Sweden celebrates yet another Pagan festival

In preparation for Spring's arrival, the kids at Liv's school had a hat parade where they wore their finest/most unusual hats. They cleaned up the area around the school with trashbags and the like and in the end, had a big bonfire. You will find similar activites in other neighborhoods. Right around now, cleaning days have been established. At our new house last weekend the neighbors were busy picking up Spring trash, sweeping the streets, spurcing up the playground, building fences together etc. This weekend, my father-in-law's neighborhood will host a similar event. Us? We'll be working on our house project. No celebration there yet! Read below, it gives some good history...
Carrie



Valborg - Sweden blazes into springtime

Published: 30 Apr 08 16:00 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/3671/

Winter's over. Summer is just around the corner. That's as good a cause for celebration in Sweden as any, and the revelry on Valborgsmässoafton - Walpurgis Night - on April 30th gets pretty heated.

* Easter - when Sweden's witches come out to play (20 Mar 08)
* The Lowdown: Lucia (12 Dec 07)
* Swedish Christmas treat hit by Iranian harvest (4 Dec 07)

Intensely so, actually, as massive bonfires up and down the country honour an 8th-century German abbess, St. Walpurga, or Valborg in Swedish.

For those of you ready to point out that the Swedish calendar recognizes Valborg on May 1st, keep in mind that as the holiday contains the Swedish word ‘afton’, it is on the eve of Valborg’s Day that things get hot.

Despite its modern links to Christianity, Valborgsmässoafton, which has been celebrated in Sweden since the Middle Ages, is one of two Swedish holidays which still resemble their pre-Christian merrymaking. The other is Midsummer.

The original pagan festival heralded the onset of the growth season. It attempted to ward off evil, ensure fertility and cleanse the land of the dried and dead of winter. Today, it is still the accepted gateway to long and warmer days.

Few modern Swedes know, and even fewer care, much about the origins of the festival. Nevertheless, they cherish it.

Valborg, as it is fondly, and more conveniently, known, calls for a mountainous bonfire and a crowd. These enormous blazes are either organized by the local municipality or neighbourhood.

The larger, municipality-sponsored bonfires have a carnival-like atmosphere. The less flammable neighbourhood fires have a block-party enthusiasm.

Size doesn’t truly matter in a bonfire - you just have to find or ignite one. The imminent spring elates all and the community unites in spirit. Indeed, there's almost a spiritual feel to the gathering.

What happens at a typical Valborg brasa or bonfire? Bundled crowds of optimistic Swedes warm themselves facing the blaze. Mischievous children feed the fire with anything flammable they can drag and toss into the flames.

If you’re lucky you experience a most romantic experience where the crowd sings uplifting odes to the spring as they clutch their Valborg beer. These folksongs bring a nostalgic feel which reminds the outdoorsy Swede that better weather and coveted Swedish summer is soon upon them.

If you’re truly fortunate, this is your opportunity to hear some elderly, yet enthusiastic 'gubbe' - a certain sort of ageing Swedish chap - rally the crowd with his accordion. The rest of the year he is just the old man with the squeezebox, but today he is the music man, the centre of the party.

Valborg is one day - and they are few and far between in the Swedish calendar - when you can grab a strangers hand and skip and sing without recoil.

If you want the wild, student version then make the pilgrimage to Uppsala or Lund, the two biggest university towns in Sweden. Students guarantee your day will be filled with music, joviality and as much beer as you imagine. There are also rumours of nubile bodies rolling down hills. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

Pure tradition oozes at Stockholm's Skansen. The open air museum provides a backdrop of genuine Swedish countryside smack in the middle of downtown Stockholm.

However, the most intimate place to celebrate Valborg is close to home. Check your local newspaper or with your neighbours which local park will be lighting up a bonfire. After a long winter cooped up behind closed doors, a brotherly love extends throughout the neighbourhood.

This is your chance to get to know those people that barely lift their eyes at you the rest of the year. And besides, the old guy's pretty good on that squeezebox.

EA Fondelius (news@thelocal.se)
E

Carrie has a coronary!

Not raised on the metric system, I've had a hard time figuring out the conversion of certain things, and have relied on my husband to translate. Mattias informed me last week after I filled up the car again for over 900 kronor...that we are paying close to $7.00 a gallon for gas!

Civilförsvarsförbundet - Civil Defense

We had an interesting class yesterday at school. A man from the Civilförsvarsförbundet or Civil Defense society came to give a talk to our SFI classes. We learned about preparedness in case of War, catastrophe or natural disasters, plus who to call in case of emergency, similar to our 911. All in all, it was be prepared and what to have in case of the worst. And more importantly, help your neighbor.... Mattias was surprised that they still do these talks but I noticed he quickly pulled out the camp stove and filled several buckets of water when we had severe weather some weeks ago and were worried about losing power for some hours. His civil training combined with military training put him into survival mode. The man yesterday kept bringing up having water and dried coffee just in case. Yes, who can't do without a nice cup of coffee--and also a nice bar of chocolate to go with for extra energy!

It is Friday today. Hanna and I have the day off from school. She's catching up on toons, me laundry and this blog.

Our kitchen is being delivered today and will be installed next week along with other renovation finishing work. My task this weekend is to PAINT like a banshee. The girls are going with Grandma to her farm so we are freed up to have devoted time to do our house work. Our goal is to have the house complete (or in move in condition) before May 9th! That would be WONDERFUL!

Have a great weekend!
Carrie

A Spring Day at the Dagis

It's getting warmer in Sweden. The sun is shining more often here and the dreary days are getting longer and brighter. Today's set of pictures show Hanna's dagis. When I picked her up this day she was digging in the sandbox. Some other days when she is outdoors, she uses a saw, hammer,nails and paint to build things in the workshop. Other kids were playing with plants at the water tub. The forest behind the play area have not blossomed yet and things are still a bit brown. The dagis takes hikes in the forest one day a week. The play area outside is worn from play and when it rains, and it sometimes does often, the area gets muddy which makes rubber boats a necessity. The kids spend much of their time outdoors rain or shine. A friend said, "there is no bad weather in Sweden, only bad clothes". Kids are allowed to play in the water if they choose. After, they just go in and get a dry change of clothes. I'm very happy there are patient teachers willing to help out with this process as I know I'm less patient at home! At this dagis, we must have several changes of clothes, boots and outer wear. The first floor of the dagis houses the childrens clothing one one wall, and sets of rubber boots on another plus two well-used drying cabinets on another wall. There are kids aged 16 months old to age 6 that attend the dagis. Hanna is making new friends and loves it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See below for more pictures and new additions to the BLOG!

Spring in the Air!

 

 

 

 

I have some free time tonight and thought I'd plunk out some things while I have a chance. The last weeks we've had some seriously busy weeks. The weekend after Hanna's birthday was Påskvecka (Easter week) at the school and dagis. The kids celebrated by dressing as Påskskäring (Easter witches), a tradition from hundreds of years ago when some women were accused of being witches and they fled to an island called Blåkulla, on the East coast of Sweden.
After school we had Påsklov, (Easter break) and took a trip to the mountains in Jamtland where Mattias' family has a cabin. While the girls and I have been there many times, Mattias hadn't been there since I was pregnant with Liv. That's how many years? Well she's 6 1/2 now! I was anxious for him to spend time at his beloved childhood cabin as it's a place that we've come to love too. We packed the car and drove along with Ingrid in tow. The cabin itself is about a 12 hour drive from Göteborg so we made the first night stop in Mora, a lovely city in Dalarna, most famous for the Mora Vasaloppet ski race. We actually stayed at a hostel (vandrahem) that is on the line for the race. This was Easter week and apparently quiet in comparison as we were the only people inhabiting the entire hostel. It was great!! After a long car ride, the girls could run up and down the long hallway to burn off energy while we cooked tacos for dinner in the communal kitchen. Off to bed, we realized we had only brought 2 sets of sheets--enough for the girls. Luckily for Mattias and I, Ingrid had ironed and packed two tablecloths so we used those as bed sheets!
The next day we made it to Kolåsen by around 2:30 in the afternoon which gave us time to dig into the cabin since there we many feet of snow surrounding it and to unpack. The girls immediately put on their snow gear and headed outside, which for the most part of the week, is where they spent their time. The cabin sits on a hill which during the summertime is covered with wildflowers. In winter it's snow-racer, skier wonderland! We all enjoyed a bit of something whether cross country skiing, taking wild rides down hill on the spark (kick-sled), or as in Hanna's case, being pulled in the pulka, the same one Mattias rode in as a child. We spent Easter at the cabin and enjoyed a hefty meal washed down by snaps and a sweet marzipan freshly prepared by Ingrid and the girls for dessert. Mattias even took some relaxing time hemming his pants on the sewing machine.
We were not done with vacation yet. The tail end of the trip required a visit to Stockholm for Mattias' Great Uncle's 80th birthday party. Ingrid and Mattias' Dad's cousin, Gudrun, stayed in the apartment and our family stayed at a surprisingly nice vandrahem in the Söder section of Stockholm, just a short walk from the gathering being held the following day. We had pizza at Carl Axel and Åsa's on Friday night and we had time to stroll around Saturday morning before the party. Liv wanted some new pants as a sudden growth spurt has made her pants in to "floods"--something she was not too happy about. After the party we had the car packed and drove again a couple of hours to Ingrid's family farm where we spent the night at her house there. Up the next morning to look at a 250 year old army officer's farm that sits on some family land and needs work and TLC. Because of it's age and historic status it can't be torn down so could be considered a project for someone. Despite the mouse droppings inside, it sure was charming with the little house, small barn and playhouse. Hmmm?
We arrived back to Gbg. Sunday night and got ready for the week ahead. Mattias took this past week off to do some home projects and work and the girls and I got back into the school routine. At the end of the week, today, we officially bought the home we've been waiting to buy! It was the easiest process I've seen as Mattias literally signed only about 4 documents. This week he was already working with the carpenter to start some remodeling--this job yesterday was opening up a wall for french doors from our guest bedroom to the lr/dr area. I dropped Liv and Hanna off at their Grandma's for the weekend and since we have agreed on colors, I will start painting tomorrow. With any luck, we'll move in May.
So, the girls are with Grandma, Mattias is at the other house and I've just finished a frozen vegetarian falafel with chickpeas, a glass of 3.5% beer and a taste of chocolate pudding. Swedes have this fascination with sing-a-long show so I am watching a fairly good edition of one now after the Simpsons just wrapped up.
Think Spring!
Carrie