, get acquainted and eventually do business. Unlike some other tech hubs that have popped up in Stockholm in recent years, Epicenter won’t allow just anyone to join the innovation house. The focus is not on startups in an early phase, but on larger, fast-growing and profitable scale-ups. For example, Spotify hosted some of its activities at Epicenter Stockholm until the end of 2017. More info, see www.saccny.org
The Swedish royal family posted a greeting on May 18, calling it: “en vårhälsning från Haga” (a spring greeting from Haga) - including these photos of Crown Princess Victoria’s children Princess Estelle (6) and Prince Oscar (2) in the park near their home. Photo by Linda Broström / www.kungahuset.se
The annual Bergman Week is extra special this year, in celebration of Ingmar Bergman’s 100th birthday
English in Uppsala
This spring, The English Bookshop in Uppsala, Sweden was identified as the best in the world, awarded the Bookshop of the Year award by the London Book Fair and the British Publishers Association to “celebrate and showcase the wonderful activities of the rest of the world’s publishing activity.” The judges said this about this year’s winner: “Uppsala English Bookshop demonstrated their all-round capability with the outstanding loyalty of its customers and outreach.” Previously awarded to the iconic Shakespeare & Co in Paris, this prize recognizes this beloved community bookstore, one of the few, all-English bookshops in Scandinavia. Since it opened in 1995 it has been frequented by Swedish residents as much as it is by readers for whom English is a first language. “It is cozy, it is small and it is the best!”
We’ve been reporting on Ingmar Bergman all year, and his birthday is finally here: The acclaimed Swedish filmmaker would have turned 100 years old on July 14, 2018. The entire world has done an impressive job of celebrating him during this Bergman100 year, but Bergman Week promises its own week full of celebrations — at his home on Fårö. Seven days of film, drama, music, lectures and conversations with Swedish and international guests will entertain the public who attend Bergman Week on June 25–July 1, 2018. Get all the information you need in both Swedish and English at www. bergmancenter.se/bergmanveckan See page 8 for all the Bergman movies that are being screened this month in the United States, and if you’re wondering what else is happening on July 14 itself: Production will begin on Fårö island for Mia Hansen-Løve’s new film, Bergman Island.
The Swedish election
The governing parties, the Social Democrats (S) and the Green Party (MP) have lost a great deal of votes according to recent polls. The Social Democrats have been especially hard hit. In the latest polls the party landed at between 24 and 25 percent, the lowest support ever for Social Democrats this close to an election. The party is under pressure by the lack of electoral support, but “crisis meeting” was not a phrase Stefan Löfven wanted to use S V MP M L KD C SD misc. after a recent meeting with the party leadership. “We have discussed what the way to winning the election looks like. We are fully committed to ensuring that people have jobs, that our healthcare works, that care for the elderly is good. We are looking ahead, we will win the election and we have a party organization on its toes,” Löfven told Swedish television. While the Center Party (C) is also on the decrease, support for the left and the Sweden Democrats is on the increase, according to Kantar Sifo’s May opinion poll. Most analysts agree this year’s electoral movement is about immigration and law and order, which explains the increasing popularity of SD. JUNE 15, 2018 5
local events
Midsummer Events 2018 California Agoura - Vasa Park 06.24, 8:30 AM –6 PM T h e S w e d i s h A m e r i c a n C e n t ra l Association Annual Midsummer Festival. Maypole, dancing, singing, youth activities, Spelmanslag and Folk Dancing. 562-923-5828 or 213-364-4425 Berkeley 06.16, 7:30 PM The Luminous Legacy of Greta Garbo: See Queen Christina. In 1933, MGM lured Garbo back from Sweden for her pet project, Queen Christina, in which Garbo explores the pains and pleasures of crossing between nations, genders and sexualities, in this loose biography of the Swedish queen. BAMFA, 510.642.0808 / bampfa@berkeley.edu / www.bampfa. org/event/queen-christina-3 06.22, 7 PM The Luminous Legacy of Greta Garbo: See Anna Christie. A world-weary Swedish girl makes her way back to her father’s fishing barge in Garbo’s sound debut. BAMPFA, 2155 Center St., Berkeley / www.bampfa.org 07.08, 5:15 PM Nordic film: The Match Factory Girl, a grimly funny gender parable. Finland, Sweden. BAMFA, 510.642.0808 / bampfa@berkeley.edu / www.bampfa. org Lafayette 06.23, 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM Midsummer Celebration. Maypole, wreaths and dancing. More info SWEASan Francisco, www.sanfrancisco.swea. org / program@sweasanfrancisco.org Los Angeles - Rolling Hills Estates 6.23, 5 - 10 PM Annual Midsummer Shrimp Feast at Nansen Field. All you can eat you-peel shrimp. Dancing around the maypole. Reserv & info southbaybookkeeping@ roadrunner.com / 310-869-4337
Midsommarfest in Philadelphia at the American Swedish Historical Museum. This year on June 23. www.americanswedish.org Morgan Hill - Sveadal 06.23, 10 AM–6 PM Swedish American Patriotic League 124th Midsummer Celebration. Maypole, dancing & music. www.sveadal.org / 408-779-2854 Petaluma 06.23, 11 AM - 3 PM Linnea Lodge #504’s Annual Midsommar Celebration. Dancing around the Maypole and potluck. RSVP and more info linnealodge@gmail.com San Diego - House of Sweden 06.24 12 – 5 PM Midsummer celebration. Swedish food, folk dancing, singing, family fun and dance around the Maypole. www.houseofsweden.us / Houseofswedensandiego@gmail.com San Francisco 06.21, 12:30-2:30 PM Annual Jenny Lind Concert: The Yerba
MIDSOMMAR IN CONNECTICUT SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2018 VASA PARK
358 Main St. Meriden, CT Park Opens 11:30 a.m. Traditional Swedish Meatball Dinner with dessert and beverages $ 15 per person (Hot Dogs) Children under 5 no charge.
Music, Dancing around the Maypole and Games for children of all ages. Scholarship Presentation 3:30 Reservations or information: 203.281.1261 or ppsfualum@gmail.com
Buena Gardens Festival showcases the most extraordinary young soprano from Sweden, Kine Sandtrø, winner of the Jenny Lind Scholarship. offers a thrilling peek at the future of opera. Esplanade, Yerba Buena Gardens, 415. 543.1718 / www.ybgfestival.org Stanford 06.30, 7:15-9:15 PM Swedish soccer derby: Go Sweden! A Swedish coach and two Swedish players of San Jose Earthquakes soccer team play Zlatan and the LA Galaxy. Book your tickets before the Swedish cheer section is sold out. Stanford Stadium, $20. 415.781.4188 / info@sacc-sf.org / www. sacc-sf.org/event/go-sweden-go-zlatan Colorado Estes Park - Bond Park 06.22 - 06.24 Scandinavian Midsummer celebration with Scandinavian music, folk dancers, Maypole, crafts, Scandinavian market and Viking village. www.estesmidsummer.com Connecticut Fairfield 06.23, 12-3 PM A n n u a l M i d s u m m e r Fe s t a t T h e Scandinavian Club. Maypole, music and dance. www.thescandinavianclub.com / scanclubnews@hotmail.com South Meriden, Vasa Park 06.24 11:30 AM Traditional Swedish Midsommarfest. Maypole, music, dance, entertainment,
Do you know about an upcoming event in Swedish America? Submit it any time to our online calendar at www.nordstjernan.com/ calendar 6 NORDSTJERNAN
games and food. Reservations and more info 203-281-1261 / ppsfualum@ gmail.com Georgia Gwinnett County - Jones Bridge Park 06.23, 11 AM - 6 PM N o r d i c Lo d g e 7 0 8 ’ s M i d s u m m e r. Celebrating together with several other Scandinavian groups, traditional Nordic desserts. www.vasalodge708.org Illinois Bishop Hill 06.23, 11 AM – 9 PM Midsommar Music Festival. Music for the whole family. Procession to the Colony School. Decoration and dancing around the Maypole, Barn Dance. www. bishophill.com / bhha@mymctc.net Chicago - Andersonville 06.21, 11 AM – 12 PM The Lindsborg Swedish Folk Dancers and musicians, shares their Swedish heritage through folk music and dance. www.swedishamericanmuseum.org / museum@samac.org 06.21, 11 AM – 12 PM Hejsan Story and Crafts: Come explore the rich music culture of Sweden at this last Hejsan of the season. All ages are welcome to attend with a caregiver (free with admission). Reservations appreciated via snyman@samac.org, 773.728.8111 / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org 06.29. 5-8 PM Jenny Lind Concert and Dinner: Soprano Kine Sandtro performs at the Swedish American Museum after dinner. Tickets at snyman@samac.org, 773.728.8111 / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org Geneva - Good Templar Park 06.17, 9 AM – 5 PM Swedish Days, Geneva’s 108th Midsommar Festival. Maypole celebration,
local events Swedish crafts, traditional Swedish food and the natural beauty of Good Templar Park. www.swedishday.net Geneva 06.19 – 06.24 Annual Midsummer Festival - Swedish Days. Parade, great food, carnival rides, music, enter tainment and children’s games. 630.232.6060 / www. genevachamber.com Moline 06.24, 7-8 PM Jenny Lind Concert: Soprano Kine Sandtrø and her accompanist Julia Sjöstedt will perform. First Lutheran Church, 1230 5th Ave., Augustana College Rockford - Erlander Museum 06.16, 10 AM – 8 PM Swedish Historical Society’s Midsommar Fest. Maypole, Folk Dancers, Swedish food, kid’s activities and ABBA Tribute Band. www.swedishhistorical.org / museum@swedishhistorical.org South Elgin - Vasa Park 06.23 – 06.24, 3:30 – 10:30 PM 12th Annual Scandinavian Midsummer Celebration. Maypole, dancing, kid’s activities, picnic - bring dish, bonfire and music. 847.695.6720 / www.vasaparkil.com Iowa Iowa City - Willow Creek Park 06.16, 4 -7 PM Iowa City Swedish Club Midsommar Fest with Majstång, games and a potluck dinner. www.iowacityswedishclub.com / jsmadsen@mchsi.com Sioux City 06.16, 11 AM – 1 PM Celebrate an early Midsummer with the Vasa Lodge in Sioux City. 605.253.2575 / ron@dalesburg.org Swedesburg 06.24, 6 -8:30 PM Swedish Heritage Society Midsummer Fest. Maypole, Lindsborg Folk Dancers, Ice cream and strawberries. 319.254.2317 / swedish@iowatelecom.net Kansas Lindsborg 06.16, 10 AM - 11:30 PM Midsummer’s Festival: Swedish food, music, dancing, art, games, Midsommarstång, entertainment, blomkrans, Folk Dancers,
Jepokryddona, April 2018. Photo by Ove Lillas, Crealio Design
Spiced up folk music in time for Midsummer Jepokryddona, a folk music group from the Swedish speaking region of Ostrobothnia in western Finland, brings very rich, old folk music from the city of Jeppo, a source of countless old melodies where the minuet and polska remain part of a living tradition of playing and danc-
ing. Members of Jepokryddona, which means “spices of Jeppo,” learn the old tunes by ear and sing in dialect, adding modern folk music and folk pop to their repertoire. They play with a young, fresh touch but with the same swing and fire as the old fiddlers. Jepokryddona was
formed in 1994 by Swedish speaking Finns and has toured all over the world. This month they’re in concert on June 16 at the Scandinavian Cultural Center in West Newton, MA at 7 p.m. Free/members, $15/non-members. 617.795.1914 / www.scandicenter.org
kubb tournament and Midsummer’s 5K/2 Mile Walk. 785.227.8687 / www. visitlindsborg.com
but registration is required. Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St., 504.523.4662 / www.hnoc.org/swedishnightingale
Maryland Baltimore - Bel Air 06.23 Midsummer Celebration hosted by Sveaborg Society. www.sveaborgsociety. com / info@sveaborgsociety.org
Louisiana 06.18, 6-7:30 PM Jenny Lind Concert and Dinner: The Historic New Orleans Collection presents a recital featuring the repertoire of Jenny Lind, featuring soprano Kine Sandtrø and pianist Julia Sjöstedt. The program will feature operatic arias as well as Nordic folk music. Admission is free,
Maine New Sweden 06.22 – 06.24 New Sweden Historical Society Midsommar Celebration. Maypole, Dancing, Fun and food. www.facebook. com/NewSwedenHistoricalSociety
Carderock Park 06.24, 2:30 PM Midsummer Celebration hosted by Drott Lodge, ASA and SWEA DC. Maypole, dancing, activities and potluck dinner. www.scandinavian-dc.org
Glad Midsommar!
www.scandinavianbutik.com Phone: 203-529-3244 JUNE 15, 2018 7
local events
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.).
Through
NORDSTJERNAN 1.800.827.9333 Ext 10
National archives and library for Swedish-American historical research Publishers of Swedish American Genealogist 639 38th Street Rock Island, IL | 61201-2296 309-794-7204
www.augustana.edu/ swenson 8 NORDSTJERNAN
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. www.ingmarbergman.se
Ingmar Bergman100 movie screenings California BAMPFA, 2155 Center St., Berkeley / www.bampfa.org 06.14, 7 PM: Summer with Monika 06.16, 4:30 PM: The Magic Flute 06.17, 5 PM: Dreams 06.23, 6 PM: Smiles of a Summer Night 06.27, 7 PM: Wild Strawberries 07.05, 7 PM: Port of Call
Massachusetts 06.16, 6-9 PM Jepokryddona: Old folk music tunes played with a young, fresh touch, just in time for Midsummer. Scandinavian Cultural Center, 617.795.1914 / www. scandicenter.org Shrewsbury 06.24, 11 AM - 4:30 PM Scandinavian Midsummer Festival. Swedish Meatball Dinner, Vikings, shopping, raffles, games, kids crafts a n d m o r e ! w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / SwedishNationalfederationofWorcester Michigan Farmington Hills 06.16, 9:30 AM – 2:15 PM The Swedish Club’s Midsummer Celebration. Swedish Breakfast, decorate and dance around the maypole, music, Lunch Buffet.www.swedishclub.net / bcapote@ameritech.net
Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles / www.cinema. ucla.edu/events 06.23, 3 PM: Fanny and Alexander
Farmington Hills - Heritage Park 6.23, 6 PM Sons of Norway’s Nordkap Lodge’s Midsummer celebration, Viking Wa l k a n d l a w n g a m e s . w w w. DetroitNorwegians.com / lNordkap@ DetroitNorwegians.com
New York McCarren Park at Driggs Ave and Lorimer St, Brooklyn / www.ingmarbergman.se/en/event/smiles-summer-night-brooklyn 06.29, 9 PM: Smiles of a Summer Night
Grand Rapids - Alaska 06.23, 11 AM – 4 PM SAHS/WM Swedish Midsummer Celebration. Dancing around the maypole, music, lunch, games and more. www. sahswm.org / info@sahswm.org
Oregon Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park Ave, Portland / www.nwfilm.org/films 06.15, 7 PM: Persona 06.22, 7 PM: Cries and Whispers 06.23, 3:30 PM: Cries and Whispers 06.25, 7 PM: Persona 06.29, 7 PM: Winter Light 06.30, 4:30 PM: Winter Light 06.30, 6:30 PM: The Magic Flute 07.1, 4 PM: The Magic Flute 07.1, 7 PM: The Magician 07.5, 7 PM: The Magician 07.6 7 PM: The Silence 07.7, 7 PM: Sawdust and Tinsel 07.8, 4:30 PM: Sawdust and Tinsel 07.8, 7 PM: The Silence 07.11, 7 PM: Shame 07.13, 7 PM: Autumn Sonata 07.14,* 4:30 PM: Autumn Sonata 07.14,* 7 PM: Smiles of a Summer Night 07.15, 4:30 PM: Smiles of a Summer Night 07.15, 7 PM: Shame
Minnesota Duluth 06.28, 12:30 – 3PM Swedish Cultural Society of Duluth’s Midsommar Fest! www.facebook.com/ Swedishculturalsociety
Texas AFS Cinema, 6406 N I-35, Austin / www.austinfilm.org/?s=Bergman 06.17, 2 PM: The Rite 06.24, 1:45 PM: Cries and Whispers 06.24, 7 PM: Cries and Whispers
*July 14, 2018 is Ingmar Bergman’s 100th birthday
Minneapolis - American Swedish Institute 06.16, 10 AM – 5 PM ASI Midsommar Celebration; dance around the midsommarstång, Scandinavian folk music, make a midsommarkrans, story time and more. 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org
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local events Minneapolis - Minnehaha Falls Park 06.24 Svenskarnas Dag and Norway Day. Dancing around the Midsummer Pole, Scandinavian foods and handicrafts, music and dance groups. www.facebook. com/SvenskarnasDag Moorhead - Hjemkomst Center 06.22 - 06.23, 10 AM – 5 PM The 41st Annual Scandinavian Hjemkomst & Midwest Viking Festivals. Swedish music, food and art. Scandinavian entertainment, Viking Village, children’s activities. www.NordicCultureClubs.org Scandia 06.23, 10 AM – 6 PM Gammelgården Museum Midsommar Dag Celebration. Majstång, Swedish music, dances, flower crowns & smörgåsbord. 651-433-5053 / www. gammelgardenmuseum.org Vining 06.21 5-7 PM Leif Erikson, Sons of Norways Midsommar Celebration with Maypole, dancing, music and potluck dinner. 218.769.4296 Nebraska Omaha - Elmwood Park Pavilion 06.24, 12:30 – 4:30 PM Scandinavian Midsummer Festival, 402830-6679 / www.omahamidsummer. wordpress.com
Stromsburg 06.15 – 06.17 Swedish Midsummer Festival: Maypole, dancing, Swedish foods, crafts, games, Vikings and entertainment. 402-7645265 / www.theswedishfestival.com New Jersey Hackettstown Vasa Park, Budd Lake 06.23, 10 AM – 6 PM Midsummer Celebration. Maypole, folk dancing, musical entertainment, Scandinavian food and children’s activities. 973-985-8190 / korywarner@gmail.com New York Jamestown - Holy Trinity Lutheran Church 06.23 Am er ican Scandin av ia n Her ita ge Foundation Celebration: Maypole with folk dancing, live music and a light lunch. 716-665-5046 / www. scandinavianjamestown.org Jamestown 07.21 Scandinavian Folk Festival – Folk dancers and musicians process and erect the midsummer pole, ring dancing. 716-6650883 / www.scandinavianjamestown.org New York – Bronx - Throgs Neck 06.16, 11 AM 78th Annual Sweden Day – Midsommar celebration at Manhem Club. Majstång, Smörgåsbandet, Elsa Rix and more. www. swedendayny.com / SwedenDayNina@ outlook.com
VASA PARK South Elgin IL CELEBRATES 65 YEARS Sunday July 22 Admission Free - All Are Welcome
10:30 Park Opens 11:00 Church Service 11:30 Herring Breakfast $10 reservations to jlseife@comcast.net 12:00 Cash Bar opens Hamburgers & hotdogs for sale or bring your own picnic basket. Games, Dancing, Raising of the Maypole, Entertainment, Campfire
www.vasaparkil.com 35W217 Route 31, South Elgin, IL 60177
Bake with Ulla in Minneapolis When you are traveling in the Midwest this summer, bring your children to meet Ulla the Baker at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. In Ulla the Baker and Ulla the Baker Goes Skiing, Anders Suneson's cheerful, illustrated children's books, families are transported to Östersund, Sweden where Ulla has her own bakery. She loves to make cinnamon buns and have adventures. Ulla and the books, available in both Swedish and English, have come to life in the intergenerational, imaginative play environment of ASI’s Family Gallery on the third floor. Families can immerse themselves in Ulla’s world and experience her bakery through hands-on engagement with exhibition content designed to bridge experiences for ages 9 months to 99 years: Step into Ulla's world through charming wooden sculptures that Suneson carved onsite; see Ulla and her cinnamon buns, meet the dog, see the chicken and climb onboard a snowmobile that Suneson carved. Through October 7. www.asimn.org
JUNE 15, 2018 9
local events New York - Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park, Battery Park City 06.22, 5-8 PM Swedish Midsummer Festival. Swedish delicacies, traditional music, folk dancing, decorating of Maypole and wreath making. www.bpcparks.org / www.swedenabroad.com North Dakota Buckstop Junction, Bismarck 06.21, 6-8 PM Three Crowns Swedish-American Association’s Midsummer Celebration. Smorgasbord, folk dancing and fun and games for kids. 701-516-2979 / 3crownsswedish@gmail.com Ohio Alum Creek, Lewis Center 06.23 Scandinavian Club of Columbus, Ohio Nordic Midsummer fest. www. scandiclub.com / ScandiClubInfo@ gmail.com
Swedish American Central Association of Southern California
98th Midsummer Festival
Sunday June 24, 2018 Park opens at 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast available 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Raising of the Maypole, ring dancing at 12:00 noon. Food, games, swimming, stage program, folk dancing, Scandinavian vendors. Dance to the music of Västkustens Spelmanslag. $5.00 per person includes parking $2.00 Children 5 – 12 years Vasa Park 2854 Triunfo Canyon Road Exit 101 freeway at Kanan Road turn west Agoura Hills, CA No animals and No Barbecues www.vasapark.org 10 NORDSTJERNAN
Oregon Astoria 06.15 – 06.17 Scandinavian Midsummer Festival: Scandinavian musical, dance and theater groups, handcrafts, Scandinavian import items and food. ABBA tribute band ARRIVAL. www.astoriascanfest.org Pennsylvania Philadelphia 06.19, 10:30-11:30 AM Toddler Time: Midsommar fun - learn about Swedish Midsommar and dance around the Maypole! American Swedish
Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www. americanswedish.org 06.23, 4-7 PM Annual Midsommarfest: Maypole dancing, food, drinks, music and, crafts and games for kids. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www. americanswedish.org South Dakota Dalesburg 06.22, 1-8 PM D a l e s b u r g M i d s u m m e r Fe s t i v a l : Välkommen! Midsummer pole, musical guests from Sweden, dancing, smorgasbord and games. ron@ dalesburg.org / www.dalesburg.org Utah Salt Lake City - International Peace Garden 06.23, 3 - 8 PM Midsommarsfest: Bring fresh flowers to decorate the Maypole, then dance and enjoy children’s games and music. Catered dinner at 6 p.m. for prepaid orders to Swedish Heritage Society of Utah. Swedishheritage2@aol.com / 801.268.2898 Vermont Landgrove Inn, Landgrove 06.21, 3 PM Nordic Harmoni’s annual Midsummer Festival. Wreath making, decorating of Maypole, songs by the chorus. 802-8246578 / vartland@comcast.net Washington Kenmore - Saint Edward State Park 06.24, 11 AM– 6 PM Skandia Midsommarfest: Majstång dancing, music, food, crafts and kids activities.Skandia Folkdance Society , www.skandia-folkdance.org / publicity@ skandia-folkdance.org Seattle 06.22 Midsommar Celebration at the Swedish Club with dancing around the Midsommar pole and smörgåsbord. Swedish Club Seattle 206-283-1090 / www.swedishclubnw.org Wisconsin Amery 06.23, 5-9 PM Midsommar with Amery Swedish Club - För Alltid Svensk: Celebrating midsommar with majstång decorating, raising, kubb, traditional Swedish food, dance and special music, 612.419.9513 / ristarbuck@centurytel.net / www. foreverswedish.net 07.10, 7-9 PM För Alltid Svensk celebrates Bergman: At the Amery Swedish Club/För Alltid Svensk monthly meeting, celebrate the 100th birthday of Ingmar Bergman, with film and stories of his younger years and his home on Fårö and a story from one of our members who viewed him in action at a play rehearsal in Stockholm. 612.419.9513 /ristarbuck@centurytel.net / www.foreverswedish.net
local events
The Fantastical Worlds of Kim Simonsson
Finnish artist Kim Simonsson’s moss people have been curiously fascinating visitors to his exhibit at Minneapolis’s American Swedish Institute since it opened in April. Simonsson, who's been making ceramic sculptures of children and animals for 15 years, brought 35 of his life-sized sculptures to the Minnesota mansion, making this his biggest solo show to date. The sculptures can be seen in various rooms, placed by Simonsson to draw attention to details of the mansion that visitors might otherwise miss or to create new narratives. He calls his sculptures “moss people” – and even published a book about them – because the flocking technique he discovered a few years ago gives them the “fairy tales of the forest” character that reflects his imagination of Scandinavian fairy tales, Japanese anime and an inexplicable feeling of futuristic “other-ness.” “I've always done work that is a bit uneasy,” Simonsson says. “I try to make work that is somehow, for some people, maybe beautiful, but then also a little bit strange — not so explainable.” The Fantastical Worlds of Kim Simonsson is on exhibit through July 15. 612.871.4907 / www. asimn.org
Ellen Lindström “The Swedish Meatball”
Adding fun & musical flavor to every event.
917-968-2926 www.TheSwedishMeatballs.com
Happy Midsummer!
Milwaukee - Glendale (new location!) 06.24, 1 - 4:30 PM Midsummer celebration: Dancing around the Maypole, wreath making, dancers, games and music. Swedish American Historical Society of W i s c o n s i n , w w w. s a h s w i . o r g / swedishamericanhistoricalwisc@gmail. com IKEA USA 06.15 A Swedish Traditional Midsummer Smörgåsbord, U.S.-wide with all-youcan-eat buffet. Each store has different seating times. Call your local store for details. Some locations have live Swedish entertainment. www.ikea.com. No celebration listed close to you? For continuous info all over the U.S., see events at www.nordstjernan.com. Also, find your local SWEA chapter by going to www.swea.org - almost every SWEA organization will celebrate Midsummer. JUNE 15, 2018 11
local events
the most popular films and tv shows from sweden
swedish dvd releases Order Swedish language movies on DVD. All videos are in the original language with English subtitles.
Sweden’s selection for the Oscar’s
Immerse yourself and family in swedishness with the latest dvd releases from Sweden. A Man Called Ove ($29.95 = _______ The Last Sentence $29.95 = _______ The 100 Year Old Man $19.95 = _______ The Dragon Tattoo Trilogy Extended Boxed Set $39.95 = _______ Wallander Series 2 Boxed Set $59.95 = _______ Max Manus: Man of War (in Norwegian) $19.95 = _______ Jackpot (in Norwegian) $24.95 = _______
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My Finnish connection The 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence was duly celebrated all over the world on December 6, 2017. The Finnish Declaration of Independence (“Suomen itsenäisyysjulistus” in Finnish and “Finlands självständighetsförklaring” in Swedish) was adopted by the Parliament of Finland on December 6, 1917. It declared Finland an independent nation among nations, ending its 100 years autonomy within Russia as the Grand Duchy* of Finland and referred to a bill simultaneously delivered to the Diet assembly** to make Finland an independent republic instead. Declaring independence was only part of the long process leading to the independence of Finland. The date of the declaration is, however, celebrated as Independence Day in Finland, and the 100th anniversary was duly celebrated all over Finland and by expat Finns all over the world in 2017. Why would this be of interest to a Swedish-American writer based in Oregon, USA? Well, I grew up in Stockholm shortly after the Finnish Independence War (Finska vinterkriget, 1939-1940) and have heard stories about my paternal grandfather Tage, whom I actually never met in person. The only small valuable I inherited from my grandfather is a small Finnish knife, made in Rovaniemi with the expertise, finish, steel and handicraft so typical of Finnish knives. During my genealogy research in 2016-17, I intended to discover as much as possible about my family history and build the family tree. I had significant access to genealogy records including census, SSDI and military records. I was told my father’s father served in northern Sweden as a captain under General Wilhelm Douglas, commander of the Northern Army Corps and a hero from the Swedish Brigade in the earlier Finnish Civil War. He believed in the rescue of the social order and culture in Finland, which had been established by Swedes for
more than 600 years. This culture, being cared for and maintained, was in line with Fänrik Ståls sägner (“The Tales of Ensign Stål”) supporting “a people in danger.” Many professional soldiers from many nations signed up to risk their lives for their beliefs, including my grandfather and over 8,000 other Swedes who mobilized under the slogan Finlands sak är vår (“Finland’s case is ours”). They fought side by side with Finnish freedom fighters as brothers in arms. Many didn’t come back. Ture Nerman, a Swedish journalist and author, was a well-known political activist in his time. He also wrote poems and songs like this one celebrating the culture and heritage in Finland: O land, du tusen sjöars land, där sång och trohet byggt, där livets hav oss gett en strand, vår forntids land, vår framtids land, var för din fattigdom ej skyggt, var fritt, var glatt, var tryggt. “Oh land, you land of a thousand lakes, where song and fidelity built, where life’s sea gave us a beach, our country of yore, our country henceforth, for your poverty don’t shun away, be free, be happy, be safe!”
Jean Sibelius, a Finnish composer and violinist, is often credited for having helped Finland develop a national identity during the struggle for independence from Russia. He composed “Finlandia,” a tone poem, and a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian Empire. It was masked behind several different names to avoid Russian censorship. The people of Finland went through a very difficult time during the civil war and the Russian Winter War. And in spite of hardships and inhuman conditions, Finland was well managed by Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim, the man described in the recent book, “Mannerheim, Marsken, Masken, Myten” by the author and journalist Herman Lindqvist, who grew up in Finland. The Winter War of 1939-1940 ended
local events in March 1940 but hostilities began again only 15 months later, when Germany launched its invasion of the Soviet Union. This, the Continuation War, was to last until September 1944. Many Finnish children, about 70,000, were sent to live with Swedish families through the 1940s, and in my neighborhood there were several children who could not speak much Swedish, but after 30 minutes on the soccer field we all communicated well about soccer strategy. Quite a few of the children, about 15,000 (20 percent), never returned to Finland to rejoin their biological parents. Instead, they stayed with their foster families after the war, many of whom formally adopted them. Having worked as a Scandinavian marketing manager for an American company, I spent ample time in Finland and I have “admiration for the Finnish courage and honesty, the “sisu” as the Finns themselves would say, that positioned them as one of the most progressive countries in Europe. I further developed a better understanding for my grandfather and the other volunteers in the RussianFinnish Winter War, where they risked their lives for a valuable cause. Leif Rosqvist *Grand Duchy refers to a territory whose official head of state or ruler is a grand duke or duchess. The Grand Duchy of Finland was an autonomous part of the Russian Empire between 1809 and 1917 with the Russian Emperor as Grand Duke. Stalin had the ambition to once again incorporate Finland into the Soviet Union.
The first verse from the poem “Vårt Land” in Fänrik Ståls Sägner (The Tales of Ensign Stål) by the Finnish-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, now the Finnish National Anthem, often referred to in Finnish as “Maamme”: Vårt land, vårt land Vårt land, vårt land, vårt fosterland, Ljud högt, o dyra ord! Ej lyfts en höjd mot himlens rand, Ej sänks en dal, ej sköljs en strand, Mer älskad än vår bygd i nord, Än våra fäders jord. “Our Country, our country Our country, our country, our motherland, Sound loud, oh valued words! No height is raised against the edge of sky, No slope runs into valley, no water rinses beach, More loved than our country in the north, Than our fathers’ land.”
References and more information: • Swedish Volunteers in the RussoFinnish Winter War, 1939 - 1940, Martina Sprague, McFarland & Company Inc, Publishers.
Tage Rosqvist, 1940
• Mannerheim, Marsken, Masen, Myten by Herman Lindqvist, Albert Bonnier Förlag (in Swedish)
The Winter War of 1939-1940 ended in March 1940 but hostilities began again only 15 months later, when Germany launched its invasion of the Soviet Union.
**The Diet, formed when Finland was an integrated part of Sweden, was the legislative assembly also during Russian rule, comparable to a parliament but not under an independent government. Finland was part of Sweden for almost 700 years from around 1150 until 1809, and the land was lost as a consequence of the Napoleonic wars and Napoleon’s treaty with Tsar Alexander. People born in Finland have been the biggest foreign born contingency in Sweden since WWII. The number of Finnish born has fluctuated between 150 and 250,000. At present 153,000 Finnish born permanently live in Sweden.
• Read the text about Fänrik Ståls (pronounced Stall’s) legends, available on the internet.
About 70,000 Finnish children were sent to live with Swedish families through the 1940s.
Tage Rosqvist was awarded the White Rose for his assistance of Finland during the war. JUNE 15, 2018 13
language
w/ord encounters
A love-hate relationship: for better or worse, kändis has changed One of the pleasures and also challenges of writing this column is choosing a word. There are so many, new words I want to write about and they pop into my head daily. When I think I have settled on a word I do some research, only to find really very little is to be said that would be of interest to most people, unless they are the most ardent or pedantic of linguists. More often, there is so much to be said, especially by those of us who are enthusiastic ord-detektiver, it would take at least half the issue of Nordstjernan to express one-eighth of what a language lover wants to record. This is my way of saying that after choosing hackspett, fågelbod, korv, and sommarstuga, and a few words I cannot recall at this time (there are, after all, so many!) I am going with the word kändis this month. It has been on my mind for quite some time.
Do you have words you strongly dislike? Either their meaning or sound? At the same time, do you also like those words, have with them a kind of love-hate relationship? That describes kändis and me. Fortunately my knowledge of the word, reading and seeing it, is limited mostly to the magazines my mormor subscribed to and read every week as if they were a kind of Bible and guide to living. I was able to read at age 5, and I soon also learned that it was with rather mixed feelings my mother let me stay with Mormor, in part because of those magazines with kändisar. Yes, I am delaying the meaning of the word and even a guide to pronouncing it. This horrible word deserves a buildup, and even among those of us who are kind Swedish souls, a teardown - no, make it smackdown - as is the practice in American [fake] wrestling. So here I was, happily staying with Mormor,
mer Sum tice Sols ring! e Ord body. mind. sole.
www.capeclogs.com 1.800.380.5977 14 NORDSTJERNAN
In Stoc k!
drinking vinbärsaft or one of those soft drinks or soda pops that came in bottles with an easy-to-tear off, thin bottle top (maybe it was made out of aluminum). Add to that vetebröd, kanelbullar, and I was high as a kite on sugar, feasting my eyes on photos with no doubt insipid commentary on kändisar in Mormor’s magazines. It was great to be a 5-year-old! Before we find out its meaning, how do we pronounce the word kändis? Once again, Swedish comes through as a master-torturer of those who are not native speakers. No hard “k” here, that would be too easy! Instead, push your lower jaw forward, tap your lower teeth so they meet the upper row and then make the sound “shh shh shh” rapidly, but only once, open your mouth wide, the way American doctors might have you do with a tongue depressor, except no “aaah” here, but a variation of an in-between sound of “eh” and “ah,” the a in the word “apple” not being a perfect pronunciation. You may just have to go online and hear it! The “dis” part of the word is easier, as you simply attach “diss” as in “dissing” someone, of course the word “diss” being an ugly, lazy abbreviation of disrespecting or dismissing someone. Now that you have practiced walking around saying the word “kändis” in a sing-songy word befitting a real and stereotyped Swede, it might be good if you know what you are saying. Kändis means celebrity. It is a popular word taken from the verb “känd,” and the only thing more ugly than the word is that seemingly everyone is a kändis, at least in the media and entertainment world. You might grow potatoes in your garden and have a potato that looks like Jesus Christ, and as soon as the Swedish press finds out about it, you can be a Jesus potatis kändis. Or you appear in one movie, which entitles you to be a kändis. Or you are present at a party of the royals, someone snaps a photo of you crossing the drawbridge, and even if you are the 100th cousin removed from the king, you are, you guessed it, a kändis. Who do we blame for this foul addition to the Swedish language? It must be foul, because if you enter kändis into the SAOB search engine, the only choice initially given is TV-kändis. No stand-alone kändis—Svenska Akademien must abhor the word! Strange or perhaps not, because the word is all over Sweden, like the plague in Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal.” Kändis, at least according to the SAOB, must play second fiddle to the first noun of a compound noun. The entry reads:
-KÄNDIS. [beträffande senare leden se storkändis] (vard.) person känd gm TV. Nedslitna TVkändisar bör få tidigare pension. SvD 23 ⁄ 2 1969, s. 16. —
The example, at least for those of us who are not fans of the word, gives some comfort of meanness. “Washed-up [ burnt-out if you wish to be charitable] TV-celebs should receive earlier pension” is a headline taken from Svenska Dagbladet in 1969, that progressive year of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Examples of the usage of kändis should be easy to find. As I mentioned earlier, my exposure to the word has been limited to the socker-influenced läsning as a 5-year-old spending time with my wonderful mormor, a harbinger of an endless mosaic of kändis photos in her all-you-can-see and read magazine piles keeping company with very tall aspidistras in huge pots. Sure enough, the media presence of kändis is fuller than a tick on a big dog, as we might say here in the South. A headline from Aftonbladet, a paper I have not mentioned so far in my writings, says it all: Stjärnorna som är klara för nya ”Hela kändis-Sverige bakar.” That means, “The stars that are ready for the new “All of Celeb-Sweden Bakes.” I don’t know about you, but my cultural knowledge is enriched by the article letting me know that a gladiator, a YouTube star, and a super-stylist will be rolling out the dough and baking for the general populace. www. aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/tv/a/m6dW50/stjarnornasom-ar-klara-for-nya-hela-kandis-sverige-bakar So my mormor was quite progressive in the 1960s, already combining baking and kändis, on her Swedish farm in Skåne. Though she was very fond of kändisar, I am not sure she could handle the steady stream of celebrities of today. She would have too many kändisar to worry about, their well-being, or, more interesting, ill fortunes, broadcast to anyone enamored or repelled by both word and concept. Dare we say rest in peace, kändis? Let me know. As ever, your faithful skribent and (w)ord lover, Ulf Kirchdorfer Born in Sweden and raised in Europe and the U.S., Ulf Kirchdorfer is as Swedish American as we come. As a contributing writer for Nordstjernan he has shared eloquent and witty essays on how his Swedishness has influenced his life, reflecting on his childhood with his Swedish grandmother and experiences as an adult in America. You might just see a little of yourself in what he writes, in a collection of essays Kirchdorfer calls Swede Among the Rednecks: The Language That Just Won’t Stay Buried, available from Nordstjernan and through amazon.com.
language
Concerns in so-called international words (usually from Latin), which we have in common in several European languages, usually differ between Swedish and English. Compare interview / intervju, telephone / telefon, climate / klimat, where English’s main emphasis lies on the first syllable, while in Swedish it’s on the last.
As we work on offering you more opportunities to practice your Swedish, we had the opportunity to hear from a teacher of Swedish in Sweden. He introduces us to a variety of things he encounters in his classes, and prepares us for more lessons we’ll bring you this fall.
Learning (and teaching) Swedish I have taught Swedish as a foreign or second language for many years, mainly at universities in Sweden and abroad, and only for adult students. The main difference between older and younger learners is that adults learn a new language in a more conscious and structured way, while children are more intuitive and subconscious in their learning process. At Stockholm University where I now work, we teach students from a variety of countries and with various backgrounds: guest students, foreign guest researchers, immigrants, foreigners, etc. The common first languages are English, French, Spanish, German, Polish, Russian and Finnish - but many other languages are also represented. The difficulties for English-speaking students to learn Swedish are largely similar to other language groups while some language difficulties may be specific. Similarities in vocabulary and structure between related languages such as Swedish and English are of course an advantage, but can also lead to unnecessary errors when translating similarities and not realizing that many words mean something completely (or partially) different in Swedish. One usually calls these “false friends.” The examples are countless, but some I’ve recently encountered are: English: public | Swedish: allmänhet (not: publik, which means “audience”) English: not even | Swedish: inte ens (not: inte även, which means “not also”) English: number | Swedish: nummer and antal (the latter in e.g., the context of “a large number of people”)
English: copy | Swedish: kopia and exemplar (kopia made in the copy machine while the latter refers to e.g., “borrowing your copy” of the text book) Difficulties in grammar for English speakers (and actually all students) are exemplified here: • The Swedish reverse word sequence - the verb comes before the noun as opposed to English (English: Then he came = Swedish: Sedan kom han - “Then came he”) • The double identifier - Swedish has a definite standalone article before and a specific ending after a definite noun (English: the little house = Swedish: det lilla huset - House=Hus) • Prepositions (English: in a year = Swedish: om ett år) and particles (the small words which resemble prepositions but belong to a verb) are also a general difficulty (English: hold = Swedish: hålla i ) (English: love, be fond of = Swedish: hålla av) (English: be busy with =Swedish: hålla på) In pronunciation, some sounds are particularly difficult like the vowels ‘u’ (hus, hund = house, dog in English), ‘y’ (by = village in English) and ‘a’ (hat = hate in English) as well as our sje- och tje-ljud (skina/Kina = shine/China in English). In English the unstressed end vowels are often pronounced about the same - which is perceived like the ö-sound for a Swede (e.g., barber, scholar, collar) - while one in Swedish must distinguish between the pronunciation of, for example, the ‘e’ and ‘a’ in pojkar (boys), vänner (friends), pratar (talking) sjunger (singing).
A recurring difficulty for English speakers, as witnessed by several of my students, is that Swedes generally are so fond of practicing their English that a student from the U.S. doesn’t get the opportunity to practice their new language: Swedish. At the slightest hesitation, the Swede fills in what he expects the English-speaking second language student wants to say. On the other hand, some with English as a mother tongue become a bit “lazy” because they know they can likely be understood despite language mistakes, and they sometimes mix Swedish and English in a fascinating way. Many Swedes may think that this language mix is quite functional, maybe even charming - and also reasonably understandable. (Compare with Swedish immigrants’ “Swenglish” in the U.S.) The ability to acquire a new language such as Swedish varies greatly between different students, and their mother tongue / first language is just one factor of many. Age, motivation, language skills (whatever that means) and knowledge of other foreign languages are at least as important as well as the learning situation and the teacher. Urban Östberg teaches Swedish at the Institutionen för Svenska och Flerspråkighet at Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden.
Urban Östberg has taught Swedish as a foreign or second language for many years, mainly at universities in Sweden and abroad, and only for adult students. He says, “the main difference between older and younger learners is that adults learn a new language in a more conscious and structured way, while children are more intuitive and subconscious in their learning process.” At present Urban Östberg teaches Swedish at the Institutionen för Svenska och Flerspråkighet at Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden. For more info, see www.su.se/svefler/
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Perhaps Midsummer is the easiest of all Swedish holidays when it comes to food because the menu is practically a given: matjes herring, spring potatoes with sour cream and chives. For dessert it’s simply fresh strawberries with whipped cream.
Midsummer ... Recipes & photos: Gunilla Blixt (www.gunillablixt.se) In the beginning, the Roman Catholic Church celebrated June 24, Midsummer Day, in commemoration of the birthday of John the Baptist. After the Reformation the tradition continued, and Midsummer Day was celebrated on June 24 until 1953. After that, Midsummer Day became a rotating holiday, falling on the first Saturday after the summer solstice. The custom of decorating a maypole and gathering to dance and play on Midsummer dates way back. Midsummer Eve was filled with mysticism. Young maidens picked 7 (or 9 depending on the custom) different sorts of flowers to put under their pillows in order to dream of their future husband that night. In some areas special herbs and flowers were collected during Midsummer with the belief that their medicinal powers were enhanced. For the sake of good health, one gladly took a drink from 16 NORDSTJERNAN
a cold spring. Around Midsummer, and in northern Sweden especially, cows were put out to pasture and farmers seriously began to get under way with milking once again. It was around this time you made the first processed sour cream of the season. Midsummer isn’t Midsommar without its traditions, but a few tasty additions to the smörgåsbord keep the celebration fresh and delicious. Some time ago, food writer Gunilla Blixt whipped up ideas for a modern Midsommar picnic. She says few Swedes make their own herring at home nowadays. Although few things beat the homemade variety when compared with the commercial varieties we find abroad, it’s different in Sweden where tasty, prepared products are available for purchase at local delis and food markets. All selfrespecting food companies, however,
also offer their own products, some with special editions only for Midsummer. The food writer and chef simply buys Abba herring in a jar and decorates it nicely rather than spending a lot of extra time in the kitchen. “When it’s time to go to the meadow for the dancing of Små Grodorna around the maypole, the picnic basket is brought with us. We love to bake a pastry roll filled with sweet strawberries, sliced up and ready to eat on the blanket for dessert. We add whipped cream from a can or a disposable piping bag … and sometimes with small Swedish flags.” This is the most magical day of the year - the sun doesn’t set, and the day simply spills into night and then into the next day. It’s a day for spending time together, so perhaps limiting your time in preparations is the right thing to aim for. “In the evening we gather for a bar-
becue,” Blixt continues. “Seafood is becoming increasingly popular to put on the grill. As a starter we can have smoked shrimp, bought from the fish shop. We just make a small bowl with aluminum foil, put the shrimp in it and heat them for a few minutes, to make a small appetizer. And not so different from the tradition is a main course of roasted, quick-cured gravlax, served with roasted vegetables and a dill cream.”
Gunilla Blixt’s recipes for sill and grill with a modern twist:
Potato Plate 8 servings
2 pounds potatoes (1 kg) 1 onion 1 bunch chives (20 g) 1 bunch dill (20 g)
This dish is prepared while the potatoes are still hot - with a nice serving of eggs and aromatic herbs on a large plate. There’s no dressing; the idea is to serve it together with sour cream and various pickled herrings. 4 hard boiled eggs salt and ground white pepper pickles herring
- Cut the potatoes to a small, uniform size so they have the same cooking time. Boil them soft in lightly salted water. Pour off the water and steam the potatoes. - Peel and finely chop the onion, cut chives small, coarsely chop the dill. - Peel the eggs and cut them into quarters. - Assemble the potatoes and eggs on a large serving plate. Add onion, chives and dill just before serving. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
BBQ quick-cured salmon and dill cream 4 servings
This is not a curing in the proper sense, so the salmon should not be eaten without cooking it first. Of course it is perfectly acceptable to broil salmon in a pan on the stove. In Sweden we can now buy smetana, Russian sour cream, and it’s delicious for making dill cream. 1-1/3 pounds salmon fillet with skin (600 g) 1 bunch dill 1 lemon 2 tablespoons salt 3 tablespoons sugar 2 pinches coarse crushed white pepper
Dill cream: 1/2 cup crème fraiche (2 dl) 1 garlic clove 1/4 cup chopped dill (1 dl) 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 pinch ground black pepper You also need: a coffee filter
- Begin by pouring the crème fraiche for the dill cream in the coffee filter and let it drain for 2 hours. - Coarsely chop the dill for the salmon, even the stems. Rub the salmon with salt, sugar and pepper. Sprinkle with dill. - Place the salmon with its skin side up in a form with edges. Put in refrigerator for about 2 hours. - Add the crème fraîche in a bowl. Peel the garlic and grate it down. Stir in the dill and season with oil, salt and pepper. Set cool for serving. - Divide lemon and rub the grill rack with it. Cut the salmon into serving pieces and place it on the grill skin side down. Grill the fish until skin begins to loosen. Cook until ready on the other side. - Serve the salmon with vegetables and dill cream. Tip: Another way is to cut the fish into cubes and roast them on skewers. Stick two skewers through each, so the fish won’t fall apart when you turn them.
Dressing up purchased herring Horseradish Herring: Decorate pickled herring with horseradish, diced apple and finely chopped fresh tarragon. Romsill: Add sour cream and caviar to herring. Garnish with sprigs of dill. Tomato Herring: Decorate pickled matjes herring with chopped red onion, finely chopped tomato, coarsely ground black pepper and dill. JUNE 15, 2018 17
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Take-away pastry 10 servings
Pastry roll: 3 eggs 2/3 cup of sugar (1-1/2 dl) 2/3 cup of flour (1-1/2 dl) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon water
Did you know the Thursday prior to Midsummer is the worst day to visit Systembolaget (the only retail store in Sweden allowed to sell alcoholic beverages that contain more than 3.5% alcohol)? And the grocery stores aren’t much better, you’re likely to find yourself in a swarm of other customers doing last-minute shopping. Here’s more Swedish Midsummer in numbers: Alcohol: More than one out of 10 Swedes is expected to visit Systembolaget the Thursday before Midsummer, the day Systemet has the most customers of the entire year. Sales during the week before Midsummer are close to 50% higher than a normal week, counted in pure alcohol. The sales of spiced liquor 18 NORDSTJERNAN
(“kryddat brännvin”) is seven times higher before Midsummer, just slightly less than before Christmas. Swedes prefer to have OP Andersson Aquavit, Skåne Aquavit and Gammel Dansk in their schnapps glasses. However, beer sells more than any other alcohol, and the most popular brands have traditionally been the all Swedish Sofiero Original, Mariestads Export and Norrlands Guld. Schnapps songs: The interest in schnapps songs increases around Midsummer. In previous years close to 10,000 schnapps song booklets have been downloaded from Spritmuseum during Midsummer week, which is 18 times more than during a normal week. Since every booklet
Filling: 1/2 pound strawberries (250 g) 1-1/4 cups of whipping cream (3 dl) 1 teaspoon vanilla seeds Garnish: 1/2 cup of whipping cream (2 dl) 2/3 pound strawberries (150 g) You also need: Greaseproof paper, disposable piping bag, 10 small Swedish flags
contains eight songs, that converts to 80,000 schnapps songs. The most popular? You guessed it, “Helan går.”
would have to spend up to 2,500 SEK ($300) a kilo; around Midsummer you can get them for under 4-5 SEK (50 cents) a kilo.
Food: Midsummer is one of Sweden’s greatest food holidays, and according to estimates herring, strawberries, fresh potatoes and grill meat will be sold to the tune of roughly 6 billion SEK ($750 million), which is over 10% more than during a normal week.
Traditional celebration: If you’re dying to do the “Små grodorna” dance on Midsummer, then a sure way to be able to do so is to find a “hembygdsförening,” an association that concerns itself with traditional culture and local cultural heritage. These associations arrange traditional Midsommar celebrations in 800 places around Sweden, sometimes drawing as many as 350,000 visitors.
Herring: The most popular kind of herring for Midsummer is the Matjes herring, 80% of this type is consumed during Midsummer. In total 1,500 tons of herring is being served during Midsummer. Potatoes: Potatoes are needed for the herring, and Midsummer Eve is the year’s biggest day for the potato. Normally, the daily potato consumption in Sweden is 1,000 tons, but when it is being served in the shade of the Maypole, the intake increases approximately 150%. When the first fresh potatoes are sold, usually at the end of April or early May, you
Strawberries: At this time of year, 96% of Swedes eat strawberries. Swedish strawberries are preferred.
Traffic: Expect traffic to increase 50% over the Midsummer weekend, accidents too. On average seven people die in traffic-related accidents during Midsummer, and around 300 get hurt, two-thirds of whom are men. Looking for something in Sweden? www.hembygd.se (to find the nearest Hembygdsförening for a traditional celebration) www.systembolaget.se (to find supplies for Midsummer ahead of time) www.spritmuseum.se (to download the songs. Then again, few things are better when it comes to the traditional Swedish songs than the two Nordstjernan best sellers: “The Very Best of Swedish Schnapps Songs” and “Chasing Snaps-Songs”)
- Preheat oven to 475°F (250°C). Add parchment paper in a roasting pan. Add another baking paper on a baking tray and sprinkle with sugar. Pastry roll: - Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Mix together the flour and baking powder and stir into the batter along with the water. Spread the batter onto the paper in the pan. - Bake in center of oven for about 5 minutes. Turn the cake on the sugared baking paper. - Remove the paper the cake is baked on. It is easier if the back of the paper is brushed with cold water. Allow the cake to cool in the roasting pan. Filling: - Clean and cut the strawberries into slices or chunks. Pour the cream into a bowl and add the vanilla seeds. Whip the cream until stiff and mix with strawberries. - Spread the mixture over the cake and roll up into a tight roll with the help of baking parchment. - Cut the roll into 10 slices and pack them with greaseproof paper between each layer in container with a lid. Put in refrigerator until time for packing. Garnish: Whip the cream and put it in a disposable piping bag. Rinse the strawberries and store them separately. Refrigerate until time for packing.
Most Swedish of all? Små Grodorna “Små grodorna,” the children’s song sung at Midsummer and Christmas is also Swedish. It seems to have been created at Nääs Castle outside Floda in Västergötland around the turn of the century (not the latest one) in the wake of the national romantic movement. “This song has spread all over the world,” according to Tora Wall, a folkloristic researcher at the Nordiska Museum in Stockholm. “And it was probably written by a woman named Inez Mallander, who published “Sånglekar från Nääs” in 1922. In conjunction with the song text there’s a reference to performance per instruction by Mallander and the going theory is that the song was created during a student project at the castle.
“Ej öron, ej öron …” Trust us, everybody does this—here’s an image from the late 1990s at the Midsummer celebration in lower Manhattan with former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt (center) in the midst of a crowd performing the dance.
Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se. Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se. Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de. Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de. Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack ack kaa. Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
Translated: The little frogs, the little frogs are funny to observe. The little frogs, the little frogs are funny to observe. No ears, no ears, no tails do they possess. No ears, no ears, no tails do they possess. Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack ack kaa. Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
Just in case you’re unfamiliar and need to practice, here are the notes:
Onsite: Put pastry wedges on paper bowl or plates. Pipe the cream and decorate with strawberries and flags.
Life made Sweder: NORDSTJERNAN Call 1.800.827.9333 ext. 10 or order online, at www.nordstjernan.com for your own subscription.
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En route to the traditional June 6 celebration at Skansen in Stockholm. TRH Crown Princess Victoria with Prince Daniel and Prince Carl Philip with Princess Sofia, both of the princesses in the Sverigedräkten, the Sweden costume. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Blue and yellow: the Swedish national costume To one degree or another, we knew we had Queen Silvia to thank for bringing the Sweden costume into fashion when she wore it on June 6, 1983, the first time Sweden’s National Day* was celebrated. The concept of a Swedish national costume can actually be traced back to the 18th century. It was originally designed and introduced by King Gustav III in 1778 as Svenska Nationella Klädedräkten (the Swedish National Costume)**. He intended it to be worn by the nobility and middle class in a move to curb exorbitant spending on fashion. This reform, that stressed the importance of getting Swedes to stop emulating expensive foreign fashions, also stirred an interest in national romance in other countries. The French author and philosopher Voltaire expressed his admiration for the Swedish king while some other nations in Europe made fun of the king’s initiative. Both the female and male costumes had specific color requirements for court functions: black with red trim for daily wear, and light blue with white trim for formal occasions. Other persons were free to choose their own color combinations as long as they maintained the two-tone design. 20 NORDSTJERNAN
After the death of King Gustav III, it became the official uniform worn at court by ladies in waiting and a customary dress for women formally presented at Court. Over the years, the female costume followed the fashion of the era, except for its collar and vertically striped sleeves, and a specific color rule of black or very dark blue with white trim. It ended up with lasting effect, although modified several times, as the official costume of the Royal Court. The male costume had more original designs and included details from the Renaissance and the Caroline period of Swedish history. It was worn at Court and by many officials during the reigns of Gustav III and his son Gustav IV Adolph. Eventually it had more limited use as a sort of folk costume for townsmen in Stockholm.
Shifts in society
While the national costume was worn by the nobility and middle class, the majority of Swedes were farmers living in different regions of the country. Each region had distinct characteristics, but the peasants built their houses in the same fashion and ate the same food. In order to be distinct, every
18th century national costume
province had its own style of clothing, with every village displaying its history and culture through its outfits. By the late 19th century, though, as development in Sweden accelerated, the peasant community was starting to wear more factory-made clothing and saving their folk costumes for festive occasions. And while the folk costume was increasingly considered a symbol of the old farming community, some settlements kept the older clothes far into the 20th century. But in 1902, Märta Palme Jörgensen of Falun founded the Svenska Kvinnliga Nationaldräktsföreningen (Swedish Women’s National Costume Association), which shifted ideals from “foreign fashions’ domination” yet again. She had worked with Crown Princess Victoria of Baden (who eventually reigned with her husband King Gustaf V until her death in 1930), who advocated for folk costumes and wanted her servants at Tullgarn Palace to wear the local Tullgarn folkdräkt (folk costume). As a gardener at Tullgarn, Jörgensen loved the freedom the dress gave her compared to long, corseted dresses that were in fashion. This inspired her to start the association, urging members to wear their costumes. It became fashionable to wear costumes – and even Queen Victoria would wear Ölandsdräkten when she was at Solliden on Öland and the Vingåkersdräkt at Tullgarn. It wasn’t long before the association recognized the need for men’s costumes and the villages that lacked them. On the advice of Carl Larsson, whose wife Karin designed folk costumes for areas in Dalarna, Jörgensen contacted Gustaf Ankarcrona, who helped design the national Sweden costume for women in the Art Nouveau style of the time. Anders Zorn was also part of the production, which had an overarching aim to produce a practical costume that could be worn by all women. The costumes included the appropriately symbolic daisies, the yellow and blue of Sweden’s new flag (adopted in 1906) and life-giving red. World War II brought about another change and the costumes fell into disuse again. It wasn’t until the mid-1970s, when the Nordic Museum in Stockholm saw a copy of the costume - at the time of unknown origin - from a woman in Leksand. Their search for the costume brought in several other preserved costumes and a men’s version in the same style was developed. Soon a new wave of interest in folk costumes emerged. In some geographical areas, there were still elders wearing apparel according to old costume. Some towns, however, no longer had the appropriate materials for replicating the village costume, a discovery that prompted interest in designing completely new costumes.
Reviving national romance
Then, in 1983, Queen Silvia wore the blue and yellow costume on Sweden’s National Day, the Sweden costume became the nation’s official dress and gained instant popularity again, nearly 80 years after its conception. Nowadays the blue and yellow national costume is worn by royal women on some official occasions, representing the whole country. Men’s costumes are available in the same colors, but that version is not used as often on official events. Both women’s and men’s costumes are used for private celebrations. In the United States, we see more young boys wearing the male costume than their counterparts in Sweden; certainly many American girls and women wear the blue and yellow outfit during Swedish celebrations on this side of the Atlantic, too. And there are many Swedes in America and Swedish Americans who proudly wear the provincial or village folkdräkter from the regions of their ancestors. Queen Silvia - and all the royal princesses - often wear the Sweden costume, and Crown Princess Victoria now also has a brand new Vadsbo dress as she is the Duchess of Västergötland. *Prior to 1983, June 6 was celebrated as Svenska Flaggans Dag (the Swedish Flag Day). It didn’t become an The beautiful apron of the Vadsbo costume of Västergötland official Swedish public holiday until 2005, replacing Annandag Pingst (Whit Monday). **Sometimes also referred to as “the first” Swedish national costume. To separate the two very different costumes we refer to the today well-known blue and yellow version as the Sweden costume or Sweden dress. Male versions of the Sweden costume (left) and a modern take on the national costume based on the 18th century Nationella dräkten or Svenska Nationella klädedräkten, right. Photo: Southerly Clubs of Stockholm.
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Gustav II Adolf’s statue above is a bronze sculpture by Bengt Erland Fogelberg, built in 1854 at Gustaf Adolfs Torg in central Gothenburg. The statue of Gothenburg’s oldest public artwork depicts Gustav II Adolf pointing with his right hand down to the square while looking into the distance, and depicting the intended occasion when the king supposedly pronounced “Here’s the city to lie!” The socket inscription reads: For / King Gustaf Adolf the Great / Götheborg’s founder / by the city’s inhabitants / in 1849.
Sweden in the Baltic states Sweden controlled so much land in the Baltic in 1648 that it was the third largest country in Europe after Russia and Spain. It wasn’t until the 1721 Treaty of Nystad that Sweden lost the territories of what is now Estonia, Latvia and part of Russia, but Swedish influences remain strong today. Next time you visit Stockholm, take a ferry to Tallinn and explore the Baltic states. ”Kung Karl den unge hjälte han stod i rök och damm” (King Karl the young hero he stood in smoke and dust). - the first lines in Esaias Tegnér’s poem ”Karl XII” Sweden’s King Karl XII became a king in 1697 at age 15 and from that point he did little else than make war – mostly in the east. He kept busy keeping the Swedish Empire he inherited intact. But Russia’s Peter the Great had other plans. The Swedish Empire was the territory around the Baltic Sea that the Kingdom of Sweden had control of during the 17th and early 18th centuries, 22 NORDSTJERNAN
a time when Sweden was one of the great European powers. At some point in the 17th century Sweden controlled so much land that the Baltic Sea was almost a Swedish inland sea. As a result of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, when Karl X Gustav was king, Sweden became the third largest country in Europe after Russia and Spain. Today Sweden is the fifth largest after Russia, Ukraine, France and Spain. Estonia, the “Duchy of Estonia,” belonged to Sweden for 160 years until 1721, when at the Treaty of Nystad, Sweden lost all their territories in what is now Estonia, Latvia and part of Russia. Ingria (Ingermanland), now Russia at the Gulf of Finland, around today’s St. Petersburg, was a “Dominion of the Swedish Empire” for a total of 116 years. It is on the ground of the Swedish town Nyen,
badly damaged in a Russian attack in 1656, that the Russian capital city St. Petersburg was founded in 1703. A great number of Swedish prisoners of war were involved in the building of the new city. Livonia (Livland), also a Dominion of the Swedish Empire, was Swedish for 92 years. This area included the southern half of today’s Estonia plus a big chunk of northern Latvia, including Riga, that at the time was Sweden’s second largest city after Stockholm. This period under the Swedish Crown— with the exception for wartime when especially Estonia got devastated—is still remembered as “the good old Swedish times.” At the south of the Baltic Sea, Sweden for some years in the 17th century controlled the cities of: Klaipeda, Lithuania (then Memel); Kaliningrad, Russia (then Pillau) and Elblag, Poland (then Elbing). Also Western Pomerania in Germany was controlled by Sweden, including the cities of Stralsund, Stettin, Bremen, Verden and Wismar. Stralsund, for instance, was Swedish for 160 year and Wismar for 155. In 1709 it started to go downhill for Karl XII.
He got defeated by Peter the Great (not that great for Karl XII!) in Poltava on June 28 and lost 6,900 Swedes in the battle. He faced 30,000 Russian soldiers while Sweden had only 9,500. This was the main blow to the Swedish Empire, resulting in the Treaty of Nyland in 1721. But Karl did not get war-weary. In 1716 and again in 1718 he invaded Norway. That was the end of Karl XII. On November 30 1718 he was shot and killed. One hypothesis claims he was shot by one of his own men.
Swedish Estonia
The Swedish speaking population in Estonia persisted for about 650 years. The first mention of Swedes in Estonia comes from 1294, from the town of Haapsulu; it is no wonder there are many Swedish influences in this country. Early church architecture here came mainly from Gotland, and the windmills on the islands Dagö and Ösel are almost identical to those on Öland. Many towns in western Estonia and on the islands have Swedish-like names, such as Hosby (Husby), Einbi (Enby), Österby and Kersleti (Kärrslätt). There were many new establishments under the Swedish rule. The University of Tartu, Estonia’s second largest, was founded by King Gustav II Adolf in 1632, modeled after the University of Uppsala. A year earlier came Gustav Adolf Grammar School in Tallinn. The Swedes also created a Court of Appeal in Tartu. Tallinn’s medieval Toompea Castle in the Old Town suffered a disastrous fire in 1684, and it was Swedish architects who did the reconstruction. They also added a system of bastions to the fortification. And the Commander’s house, built by Swedes in 1690, is located there beside the main gate of the Toompea Castle. Karl XII as Peter the Great also stayed there, though not at the same time.… Let’s go further back in time. St. Birgitta of Sweden founded the Brigettines nuns and monks of Vadstena, in the Swedish province of Östergötland. St. Birgitta convents were also founded in other places, such as on the banks of the Piriita River,
‘Stormaktstiden’ Gustav II Adolph, the founder of Göteborg is often also credited with having created the Swedish Empire (Stormaktstiden). His ascension to the throne in 1611 is considered the start of Sweden’s time as a great European power, and the end as the loss of territories in 1721 following the Great Northern War. However, Eric XIV (1533-1577) had already started to expand Sweden’s influence in the Baltic region by the conquest of Estonia in 1561 - the beginning of a process that resulted in Sweden becoming a great power in the 17th century. He was the eldest son of Gustav Vasa (1496–1560)
northeast of Tallinn. It was built in 1407, but destroyed by Russia’s Ivan the Terrible in 1577. But walls have survived and the ruins are a beloved venue for summer concerts. More Swedish architecture in Estonia can be found in Pärnu. The Tallinn Gate here is the only 17th century town wall gate in the Baltics. It once marked the beginning of the postal road to Tallinn and was called Carl Gustav’s Gate after the Swedish King Karl X Gustav. It was built around 1680 as part of a fortification system, designed by Erik Dahlberg, a Swedish fortification works architect. He designed and erected similar bastions in Narva and Riga. More Swedish influences in the architecture can be found on Kihnu Island, south of Pärnu. (And if you visit Pärnu and plan to stay overnight, stay at Inge Villa Bed & Breakfast, owned by a Swede and decorated so you feel you are in Sweden.) Estonia’s second largest island is Dagö (Hiiuma in Estonian). It has had a Swedish-speaking population since the 13th century. It was for a long time an important center for Swedes in Estonia. In the end of the 18th century—50 years after Estonia no longer belonged to Sweden— about 2,000 Swedes still lived there. And today the Estonian dialect on the island is still influenced by the Swedish language. Most people lived in the town of Kärrdal (Kärdla). Today it has a population of about 3,600 people of which only a handful consider themselves Swedish. In 1781 about 1,000 of the Swedes on Dagö were deported to Ukraine by Russia’s Catherine
the Second. These poor farmers had been enticed by the promise of better living conditions. During the extremely long walk to their new home “Gammalsvenskby” (literally “Old Swedish Village) or Verbivka is a part of Zmiivka at the Dnyepr River in south Ukraine, many of them died. After a year and a half only 135 people remained alive. The village still exists and there are 108 people there today who share a Swedish cultural heritage. The Swedish King and Queen visited Gammalsvenskby in 2008. Estonia’s largest island is Ösel (Saaremaa). During the Soviet Era the island had very little immigration of Russians and today the Russian population
and reigned for a short time, from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568 and replaced by his brother, Johan III, who reigned from 1568 until 1592. The son of Johan III, Sigismund (II Vasa), ruled Sweden for a short period of time, from 1592 until 1599 and was also King over Poland on the other side of the Baltic. His reign was not popular among Swedes and Karl IX, the youngest son of Gustav Vasa, who took over as king after a short period of civil war between 1597 and 1598. Sigismund remained king over Poland until his death. The oldest son of Karl IX was crowned upon the death of his father, and this grandson of Gustav Vasa reigned in Sweden from 1611 to 1632 under the name Gustav II Adolph. The founder of the city of Göteborg is regarded as one of the greatest
military commanders of all time and is often also credited for the founding of Sweden as a European great power. After his death at the battle of Lützen he was succeeded by his daughter, Queen Christina. She abdicated and left for Rome in 1654 and was succeeded by her cousin, Karl X Gustav, who died early from illness in 1660 and was succeeded by his only son, Karl XI who reigned until his death in 1697. His son, Karl XII assumed power at the age of 15 and reigned until his death in Fredrikshald, Norway in 1718. His reign marked the end of absolute monarchy in Sweden and as his younger sister Ulrika Eleonora became Queen after him most powers were relinquished to the Ståndsriksdagen, the Riksdag of the Estates.
Continues on page 25
JUNE 15, 2018 23
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The Estonian windmills are almost identical to those on Öland, Sweden.
Continued from page 23 is less than 3 percent compared with more than 40 percent in Tallinn. Many Swedes also lived on Ösel, but after the Swedish loss in 1721 to Russia the Swedish language disappeared more and more. In today’s Estonia there are more than 2,000 registered companies with some Swedish ownership. And about 75,000 Swedish tourists come to Estonia each year.
Swedish Latvia
Latvia is quite close to Sweden, less than 100 miles from Gotland. After the Polish-Swedish War in 16211625 Livonia became a very important dominion – paying for one third of the war costs. The Swedish period of almost 100 years is generally remembered as positive. Serfdom was eased, schools were established for the peasants and the power of the regional barons was diminished. This was all reversed by Peter the Great after the 1721 Treaty of Nystad. It was not until the end of the 18th century that Latvia recovered, but it still belonged to Russia. In 1710 Riga became the last city in the Baltic area to fall, after the remaining Swedish forces had been evicted after Poltava. At this time Peter the Great for a while seriously considered moving the Russian capital to Riga. Kuldiga was the capital of Kurland (Duchy of Courland). In 1702 the town was captured by the
Swedish Army and the fortified castle, Kuldiga Castle, was destroyed by Karl XII. The king himself stayed at a 17th century house in the center of Kuldiga. We know he did not travel light: He left behind his remarkable sized clothes chest, which is still there; it measures 52” x 85” and is 42” high. “The Swedish Hat” is a recreational center near Kandava in western Latvia. It is said to have been built over the final resting place of a Swedish military commander and his wife during the Swedish War. Swedish soldiers carried soil in their hats to heap on the graves.
Tallinn Gate in Pärnu, from about 1680. The gate may have been constructed to designs by Erik Dahlbergh during the time of Swedish rule of Estonia.
Lithuania
Lithuania is historically different from the other two Baltic States: It was never, except for the seaport of Klaipeda, a Swedish territory. It was partly devastated by the Swedish Army during the Northern Wars 1655-1661, however. Klaipeda, formerly called Memel, at the coast of the Baltic Sea was owned by Sweden for several periods during the Polish-Swedish War of 1625–1629 and the Thirty Years’ War. Swedes may have made some impact in Klaipeda, since one of its oldest restaurants is called “Stora Antis.” A visit is recommended! Göran Rygert
King Karl XII did not travel especially light. This is his luggage, left behind in Kuldiga, Latvia in the beginning of the 18th century. What you see in the photo is only half of the size of the chest. A later owner of the house built a wall across the chest. JUNE 15, 2018 25
local events
Roofing of the Goats
For the sixth year in a row, the Roofing of the Goats Parade kicked off Door County’s summer season in its tongue-in-cheek fashion on June 6. The inspiration? The cute, distracted but lovable goats of Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, Door County Creamery and local goat farms. For various reasons, goats in general have recently garnered a lot of attention, but it started with Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant years ago, when a birthday prank famously started with putting goats on the restaurant’s green sod roof in 1973. Now the Creamery has over 100 milk-producing goats and Al Johnson’s keeps several dozen goats on a local farm (where its goat barn features a live feed of soothing Wisconsin Public Radio broadcasts, and no goat, we are assured, is ever forced to play on the roof if it doesn’t choose to, and goats are never up on the roof in inclement weather. We wouldn’t make our kids play outside in bad weather, and neither does Al Johnson’s). After an auspicious start in 2013 when the first
parade featured no goats due to high winds, sleet and snow (see previous paragraph), the annual event has doubled in attendance with every year. As usual, this year’s parade started along Hwy 42, just down the road from Door County Creamery, and then moved south to Al Johnson’s, where some
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goats were led up to the sod roof. This year, $10 “goat drop stickers” were available throughout town as a fundraiser for a local food pantry: If a goat pooped on your sticker during the parade, you could have won a brand-new Trek bike or a $100 gift certificate from Al Johnson’s Butik. At noon, after the goats were on the roof or found another patch of grass to munch, humans enjoyed the Goat Fest at Stabbur Beer Garden, right next door to the restaurant. It featured live music, kids’ games, various beverages, a Swedish Pancake Eating Contest, and the first, highly competitive Goatee Contest. It was another fun year for the Roofing of the Goats, and you’ll be happy to know you can view the goats all season on the streaming-video Goat Cam at www.aljohnsons.com/goat-cam
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art and culture
The Vinland Map: 50 years of controversy
For generations, the Norse told sagas about their ancestors’ adventures—how Vikings had traveled from Norway to Iceland and then to Greenland, which was colonized by Erik the Red. The Graenlendinga Saga tells how Erik’s son, Leif Ericson, went westward and found three regions, including Vinland, which, according to the sagas, should have happened around year 1000. The exhibit The Vikings Begin: Treasures from Uppsala University, Sweden opened on May 19 at Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut, the same day Science, Myth, and Mystery: The Vinland Map Saga also opened. When the Vinland Map was first unveiled by Yale University in October 1965, it immediately became one of the most valuable and controversial documents in the world. Dated by Yale to about 1440, this map of the world drawn in ink on parchment (animal skin treated to become a writing surface), shows on the far western edge, a large island called vinlanda insula, Latin for Vinland (today’s Newfoundland), the mysterious land discovered by Viking explorer Leif Ericson around the year 1000. Yale chose to reveal the map on October 11, 1965, a date between Leif Ericson Day on Oct. 9 and Columbus Day on Oct. 12. The news burst in certain groups in America and the rest of the world, especially among Italians and Italian-Americans. U.S. citizens had been taught that Columbus was the first European to reach North America. The map suggests the Norsemen knew the New World existed before Columbus set sail – an incendiary claim. Many Americans were caught by surprise. Soon, Yale University received angry letters from the public. “Twenty-one million Americans will resent this great insult to Columbus. Especially released on a day that we’re honoring him,” John La Corte, founder and president of the Italian Historical Society of America, told media. Cartoons were published around the world poking fun at the alleged slight toward Columbus; there
The Vinland map is claimed to be a 15th-century mappa mundi with unique information about Norse exploration of North America.
were protests and Yale students burned effigies of the map on campus. There was also a genuine interest among some groups, however. Teachers and students were curious and wanted more information about the map, and the American-Scandinavian Foundation printed a special edition of the Vinland Map and distributed it for free to its members.
The origin of the Vinland Map
The map first appeared in 1957 bound together with a 16-page book called Tartar Relation, which in Latin describes a visit to the Mongol Empire in 1245-47 by
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two Christian monks. In 1957, an Italian rare book dealer offered to sell the volume to Laurence Witten, a rare book dealer in New Haven, Connecticut. Witten purchased the volume for $3,500. Later, he acquired a volume of a medieval text, Speculum Historiale, which seemed to once have been bound with the Vinland Map and Tartar Relation; Witten proved this by matching up wormholes found in Speculum Historiale and Tartar Relation. In 1959, Witten offered to sell the two volumes to the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. Curators Alexander Vietor (who Continues on next page
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art and culture would later become a trustee at Mystic Seaport Museum) and Thomas Marston, who previously had been shown the Vinland Map by Witten, turned down his offer, as the library could not afford to buy them. On Yale’s advice, Paul Mellon, a Yale alumnus and philanthropist, bought the volumes for an unknown sum that was reported to be between $300,000 and $1 million. To determine the authenticity of the volumes, Yale set up a research team of Vietor and Marston, and two curators at the British Museum in London, R.A. Skelton and George Painter. After years of research, the four scholars reported back to Mellon in 1964 that the volumes were, indeed, medieval. Mellon donated the volumes to Yale the following year. The Vinland Map Saga explores the moment the map was released and public response, how experts around the world reacted, and how scientists concluded the map is a forgery. Ironically, although the map is not medieval, there is now archaeological evidence of Norse contact with Newfoundland around the year 1000. “The map allows us to tell a story about how Americans connect to Norse culture. It serves as a bridge between the artifacts on display in The Vikings Begin, and our passion for Viking culture today,” said Nicholas Bell, senior vice president for Curatorial Affairs at Mystic Seaport Museum. This is the first time the map has been publicly displayed in the U.S. outside of New Haven in 50
28 NORDSTJERNAN
years. The Vinland Map Saga, which runs until September 30, is made possible in partnership with the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. Göran R. Buckhorn
Yale’s Vinland Map on display at Mystic Seaport Museum, May 2018. Photo: HuMcCulloch. For more info, see www.mysticseaport.org
news in brief
Swedish News Personal fuel supply
A chemistry professor who works in Finland and Sweden has developed fuel based entirely on biomass. Professor Jyri-Pekka Mikkola of Åbo Akademi in Turku, Finland and Umeå University in Sweden says the new fuel, which can be used in any engine, is made by combining water and ethanol in a catalyst. “If we consider how ethanol is made, it’s simply sugar, and that is the most common form of biomass these days. You can use food waste, agricultural waste, old newspapers – almost anything which contains sugars that can be fermented into ethanol,” he says. The result is a fuel with a higher octane than petrol or diesel, and made on a scale and cost that is considerably cheaper than setting up an oil refinery. Mikkola says taxi or trucking firms could even produce their own fuel locally. The first container-sized fuel producing facility is expected to be assembled in a few months.
Dynamic AI hub in Sweden
Peter Eriksson, Sweden’s Minister for Digital Development, is setting up a leading international environment in Artificial Intelligence (AI), a collaboration launched on May 16. Through this initiative, a broad spectrum of organizations from healthcare, academia, industries and the public sector can collaborate on the Data Factory & Arena, established in Gothenburg, accelerating AI-related applied research and innovation. This puts Sweden among the international leaders in Artificial Intelligence, Eriksson says: “It will significantly strengthen our country and companies’ competitiveness in many areas. We are now taking decisive steps to make Sweden a global leader in AI that attracts the brightest minds in the field via collaboration between academia, industry and the public sector.”
Recycling wastewater
A variety of retailers and select bars and festivals will soon be selling PU:REST, a brew created to
Sun curves stop trains
The end of May broke some records in Sweden: Gothenburg reached 31.1°C (88°F), the highest temperature measured in May in Sweden in over 100 years. The heat wave caused the Swedish Transport Administration to break a record for stopping weekend trains between Gothenburg and Stockholm, too. The extreme heat caused the potential for extensive solkurvor (“sun curves”) in the steel tracks, causing them to expand and bend — they have been known to resemble boiled spaghetti — to a point that increased the risk of accidents. Travelers has to choose other modes of transport on a weekend when there would have otherwise been more train travel than usual given many major events in both cities, including the Stockholm Marathon, and the Summerburst music festival in Gothenburg. raise awareness for sustainable water treatment. The new beer was launched in Sweden on May 25: Nya Carnegiebryggeriet brewery, Carlsberg and the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL) collaborated to produce the beer made from organic malt, hops … and recycled wastewater - the purification for which happens at Sweden’s Hammarby water treatment plant. The Swedes aren’t first to do this; in 2017, American brewers in Denver and San Diego were boasting sustainable beers on tap made exclusively from recycled wastewater.
Geoblocking technology
After five people were killed and 14 injured in a 2017 truck attack in Stockholm, Sweden is rolling out new technology to prevent acts of vehicular terrorism from ever happening again – in Stockholm and perhaps around the globe. With the help of GPS, a geoblocking technique has been developed that in tests has shown it can prevent a ve-
hicle from being hijacked and physically limit its speed to prevent it from entering certain areas
U.S. upgrades Swedish arms
As Sweden modernizes its armed forces, it is expected to soon close a deal with U.S. arms maker Raytheon to buy the Patriot air defense missile system. Sweden’s current air defense system, which is over a decade old, would benefit from the four firing units, parts, training and an undisclosed number of missiles that are included in the contract, worth $1.13 billion with an option to expand the purchase to up to 300 missiles, totaling a final bill of about $3 billion. Delivery would start in 2021. So far, 15 other countries have purchased the Patriots, including NATO members Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Poland. Neutral Switzerland has said it is considering Patriot among other systems. The Swedish government has until August 10th to make a final decision on the deal.
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sports
Sweden wins again
Arriving back to Sweden the team was celebrated by 20-25,000 fans at Kungsträdgården in Stockholm.
Image source: twitter/trekronorse
No, Sweden wasn’t playing itself! Sweden was playing Switzerland – and won – to retain the world ice hockey title. Sweden had another chance to remind the world that it is not Switzerland as the two countries faced each other in the world championship game tiebreaker on May 20. The Tre Kronor capped a victorious run to defend its title in ice hockey by edging Switzerland 3-2 in the final after a penalty shootout. Forward Filip Forsberg scored the decisive goal to give Sweden a third world title in six years, and 11th overall. Switzerland had stunned Canada 3-2 in the semifinals after a 3-2 upset against Finland in the quarterfinals, then finished runner-up for the third time after 2013 and 1935. The United States topped Canada 4-1 to claim the bronze medal. Chris Kreider led the U.S. with two goals. “We wanted to win the gold medal, and here we are,” Sweden forward Viktor Arvidsson said. “It’s unbelievable, especially for Filip (Forsberg). He’s a great player, one of our top players. It’s unbelievable to win with my teammates.” Arvidsson, Forsberg and defenseman Mattias Ekholm joined the Swedish national team in ice hockey during the tournament after the Nashville Predators were eliminated from the NHL playoffs. The Tre Kronor were celebrated from the moment they won, coming back to Stockholm where 20,000 fans reportedly gathered to celebrate them, too. Team captain Mikael Backlund hoisted the World Championship trophy as the winners came out to greet the people and thank them for their support.
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