Folk Festivals in Sweden [Part II]

Báo Quốc Tế•21/05/2023

Sweden is a country that still preserves many agricultural and religious traditions, and has numerous folk festivals. Below, we introduce some more Swedish folk festivals.

Crayfish parties are an annual tradition in Sweden, where people gather to eat crayfish and spend quality time together. These parties typically take place in August and mark the end of summer. (Source: sweden.se)

April Fool's Day (April 1st): This is a day when all sorts of pranks are allowed. Children trick adults, "trap" them, and then sing:

April, April, silly herring

So I tricked my uncle...

At work, someone might be told to answer a phone call from number X...; naturally, it's a call from a stranger. The press might fabricate a very serious news story. On another occasion, television showed a method of transforming black and white images into color by stretching a piece of nylon stocking in front of the screen; viewers spent the whole evening trying, all for nothing.

By April 30th, spring had already arrived a few weeks earlier in the South, but not yet in the cold North. According to custom, April 30th is the day of the arrival of spring (Valpurgis), especially a student festival. In some cities with universities, particularly Uppsala, thousands of students, wearing white ceremonial caps, gather in the afternoon to listen to songs and speeches about spring; afterwards, they attend festivities organized throughout the city. People also often gather around bonfires called the Valborg Festival Fire to sing together.

+ May 1st: If April 30th is considered the spring festival in the city, then in the countryside, this celebration is held on May 1st (gatherings and outdoor entertainment). Nowadays, May 1st is also International Labor Day.

+ The Feast of the Ascension (Kristi Himmels fards dag): This feast commemorates Jesus' ascension to heaven 40 days after Easter; it is celebrated on the sixth Thursday after Easter. In the past, young people would go to church, go on picnics, and then dance in the rice paddies or outdoors. Nowadays, people also go outdoors; they wake up at 3-4 am and gather in the forest to listen to the cuckoo's song, possibly for the first time in the year. If the bird's song comes from the East or West, it is considered a good omen; if from the South or North, it is considered a bad omen. People bring coffee and bread, may play music or sing, or inaugurate the fishing season. Since 1938, this feast has also been known as the festival of the anti-alcoholism movement.

April 30th, the seventh Sunday after Easter, commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles of Jesus. Nowadays, people often organize outdoor gatherings and decorate their homes with branches and flowers. Many couples choose this day for their wedding ceremonies.

+ Mother's Day: The last Sunday of May (originally a custom in America, adopted in Sweden in 1919). On that day, houses are decorated, children bring breakfast to their mothers in bed, not letting them do anything, and present them with poems and songs. They apologize for not being very good and promise to be better. Those far away send letters and telegrams to congratulate their mothers. Because gifts are almost mandatory, the business community produces and sells many of these gifts.

+ National Day or Chess Day (June 6th): Sweden doesn't traditionally have a National Day, a grand celebration for the entire population like in other countries. At the end of the last century, Arthur Hazelius, the founder of the Skansen Open-Air Museum in Stockholm, proposed June 6th as a day of significant historical events: the coronation of King Gustav Vasa (1523); the declaration of the Constitution (1809); and the recognition of the national flag (1919). Since 1983, Chess Day has been marked by many new customs: schools participate, flags are displayed everywhere, and the king presents flags to various associations. In towns, there are parades, speeches, and music... The military aspect has gradually disappeared.

+ The Feast of Saint John - Summer Festival: This is a very important festival for a country with a cold climate that craves sunshine. It's also called the Midsommar, though not entirely accurate, as in Northern Europe, summer is just beginning in the north at that time. In the south, the sun only sets for a few hours; in the north, the sun doesn't set, shining all night.

June 24th is the feast day of St. John the Baptist. In the 1950s, the Swedish calendar was reformed; the feast day of St. John was set on the Saturday closest to June 24th.

On the morning before the holiday, people decorate their homes, churches, cars, meeting rooms, and dance halls with flowers, leaves, and branches. Each village and city erects a St. John's Column made of a large cross decorated with flowers and leaves; people dance around the column, and in the evening they continue dancing in the rice paddies or by the riverbank. City dwellers go to the countryside. Capital residents often visit the islands or the Skansen, an open-air museum with many old buildings.

The festive meal consists of herring with freshly dug potatoes cooked with dill; for dessert, strawberries. St. John's Eve is associated with many folk superstitions. If someone collects enough dew to fill a jar, it can be used as a cure for all ailments; certain leaves are also said to be very effective medicines. Young men and women gather seven or nine kinds of flowers from seven fields or seven lakeshores, make them into bouquets, and place them under their pillows. They will dream of their future spouse. They may also eat "herring in a dream" or "a bowl of soup in a dream."

+ The Shrimp Feast: This custom originated in the late 19th century, when the government banned shrimp fishing for a period each year. The day fishing was allowed again (the second Wednesday of August) became a festival. The following day, shrimp could be bought at the market and eaten at restaurants. People would arrange to gather on the terrace or balcony one evening after the festival, under folded lanterns. Everyone wore silly paper hats and bibs as they sat down to eat shrimp cooked with dill, served only with bread and cheese, and drinking beer or a glass of white wine. There were many toasting songs at this very Swedish festival.

[To be continued]

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