The Swedish North Star, continuously published since 1872. Price per copy $4.25 Volume 152 No. 18, December 15, 2024.
“Massacre of the Innocent,” by Castello Valerio (16241659), hangs at the Hermitage Museum in Russia.
Värnlösa barnens dag
Following Christmas celebrations, there’s also the lesser known “Värnlösa barns dag” (Massacre of the Innocents) recognized on December 28. The day has been celebrated since the 5th century to honor the children who were killed, according to the Gospel of Matthew, during King Herod’s hunt for the newly born Messiah. Matthew 2:16-18: “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more. This day was until 2000 called “Menlösa barns dag,” but the word “menlös” (innocent, harmless just as “värnlös”) had gotten a negative connotation.
december
December 15 Gottfrid
December 16 Assar
December 17 Stig
December 18 Abraham
December 19 Isak
December 20 Israel/Moses
December 21 Tomas
December 22 Natanael/Jonatan
December 23 Adam
December 24 Eva
December 25 Juldagen
December 26 Stefan/Staffan
December 27 Johannes/Johan
December 28 Benjamin
December 29 Natalia/Natalie
December 30 Abel/Set
December 31 Sylvester
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SCANDINAVIAN QUIZ
What Norse god bears a resemblance to Santa Claus, as he gallops through the sky with his eight-legged horse, Sleipner? A) Odin B) Balder C) Krister D) Thor
2 What two things meet at Strömmen in Stockholm? A) The King and Parliament B) salt and fresh water streams C) a cultural boundary between Sweden and Finland D) Santa Claus and Tomten
3 What is not another name for lingonberry? A) partridgeberry B) cowberry C) reindeerberry D) foxberry
4 In Astrid Lindgren’s holiday story Jul i Bullerbyn, what could the children’s blind grandfather smell? A) the green Christmas tree B) the brown pepparkakor C) the white snow D) the red apple
5 Where in the world do Swedes (and all skaters) find the best conditions for Nordic tour skating? A) Stockholm archipelago B) Norway’s fjords C) the coast of Maine D) northern Mississippi River
6 What specialty can Gävle, Sweden not lay claim to? A) Gevalia coffee B) peppermint sticks C) world’s largest straw goat D) bilar (car) gummies
7 What was the name of the famous Danish philosopher who said: “Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom”? A) Kierkegaard C) Hegel C) Kant D) Hein
8 What Nordic country has the world’s largest population of arctic reindeer herders? A) Finland B) Norway C) Sweden D) Russia
9 What still exists half in Sweden and half in Finland, leftover from their shared ruling between 1157-1809? A) generations of a “hybrid” moose family B) a flock of finsverige birds (found nowhere else in the world) C) golf course D) underground storage for surströmming
10 King Sverker I the Elder, who was killed by his coachman on Christmas Day in 1156, had what nickname? A) Redhead B) St. Nick C) Grandpa D) Clubfoot
CULTURE Namnsdagar December
December 16 -Assar
The male name Assar is a name of Nordic origin, probably formed from Andswarur with the meaning “he who gives answers.” Another form is Asser. The majority with the name Assar were born in the 1930s and 1940s. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the name has seen a certain rise again, but overall it is still unusual as a first name.
December 21 - Tomas
Tomas or Thomas is a man’s name originating from the Aramaic language meaning “twin.” The oldest proof of Tomas in Sweden comes from a rune stone from the 13th century.
December 31 - Sylvester
Sylvester is a masculine name with Latin origin and means “wooded” or “wild.” It’s unusual in Sweden. Silvester is also the German name for New Year’s Eve—a day dedicated to the Saint Sylvester, a 4th century pope whose day is celebrated Dec. 31.
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Name’s Days of the Swedish Calendar Namnsdagar i
December TO DO
12.15 THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT: TREDJE ADVENT / Advent, from the Latin word “adventus,” which means arrival, is celebrated during the month before Christmas. Swedish families light the third candle of the Advent wreath.
12.21 PUT UP THE JULKÄRVE: TOMASDAGEN / Traditionally a market day and time to put up the julkärve (Christmas stalks), also the day the beer was ready, and named after the apostle who voiced his disbelief in the resurrected Jesus.
12.21 GET YOUR VITAMIN D: VINTERSOLSTÅNDET / Winter Solstice: It doesn’t get any darker than today but from now on the days get longer and lighter. Soon spring.
12.22 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: FJÄRDE ADVENT / Advent,almost as important as Lucia in Sweden. For more on how it is celebrated in Sweden, turn to page 4.
12.24 WATCH DISNEY CARTOONS: JULAFTON / It’s Christmas Eve, the big event with a festive meal and Christmas gifts. And at 3 p.m. all of Sweden watches the traditional “Kalle Ankas Jul” (Donald Duck’s Christmas).
12.25 GET UP REALLY EARLY (OR JUST STAY UP ALL NIGHT): JUL / It’s Christmas! Many Swedes get up very early to go to church for the special Julotta service. A bell used to toll at 5 a.m. to awaken the people for the 6 a.m. service but today the service may start as late as 7 a.m.
12.31 IT’S NEW YEAR’S EVE: NYÅRSAFTON / Skål to a happier, healthy, and also dare we hope for a more peaceful new year in 2025!
To link and connect as a friend among friends
It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is over and we’re lighting the first of four candles for “Första Advent”, beginning the countdown to Christmas. Here at Nordstjernan we find the holiday season often helps us look back on where we’ve been and examine how far we’ve come.
The importance of a newspaper is not always proportional to its circulation. When Nordstjernan was founded, almost all readers were newly arrived Swedish immigrants and the newspaper was mostly in Swedish. The immigrant stream has changed since then; today’s immigrant from Sweden does not leave out of necessity because of famine or oppression. They speak English fluently, and step off the plane with world news in hand and an employment contract from a multinational company in their pocket. Today, the majority of our (growing!) readership is American-born, with a strong connection to Sweden through family ancestry, love or work. Nordstjernan should be a reflection of the old country but also highlight the changes that form modern Sweden.
Our goal, to quote our first edition as printed in 1872 is, “to be a link between Sweden and America and to connect everything Swedish in America.” Readership growth in recent years seems to support this idea after almost 153 years of publishing. Even though we aren’t at the scale of the big three news companies, we want to have a relationship, an intimate and personal impact on those receiving our newspaper - one of our readers said it best, “every time I see the paper in the mailbox it feels like a new visit from a dear friend.” To be a link between Sweden and America and connect as a friend among friends. What could be better?
Needless to say, my job working on every word of your paper is profoundly rewarding. I feel incredibly grateful to all of you—that read, write for or advertise in our publication. You all make a difference. Together we make up Sweden’s living legacy in America. You live it, we mirror it—in the United States, in Sweden and in Swedish America.
Regardless of how you celebrate your traditions this holiday season, be proud of your heritage, remember your loved ones and, from all of us at Nordstjernan,
Have a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2025!
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson Editor & Publisher
Dashboard, p4-5
Julotta, matins on Christmas Day / Advent in Sweden / Highest coffee price in 50 years / Trend break for the Swedish church / Nordic and Baltic countries to increase support to Ukraine / Summit at Sweden’s Camp David.
Swedish Christmas 101. /p9
Exploring the unbeaten path in Sweden. /p14
An homage to two classics on the Scandinavian Christmas tables. / page 24.
For every season and any event but a must for the Swedish Christmas table. /p27
God Jul at Julotta
The heart of the Christmas celebration in Sweden used to be the early morning Julotta service on Christmas Day, a tradition that made its way to America with the immigrants. Julotta (“Jul” means Christmas, “otta” means dawn) is the celebration of the nativity of Jesus Christ that starts early in the morning, nowadays at 7 a.m., though our ancestors probably went as early as 4 a.m. while it was still dark outside. Technically, Julotta should end just before dawn, with everyone sharing candlelight as they go out to greet Christmas Day. It was, after all, considered the most important time to go to church, and even the ride there was festive: People would take their finest sleighs with their finest bells for the long, cold journey to church in the dark.
The stories, the traditions, the people behind the news.
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Covering three worlds: Sweden, America and Swedish America. Order your own copy, $67.00 for a year (18 issues) Choose ‘subscribe’ at www.nordstjernan.com or call 1.800.827.9333, ext 10
Advent, waiting for an arrival
Advent - the four weeks leading up to Christmas. This year on Sunday, December 1, the time had come to light the first candle of Advent. By the end of November and first half of December friends or colleagues in Sweden have gathered at restaurants for Julbordet, the “Christmas dinner table,” a buffet combining traditional Christmas fare with the delights of the ordinary smörgåsbord. Some statistics claim roughly 70% of employed people in Sweden are invited to a Julbord by their companies. That’s over three million guests at restaurant tables ... a good start of the holiday season for restaurants that offer this seasonal treat.
The Sundays of Advent
In people’s homes, the approach of Christmas is signified by getting out the Advent candlestick, which is often a little box with four candleholders embedded in moss and lingonberry sprigs. The first candle is lit on the First Sunday in Advent (this year on Dec. 1) and allowed to burn down by one quarter. Next Sunday it is time for the second candle, and so on, until on the fourth Sunday the first candle has burned down and the last one was started. This is a peculiarly Swedish custom, but it was inspired by the “Advent trees” of Germany and became widespread in the 1920s.
The third Sunday leads up to Tomasdagen, Tomas Day, Dec. 21 but one day prior to the Fourth Sunday of Advent this year.
During Advent many windows are also hung with an “Advent star,” the original version of which, made of red paper, was introduced in the 1930s. Today you will often see more sophisticated versions of straw, wood shavings or metal.
This custom also originated in Germany, but in recent years has begun to be overtaken by the electric stepped candlesticks, which also shine from the windows of companies and institutions. We have taken to placing both the stars and the stepped candlesticks in three windows (and are commonly considered Jewish since the stepped candlestick can easily be mistaken for a menora, the seven-branched candelabrum and one of the oldest symbols of the Jewish people).
A celebration of recent origin
Germany also invented the Advent calendar, nowadays called the Christmas calendar and first introduced in Sweden in 1932. Later, with the production of tie-in programs, first on the radio and then also on television, sales of Advent calendars broke records. These calendars are 3-dimensional with 24 windows, one of which is opened every day from December 1 to December 24. Behind each window is a picture, a clue, or – if you’re lucky to have a chocolate calendar – a sweet. The celebration of Advent then, is of fairly recent origin. It is only in our own time that church services on the First Sunday in Advent have joined the early morning service on Christmas Day in topping the year’s attendance figures in otherwise secular Sweden. Common to many aspects of modern Advent celebrations is the part played by candles, and this is usually referred to as a 20th century “candle revival,” with living light” providing a counterpoint to the cold lighting technology which, toward the end of the 19th century, superseded the old, mellower light sources.
Photo: Lieselotte
van der Meijs/imagebank.sweden
The four Sundays of Advent are just as important as Lucia in Sweden.
Highest coffee price in 50 years
Coffee prices in shops and cafes may soon make another steep upward move. The price of arabica beans has risen to the highest level since 1977. Another price increase of just over 3 percent at the end of November means the price of arabica beans on the commodity market has risen by almost 70 percent since the beginning of the year. It is a reaction to the widespread drought in Brazil, which has created great uncertainty about this year’s harvest. Unfavorable weather in Vietnam is another concern. The two countries are the world’s largest coffee producers.
Trend break for the Church
In 2024, more people than in many years have chosen to become members of the Church of Sweden. The increase is greatest among young people. “It’s a clear trend break,” says Jonas Bromander, associate professor in sociology of religion. Up to and including September, 10,201 people have joined the Church of Sweden, according to preliminary statistics. In 2023, there was a total of 10,889. According to Bromander, there are three groups behind the upswing; former members who withdrew and have reconsidered their decision, immigrants and young people who are confirmed and receive their first communion.
New law on anonymous witnesses
The Riksdag has voted through the controversial law on anonymous witnesses. The law will come into effect from January 1, 2025. According to the law, it will be possible in some cases to testify anonymously during preliminary investigations and criminal cases in court. The purpose is to strengthen the protection of witnesses who would otherwise not dare to testify and as a way to access the culture of silence surrounding the criminal gangs. But the law has received harsh criticism. Among other things the Legislative Council questioned the legal certainty. Subsequently, the government made changes in the phrasing of the law.
Nordic and Baltic countries to increase Ukraine support
The Baltic and Nordic countries, together with Poland, will increase their support for Ukraine, the countries announced in a joint statement. Hosted by the Swedish Prime Minister, the leaders were meeting at the Swedish government’s country retreat in Harpsund (Sweden’s Camp David in Södermanland, southwest of Stockholm). The group of nations will in the coming months step up support for Ukraine, including to the country’s defense industry, and invest in making more ammunition available. “We are committed to strengthening our deterrence and defense, including resilience, against conventional as well as hybrid attacks, and to expanding sanctions against Russia as well as against those who enable Russia’s aggression,”
Sweden’s Camp David
The Manor House Harpsund in Flen municipality, Södermanland county has been used as a country retreat for the prime minister of Sweden since 1953. The Wicander family donated the estate to the State to be used as a retreat and recreational estate for the prime minister. The donation included the entire estate, including farmland and forestry. The donation was approved by the Riksdag on May 22, 1953. Harpsund would soon be a venue for informal summits between the government, industry and labor organizations. It was called Harpsund Democracy (Swedish: Harpsundsdemokrati). Through the years many foreign leaders have stayed there as guests.
the leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Sweden said in a statement. The Nordic and Baltic countries - several of which share a border with Russia - are among Ukraine’s biggest backers. Aid from the Nordics, Baltics and Poland totals around 24 billion euros, according to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker, second only to the United States in absolute terms. “Europe needs to take a greater responsibility for its own security,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a separate statement. “That is preconditioned on us increasing our cooperation and continuing to support Ukraine, which is fighting for both its own and our security, over the long term.”
L-R: Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braze, Latvia; Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway; Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Poland; Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Sweden; Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Denmark; Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Finland; Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Estonia.
Photo: Magnus Liljegren/Government offices of Sweden
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received heads of government from the Nordic and Baltic countries at a summit at the Prime Minister’s official summer home, Harpsund, above. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also attended. Photo: Ninni Andersson/Government offices of Sweden
Local Events
Christmas
Julotta, meaning “Christmas dawn,” was traditionally the most popular service in the Church of Sweden. In the old days, most Julottas were held at 4 a.m. since the service should end before, or at the time of, dawn: hence the word “otta.” Historically, not only was high mass expected but matins (Swedish: ottesång) and evensong (Swedish: aftonsång) were also part of Julotta. Today only the evensong of Christmas remains, though it has been liturgically changed; now it can be the main service of Christmas Day, and in fact many parishes have no service other than Julotta on Christmas. Nowadays Julotta is as much a religous tradition as it a cultural one. Long ago and even now it’s customary to ride to Julotta in a horse drawn sleigh, preferably adorned with sleighbells. If getting to your American Julotta (and there are a number of them every year in Swedish America) includes getting there in a sleigh, please let us know for next year’s calendar! Meantime, check our listing for a Julotta service near you ... and have a very merry Christmas! God Jul!
California
La Jolla
Dec 21, 1 PM
Christmas Luncheon: Enjoy a traditional Lucia procession as well as a special lunch with Swedish meatballs, ham, potatoes and salad,cheeses and herring, glögg and Princess cake for dessert. Bring cash for a raffle! At the community center of Mount La Jolla. RSVP www.houseofsweden.us
Sacramento
Dec 15, 6 PM
Santa Lucia Service and Festival: Following a service highlighting this year’s Santa Lucia and her court, stay for dancing, Scandinavian cookies, joy filled jokes and a visit from Nisse. At St. John’s Lutheran Church, 530.304.5766 / www.stjohnslc.org
Colorado
Idaho Springs
Dec 20
Viking Candlemas and Concert: 4th Annual Jul event celebrating Scandinavian traditions of stories and food, Odin, and music with the traditional Hardanfger fiddle and orginal music by Nordic Daughter. At United Center, 303.900.8689 / www.nordicdaughter.com
Longmont
Dec 14 & 15, 4-7:45 PM
Ryssby Candlelight Worship: The historic Ryssby Church was started by Swedish settlers in 1878. Seven Christmas candlelight services are held each Advent on the second full weekend of December
– with various start times each evening. The services feature music from the First Lutheran Chancel Choir and other musicians, traditional Christmas carols and the Christmas Story, as told in the Gospel of Luke, is read in Swedish. Reserve your spot at the service you’d like by contacting peggyshupe@outlook.com or 303.638.0036 / www.firstluth.org
Florida
Vero Beach
Dec 15, 2-4 PM
St. Lucia Celebration: Join us for a Lucia celebration at the historic grounds of The Hallstrom House. In 1999, Ruth Hallstrom bequeathed her childhood home and outbuildings to the Indian River County Historical Society with the purpose of preserving the house, its collections and stately grounds, built in 1909 by Miss Hallstrom’s father, Swedish immigrant Axel Hallstrom. His pineapple plantation is now a living museum and education center. Fee: Donation of canned goods/ non-perishable foods. 772.778.3435 / indianriverhisto@bellsouth.net / www.irchistorical.org/events
lllinois
Chicago
Dec 14-15
Breakfast with Tomten: A special Swedish meal and a visit from Tomten at this holiday event for the whole family. Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www. swedishamericanmuseum.org
Dec 17, 6 PM
Holiday Baking Class: Learn to make some Swedish holiday treats. All skill levels welcome. Swedish American Museum, www.swedishamericanmuseum.org
Dec 22, 4 PM
Julgudstjänst: Enjoy a traditional Christmas church service held in Swedish. Ebenezer Lutheran Church, www.swedishamericanmuseum.org
Dec 22, 5 pm
Julmiddag: A festive and traditional Swedish Christmas smörgåsbord will be served, provided by Tre Kronor Restaurant. Children are invited to participate in a St. Lucia procession, and Tomten makes a special visit. Food provided by Tre Kronor Restaurant. Swedish American Museum, www.swedishamericanmuseum.org
Dec 28, 2 PM CST
Online Book Club: Read and discuss Everything is Not Enough by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström, a Nigerian-American author based in Sweden. Visit the website for the Zoom link, Swedish American Museum, www.swedishamericanmuseum.org
Rockford
Dec 18, 5-7:30 PM
Dala Horse Painting Class: Using authentic hand-carved wood horses imported from Grannas Dala in Sweden, paint your Dala horse and make it uniquely yours. While not required, we recommend having a theme or color scheme in mind
morning magic
to help you be successful in painting this cultural icon. All supplies provided. Swedish Historical Society, 815.963.5559 / www.swedishhistorical.org
Kansas
Lindsborg
Dec 25, 5:45 AM
Julotta: Traditional Swedish Lutheran Christmas service with brass ensemble sending the call to worship from the belltower of the beautiful church. Bethany Lutheran Church, www.visitlindsborg.com
Dec 26, 10-11 AM
Annandag Jul: On the second day of Christmas, celebrate with a traditional Lutheran service in Swedish. Bethany Lutheran Church, www.visitlindsborg.com
Maryland
Potomac
Ongoing
Hilma af Klint: Swedish artist Hilma af Klint’s series Tree of Knowledge, 1913–1915 is being featured in the exhibition ‘Iconoclasts: Selections from Glenstone’s Collection.’ The exhibition showcases the works of more than 50 artists who have made some of the most radical contributions to art in the 20th century. Glenstone Museum, www.glenstone.org
Massachusetts
Newton
Dec 14, 10 AM-2 PM
Pepparkakans Dag: Celebrate Gingerbread Cookie Day by decorating your gingerbread cookie ($5/cookie) with icing and sprinkles. We’ll also have traditional rice porridge that you can top with sugar, cinnamon and cold milk or sugar, cinnamon and butter. And of course there will be a hidden almond – get a prize if you find it! There will also be saffron buns, hot glögg and the regular menu. At Scandinavian Cultural Center’s Kaffestugan, 617.795.1914 / www.scandicenter.org
Michigan
Detroit
Dec 19,
Jul Dinner: Enjoy glögg and a traditional Swedish “Julbord” with mouth-watering ham, meatballs, herring and more! This event attracts diverse members of the Detroit community, välkommen! At Birmingham Country Club, RSVP www. saccdetroit.org
Minnesota
Dec 19, 6-8:30 PM
Identifying and Using Evergreens: Learn about some of the evergreens commonly available in the upper Midwest, like those that are popular in Nordic countries - and how to identify, harvest and prepare them in this hands-on lecture. The classroom is sure to smell great, and there will
be time for Q&A. American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org
Dec 21, 6-8 PM
Dec 22, 1-3 PM
Julbord Dinner: Treat yourself to one of the region’s best holiday smörgåsbords that features your favorite Nordic dishes, and is accompanied by live music. The Tomte: the Gnome, the Myth, the Legend holiday exhibit will be open at 4-6 p.m. RSVP, American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org
Dec 22, 1-3 PM
Intergenerational Needle Felted Pocket
Tomte: Make a little wooly tomte and a sweet critter friend just in time for Christmas. Felter Jen Newburg leads kids and their grown-ups through the process of shaping and decorating a pocket sized tomte and a woodland creature. Using a needle to poke colorful wool into place is a fun and easy craft for all ages! $50/pair + materials fee. RSVP, American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org
Dec 27 & 28, 9:15 AM
Tomte: Babies at the Castle - Leave your strollers at the door and carry your baby through a tour of the Tomte exhibit in the morning before ASI opens to the public. This unique tour is designed for babies up to 18 months and their caregivers. Tours are approximately 30 minutes, followed by an additional 15 minutes of sensory play in the Castle. All infants receive a baby teether connected to the exhibition’s theme. American Swedish Institute, 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org
Ongoing
Holiday exhibit: Tomte: The Gnome, the myth, the legend - ASI’s 74th Holiday Experience. Explore the world of Tomte, the mythical guardian of Scandinavian homesteads—more than just a gnome, Tomte is known for his iconic red cap and long beard, but there’s much more to discover of Tomte through the ages. The Jul Shop is open. American Swedish Institute, www.asimn.org/exhibition
Scandia
Dec 14 & 21
Annie’s Jul-themed Coffee Party: Choose a 90-minute reservation at 10:30 AM or 1:30 PM time to enjoy coffee with three courses of Swedish foods: cardamom bread, fruit-filled coffee cakes, sliced cheese and apples, rice pudding and assorted cookies in the festively decorated Välkommen Hus. Swedish traditions and stories will be shared between courses. The Butik is open for holiday shopping. Gammelgården, 651.433.5053 / www. gammelgardenmuseum.org
Missouri
St. Louis
Dec 14, 2-5 PM
LuciaFest, Butik & Kaffestuga: Celebrate a traditional Swedish family Christmas with coffee, Lucia buns and shopping for Swedish gifts at the Butik. Lucia Program begins at 3 with Swedish songs, Nordic dancers, tärnor, sjärngosser, pepparkakor, tomtar and the magical candlelight processional. At the Reim Theatre, Kirkwood Community Center, 636.537.0742 / www.swedishcouncilstlouis.org
New York
Buffalo
Ongoing
Nordic Art and Culture Initiative: This unique platform for art of the Nordic Region has begun and will over the next 60 years develop North America’s leading collection of contemporary art from the Nordic region. Buffalo AKG Art Museum, 716.882.8700 / www.buffaloakg.org
NYC
Dec 14-15, 1-6 PM
Holiday Julbord: RSVP for a seating time for Christmas dinner. Björk’s Julbord features a long buffet overloaded with the Scandinavian classics such as herring, gravlax, meatballs, Jansson’s temptations and more; each lunch and dinner seating is accompanied by a traditional St.
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Lucia performance with members of the Swedish community in New York. A cup of glögg is included; other drinks available for purchase. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / info@amscan.org / www. bjorkcafe.com/julbord
Dec 15 & 22
Christmas Sunday Lunch: Served only during the Christmas season, the menu features a full assortment of herrings, smoked salmon and gravlax, alongside Christmas ham, sausages and pickled beet salad plus a special dessert. Restaurant Aquavit, 212.307.7311 / www.aquavit.org
Great coffee makes better people.
The family operated Dalahäst Roasting Co. is a craft coffee roastery in Jamestown NY based in Peterson Farm. We roast in small batches for a consistent product and keep Scandinavian traditions alive through our love of a great full-bodied cup of coffee. Whole bean and ground. We ship anywhere in the U.S. All coffee Fair Trade Certified.
www.petersonfarmswede.com
716.483.2202
From gingerbread houses to ornaments to beloved cookie recipes, pepparkakor is a beloved treat in Nordic countries, especially during the holidays. Similar to gingerbread, they are called brunkager in Denmark, piparkokut in Finland, piparkakut in Iceland, pepperkaker in Norway, and pepparkakor in Sweden. These deliciously crisp (how thin did your grandmother insist they be?) spice cookies made with molasses, ginger and cinnamon, can also be made into beautiful edible ornaments. And if you can learn the trick to break them into three pieces, you’ll be sure to receive the Christmas gift you wish for. Check out the intergenerational workshop that’s scheduled during the time your relatives are visiting for the holidays -- and sign up to decorate pepparkakor at Nordia House in Portland, OR on December 21. www.nordicnorthwest.org
Dec 24, 1-9 PM
Christmas Eve: Gather with your loved ones to celebrate the full spread of Julbord staples including herrings, salmons, cured meats, salads, meatballs, ribs and a full assortment of desserts. Restaurant Aquavit, 212.307.7311 / www.aquavit.org
Oregon Corbett
Dec 21-22
Snoball in the Gorge: A Nordic holiday celebration with traditional Scandinavian folk dancing, glögg, food and live music. At the historic Menucha Lodge, 503.803.9635 / www.norskerunddansere. org
Portland
Dec 21, 9:45 AM
Kids Pepparkakor Cookie Decorating: A kid’s fun holiday class decorating Nordic gingerbread cookies. Students will get a chance to decorate prebaked cookies to eat later, hang as ornaments, or give as gifts in a pretty gift bag! Instruction and examples on how to pipe icing will be provided, with examples of designs as well as a variety of different decorations to add. You’ll be able to continue the fun at home with premade dough. This is a multi-generational activity great for all ages. An adult is required for students under age 18 (grown-ups do not have pay if they are only assisting their child/ ren and not decorating their own cookies). Nordia House, 503.977.0275 / www. nordicnorthwest.org
Dec 22, 6-7 PM
Cool Yule Jazz Concert: In the spirit of Yule, two-time Grammy Award winner Danish jazz violinist Mads Tolling shares the Christmas celebrations of his youth in Copenhagen, blending the authentic customs and sounds of the Nordic countries with the joy and spirit of American jazz. Nordia House, 503.977.0275 / www. nordicnorthwest.org
Dec 25, 7-8 AM
Julotta: See Oregon’s official Lucia and her court at a very special Swedish Julotta service. First Immanuel Lutheran Church, 503.977.0275 / www.nordicnorthwest.org
Jan 4, 1-3 PM
Family Winter Walk: Hear about Nordic
traditions and perspectives on winter, including the concept of friluftsliv – the love of the outdoors. Search to catch sight of Tomten and fairy houses in the woods and create your own nature journal using foraged twigs from your walk. Whatever weather the day brings, we will embrace in true Nordic fashion by going outside to enjoy and observe, then getting cozy inside to share and create! This is a multi-generational workshop. Nordic Northwest Campus, 503.977.0275 / www. nordicnorthwest.org
Pennsylvania
Drexel Hill
Dec 15, 1-3 PM
Trim-a-Tree at the Swedish Cabin: Help decorate the tree and enjoy food and drink from the Julbord (Christmas Table), kids can search for Tomte and enjoy a holiday craft station. Tour the cabin and warm yourself by the roaring fires, shop Butiken for gifts. Free, 215.605.1241 / www.swedishcabin.info
Philadelphia
Dec 17, 10:30 AM
Toddler Time: December in Sweden - See the Museum decked out in its holiday splendor and get into the spirit by learning about fun Swedish holiday traditions such as St. Lucia Day, Pepparkakor, and Jultomte. We will read Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydåker and experience this special Swedish tradition! American
Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www.americanswedish.org
Ongoing
Sauna is Life: The sauna is a sacred space that brings families, friends, and even diplomats together. Explore the Finnish sauna tradition with a model sauna and sauna objects as well as stories, photos, and videos shared with us from home and abroad. Through March 9, 2025 at American Swedish Historical Museum, www.americanswedish.org
Washington, DC
Dec 16, 12-5 PM
Swedish Fika: Kristina’s Swede Treats will serve coffee and delicious pastries, including Swedish cinnamon buns, at House of Sweden, www.houseofsweden.com / www.facebook.com/houseofsweden
Wisconsin
Stockholm
Dec 21-22
God Jul in Stockholm: A Scandinavian holiday with a festive extravaganza of handmade treasures and delicious treats, horsedrawn wagon rides, a cooking class and make-and-take winter bouquet station. At the Stockholm Museum, www. thewestcoastofwisconsin.com
a traditional swedish christmas
The Christmas tree, the decorations, Advent stars and candle sticks, wrapping paper for the gifts and soon ... the tomte.
Christmas, the most beloved of seasons, returns once again to cast its merry glow over every home and with it the most anticipated and festive decorations of the year! According to Nordic Nest (www.nordicnest.se), Christmas decorations 2024 are about introducing a mix of nostalgia, nature and playful design into your home. From mushroom ornaments to beautiful glass balls ... red shades, stripes, playful dots, different shapes and classic Christmas decorations such as candle houses, snow globes and gingerbread houses. And of course, not least, the classic änglaspel, the Christmas angel chimes in brass.
Swedes are conservative when it comes to the design of the Christmas tree. “We have some new, cool and Asian stuff but they don’t sell as much as the traditional stuff in red, white and green,” according to a design director at Ica Maxi.
In an article in daily DN, Maria Flinck, who has studied the phenomenon of Christmas decorations and written the book “Granna granen,” talks about trends with color and shapes. She explains there was a debate between 1910-1920 about Christmas aesthetics; people in general felt there was too much “junk” on the tree and felt more Swedish handicrafts made out of materials as straw and wood shavings were needed.
Fast forward to the 1950s and the Christmas decorations were traditional, and only in the 1960s did alternative colors pop up on the market.
Why is Christmas so red?
There’s no one answer to the question. Many historians believe that red was a difficult and expensive color in the past, and therefore associated with luxury and status. It is of course also a color that looks great with a green Christmas tree. Another important element with Christmas is tradition—we want things that have been on the tree since we were children, heirlooms that are supposed
to release nostalgic memories. In yet another book, “Nu gör vi jul igen,” Institutet för språk och folkminnen (The Institute for Language and Folklore) has collected people’s stories about Christmas. Among decorations, the red Christmas baubles top the list of favorites while garlands with Swedish flags are on the bottom. The overly decorated tree (referred to as “American”) doesn’t have many supporters, even though sparkling Disney reindeer try their best to overtake the Swedish Santa. And Swedes are traditional even when it comes to the time for decorating the tree: Most Swedes decorate their tree the day
before Christmas. However every third Swede puts their ornaments on a plastic tree, and according to a study by Hornbach, one in five Swedes has at some point illegally cut down a tree in the woods.
The
Christmas tree
The first trees may have been from the 15th century among mid-European merchants. The first documented Swedish Christmas tree is a tree from 1741. During the latter part of the 19th century, a tree could be seen at Christmas in many homes, not only among the rich.
Continues on next page
Photo: Carolina Romare/imagebank.sweden
Continued from previous page
Christmas tree decorations
Christmas tree decorations were at first just fruit, cookies and candies. But by 1870, there were tips on how you could make your own decorations of paper, wood and fabric in illustrated journals. Most of it originated in Germany, from where mass-produced decorations came at the same time.
The Advent Star
Founder of H&M, Erling Persson, had seen an imported electric Advent Star from Germany, and began producing a cheaper version in 1941, the orange star that soon became a household item. The name? “Tindra kristall” was an instant success. As we all know, Erling Persson went on to develop something other than Christmas decorations. His grandson is now chairman of the board of H&M, the second largest fashion retailing company in the world.
The Tomte
The Swedish Santa is called Jultomte,
and he has humble beginnings: He began as a grey watchdog, whom illustrator Jenny Nyström (1854-1946) turned into what we think of today as a Swedish tomte, although “tomte” has been much influenced by the Anglosaxian heavyset Santa.
The Advent Candle Stick
The electric one that can be seen in windows everywhere in Sweden is a Swedish invention by Oskar Andersson, employee at Philips. He recycled old Christmas lights by putting them into a regular candlestick.
The first wrapping paper
The first Christmas wrapping paper was introduced in Sweden by Beda Hallberg, known as the founder and creator of Majblomman (the Mayflower pin) in 1922.
Kalle Anka—Donald Duck
Disney’s “Kalle Ankas jul” (“From All of Us to All of You”) was seen on Swedish television for the first time in 1960 and quickly became an annual tradition in many families.
The most wonderful time ...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And the busiest. The holiday season in America and the four weeks of Advent in Sweden mean a busy time of preparing for celebrations. Advent in Sweden is a time of light in the darkness and warmth in the midst of the cold winter with Advent Sunday services, concerts with carols and Christmas music, crafting and setting up decorations, baking and making candy, singing in Lucia celebrations, wrapping gifts to put under the tree and preparing dishes for the Christmas buffet. It is a busy time, and by the Christmas peak in Sweden - on Christmas Eve - many of us are exhausted from all the shopping and wrapping, baking and cooking, house cleaning and decorating.
In my childhood there were so many musts to be done before Christmas, like polishing the copper kettles that decorate the kitchen all year to make them shine in the glimmering candlelight from the Advent candle wreath. Or making certain food for the Christmas table, food that no one would eat anyway but was still part of the tradition. In my childhood there was hardly any rest in December, and at Christmas Eve it was so intense we could hardly enjoy it. I remember how my younger siblings, like all little children, would run around looking for Santa, or they couldn’t stop to eat anything but candy because they were too excited about everything going on in our house.
That is how I came to appreciate Christmas Day more than Christmas Eve, even though Christmas Day in Sweden is the day after the big celebrations: Christmas Eve is crowned by the midnight mass, the last of all the gifts have been opened and all the goodies already eaten. Christmas Day, on the other hand, is a quiet day in Sweden. You are still getting together with family and friends, you are still eating traditional food or leftovers, you are still drinking glögg and you keep enjoying the beautiful songs, the candles and the decorations. But it’s at a more relaxing pace and is more peaceful.
My favorite part of Christmas is the early start of the 25th. I love waking up before 6 a.m. in the dark when it’s cold and frosty, to go to church for Julotta. To walk into the church that special morning, from the cold into the warmth, with the melodies and the shimmering candlelight from the chandeliers, is close to entering paradise. Completely peaceful, compared to Christmas Eve. Calm yet festive. A slower pace yet joyful. A morning full of traditions, as the Gospel readings about the Star leading to the stable and the carols and hymns about Jesus Christ being born, is intense in a different way and the best setting for a merry Christmas, if you’d ask me.
And the rest of Christmas day is just as peaceful and joyful in its own special way. The early Christmas morning service is the tradition I cherish most among all traditions around Christmastime. When the morning service is over and it is time for the traditional breakfast at church, I already look forward to next year’s Julotta. Luckily, as a minister I have been serving in parishes in Sweden where the Julotta is still a part of the Christmas celebration. And I am more than glad
Årets bästa tid är även årets mest intensiva tid, inte minst i kyrkan. Det är därför jag gillar julottan på juldagens morgon allra mest.
Då har allt blivit stilla, stoj och stök har lagt sig och den verkliga julfriden kan infinna sig. Vackert, fridfullt och stämningsfullt, så blir julottan julfirandets bästa stund.
the congregation in Los Angeles also wants to celebrate the early morning service in both the Seamen’s Church by the Port of Los Angeles and the Angelica Lutheran Church downtown. Swedes come from near and far, there is no traffic in or around LA on an early Christmas morning, and this makes even the drive peaceful, too. Gathered in church, everyone squeezes into a seat, greets each other God Jul, grabs a hymnbook to sing or happily closes their eyes to listen to the beautiful songs.
It truly is the most wonderful way to celebrate Christmas with your congregation, with your extended Swedish family abroad, in the traditional Swedish way also enjoying a morning meal together. Wishing you all a blessed and peaceful Christmas filled with light and joy.
Manilla Okomdal Nordanstig Senior Pastor, Church of Sweden Los Angeles
Illustration: Ilon Wikland, Jul i Bullerbyn
‘Farmor’s julkakor’
My farmor was a working girl, an immigrant from Katarina on Söder in Stockholm. She found time to bake cookies for her beloved family with recipes that have been passed down for four generations. Many types of cookies were made so everyone had something they liked. I am sharing four recipes that we have made for many years. It simply would not be Christmas unless we had these. In two of the recipes, I use a manual cookie press. In the photo you will see pink spritz. This is a tradition that my then 3-year-old granddaughter started several years ago. She was meticulous with those sprinkles.
Holly Wreaths
1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
Raspberry Kaka
(Similar in taste to hallongrottor)
2-1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup soft butter
1 egg
2 tsp almond extract
Preheat oven to 350°F.
(left to right): Holly wreaths, Raspberry kaka, Swedish pearl sugar cookies, Spritz
Blend butter, egg, almond extract; add dry ingredients to form soft dough. Form 4 equal parts and shape each into 12-inch roll. Place on baking sheet, 4 inches apart. With the handle of a butter knife, make a “canal” almost the length of the roll. Fill with raspberry preserves. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven while warm and cut diagonally every inch. Remove from cookie sheet while warm and drizzle with confectioner’s sugar icing.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar well. Beat in vanilla. Gradually blend in flour. Fill cookie press. Form cookies on ungreased cookie sheets using star plate #2. Hold press in semi-horizontal position and form wreaths by moving press in a circular position. Gently push together ends of dough to form wreaths. Bake 8–10 minutes. Remove immediately to cooling racks.
Pearl Sugar Cookies
(Similar to finska pinnar)
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk (save white)
2 cup flour
pearl sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in dry ingredients. Roll dough into long strip about the thickness of a cigar. Brush with egg white. Cut diagonally and dip tops of cookies in Swedish pearl sugar. Bake on a GREASED cookie sheet for 8 minutes.
Spritz
2-1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla (pink sugar crystals optional)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Blend together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Fill cookie press and form on ungreased cookie sheets. Top with sugar crystals if desired. Bake 10–12 minutes. Remove immediately to cooling racks. Katie Peterson
Thank you for sharing these Katie, Christmas is the perfect time for baking together. Our Page One of issue 17 depicts one of the more iconic parts of your grandmother’s neighborhood Söder—Stockholm’s south or Södermalm on the island with the same name. Söder used to be the blue collar workers district but not anymore. It’s become fashionable and filled with restaurants, galleries and is quite popular among artists and people in creative occupations (with deep pockets, it’s become expensive to live here). /Ed.
So many of you have asked.
Our latest Page One, in issue 17 is a photo of “Mariaberget” the part of Söder west of Slussen and across from Gamla Stan—an unmistakable view once you’ve seen it across the Riddarfjärden bay, the easternmost bay of Lake Mälaren.
Honoring Jenny Nyström
Jenny Nyström and the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation have a long shared history, which the Heart-Lung Foundation wants to draw attention to in connection with their 120th anniversary. That is why they have appointed Swedish painter and illustrator Jenny Nyström as artist of the year in their 2024 gift calendar.
Through a collaboration with the Kalmar County Museum in Kalmar, Sweden, the HeartLung Foundation has been able to combine Jenny Nyström’s illustrations in the calendar with the decisive role she played in the Heart-Lung Foundation’s early history. Jenny contributed to the foundation’s fundraising work as early as the 1910s with her Christmas stamp illustrations. Over time, the sale of these stamps generated significant funds to fight diseases such as tuberculosis.
This tribute in the Heart-Lung Foundation’s calendar is a memory of the great importance Jenny Nyström had, both for Swedish culture and for charity. The Kalmar County Museum supported this effort and started a collection to contribute to the foundation’s continued work.
By giving a gift of SEK 300 or more, contributors will receive the calendar with Jenny Nyström’s beautiful art. The collection goes straight to the benefit of the Heart-Lung Foundation’s research. It is also possible to buy the calendar at the Kalmar County Museum.
The 2024 gift calendar with Jenny Nyström’s illustrations can be ordered by giving an additional gift to the Kalmar County Museum’s collection for the Heart-Lung Foundation via the website www.hjart-lungfonden.se.
Facts about Jenny Nyström
Jenny Nyström (1854-1946), born in Kalmar, Sweden, in 1854. Although she is perhaps best known for having introduced the Swedish Santa through her illustrations, her talent encompassed much more than that. Jenny showed an early talent for drawing and started art school as a teenager. A few years later, she had a place at the Academy of Fine Arts
and moved to Stockholm, where she was the first woman ever to win the academy’s prize competition. It gave her a scholarship to continue her art studies in Paris. There, she was able to exhibit at the very prestigious Paris Salon, among other things.
In parallel with her studies, which focused on classical painting, Jenny Nyström began to support herself through various illustration assignments. The big breakthrough came in 1881 with Viktor Rydberg’s Santa. After that, her career took off and she made illustrations for children’s books, postcards, magazines and more.
Jenny Nyström continued to work, not least painting elves, until her death at the age of 91. When she died in 1946, she was a national celebrity, but today she can probably be considered a national treasure.
As early as 1910, Jenny Nyström made Christmas signs for the first time—though not the
last—for the Swedish National Assembly against Tuberculosis (as the Heart-Lung Fund was called at the time). The sale of her Christmas stamps has over time contributed money to the fight against, among other things, tuberculosis. This illness had hit Jenny Nyström’s husband hard and also led to her sister’s untimely death. With that in mind, it was wonderful that her art can continue to make a difference to research.
Jenny Nyström married Daniel Stoopendaal in 1887. Six years later, they had a son, Curt Nyström Stoopendaal, who also became a successful illustrator.
Through a bequeathed gift from Curt’s wife, the Jenny Nyström and Curt Stoopendaal foundation was formed in 1984. The foundation’s collections can be found at the Kalmar County Museum, which has generously assisted the Heart-Lung Foundation in its work with the 2024 gift calendar.
the historic 17th century forge welcomes you with sparkling winter weather and a crunch of snow under your boots. The noise from the rapids where the Dalälven flows into the river landscape of Färnebofjärden lake and national park feels palpably close. Here is the border with Norrland, or some call it the southern border for certain northern species.
In the beginning, Gysinge was an isolated and almost uninhabited area where the farmers had their shacks and mills and where they fished in the Dalälven river. But new times arrived, and in 1667 a blast furnace was built at the rapids of Gysingeforsarna. After that, nothing was quite the same at the solitary shacks in Österfärnebo parish, next to the border between Gästrikland and Uppland. Walloon blacksmiths moved here, the ore was brought from the mines in Uppland, and charcoal came from nearby forests.
Over time, one of Sweden’s largest ironworks was created in Gysinge. A whole community grew up here, with a school, local farming of the land, healthcare, an inn and a railway.
In addition came greenhouses, forges, iron sheds, brewhouses, bathhouses, storehouses,
cowsheds and whitewashed yards with housing for blacksmiths and mill workers and their families, with roofs and space for cows and pigs.
And during the 1830s, the run-down wooden castle from the late 17th century was replaced with a new three-story building and several salons with a total of over 20,000 square feet of floor space, making it one of Sweden’s largest mansions.
During the early 20th century, iron handling in Gysinge came to an end. But as we now brave the biting cold and walk under bare deciduous trees coated in frost crystals from the cold smoke of the rapids, it still feels as if the settlement is surprisingly intact, even though more than 100 years have passed since the last blacksmith laid down his hammer.
There is light in the cottages, trucks back up toward the loading docks, a small tractor makes its way between the drifts. We are impressed by the manor’s straight lines and long rows of windows as we gape at the winter-closed doors and try to orient ourselves between all the mill’s buildings.
Finally we arrive at Gysinge Wärdshus,
housed in a building from 1756 that could have been taken from a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien: white-washed with low-ceilings, securely anchored and with a welcoming double door that takes us right into the dining room’s temptations.
We are greeted by the last crumbs from breakfast being swept away while the smells from the kitchen tell us that lunch is being prepared. Head chef Thomas Högfeldt tears himself away from the pumpkin soup and tells us the focus for food storage is sustainable and local.
“Here in the area there are lots of good suppliers of meat, fish, drinks, vegetables and dairy products,” he says. “We bake our own bread and serve everything from breakfast to advanced four-course dinners.”
Gysinge Wärdshus had its golden years when restaurateur Inge Lindgren, also called Gys-Inge, welcomed his guests. He ran the facility for 34 years until 2008, when new owners took over and temporarily ran it as a refugee center, among other things. For several years after that the buildings stood empty. Every part of the buildings took a beating — frozen water pipes, moisture damage to floors and walls and wallpaper falling apart.
Its new and current owners wanted something different for the beautiful but neglected inn.
Gertjan and Karen van Os had long run service companies in both Sweden and Holland, focusing on food, catering and administration, when the pandemic forced them to take a break from their respective professions and businesses. When they were asked in 2020 if they could imagine re-starting Gysinge Wärdshus, their curiosity was piqued.
“We went there, liked the environment, liked the location and saw the possibilities, despite the neglected buildings,” says Gertjan.
Said and done. In collaboration with the property’s new owners and local Gysinge Building Services, they set about renovating the main building and 30 hotel rooms, housed in the nearby blacksmith residences. Everything needed fixing. The road was long and filled with challenges. The pandemic was followed by the war in Ukraine, interest rate hikes, inflation and skyrocketing construction and building material prices.
“We came a long way, but it is an ongoing process at a large facility, consisting of several buildings, some of which remain to be fixed,“
noted Gertjan in early 2024. Gysinge Inn became affiliated with STF, Svenska Turistföreningen*, sometime prior to when the van Os transferred the operations to the non-profit tourist organization in the summer of 2024.
The inn was rededicated on July 13, 2020, some 264 years after it first opened its doors and then with the new chef Thomas Högfeldt. In the early days of iron making, not everyone ate in the main dining room — the masters of the mill were received in the dining room; farmers and workers had to make do with a back room, separate from the main building. Today, everyone is welcome in all parts of the building and for a variety of purposes: training groups, conferences, families, couples, hikers and dog walkers come from anywhere and everywhere to get away from the city. It is pleasant, cozy and well thought out with low ceilings, recycled furniture, beautiful wall decorations and plenty of space and social rooms to retreat to.
“A cozy boutique hotel with dining experiences beyond the ordinary,” was Gertjan’s
NEDRE DALÄLVEN AND DALÄLVEN
The Nedre Dalälven river region is just around two hours north of Stockholm where north meets south in the Swedish countryside. Nedre Dalälven River Landscape covers 308,000 hectares (1,190 square miles) with a mixture of wetlands, rivers, lakes, flood plains and productive forests. The unique environment at the very heart of the area is protected as a national park. The Nedre Dalälven region was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2011. (A biosphere reserve should serve as a model area in which efforts are focused on promoting nature conservation, societal development and the advancement of research and education. It has three main objectives: to develop society in a long-term sustainable way; to conserve biological and cultural diversity, ecosystems and landscapes; and to support demonstration projects, research and environmental monitoring.)
As the name suggests, the area’s history is strongly characterized by the Dalälven River, a vital feature of the entire district. Dalälven, the Dal River, flows from the north of Dalarna and runs into the sea in northern Uppland, north of Uppsala; it is commonly considered to be the southern border of Norrland. Southernmost of the big rivers of northern Sweden, it extends 336 miles (541 kilometres) between the mountains of Dalarna and the Baltic Sea, which makes it the second longest river in the country after the Göta älv on the west coast.
For more info, see https://www.gysingewardshus.se, www.nedredalalven.se
description of the new Gysinge Inn.
After being served pumpkin soup and freshly baked bread in a smaller dining room upstairs, we are guided around the spacious bedrooms. All are recently renovated with period wallpaper, elegantly furnished and quite spacious. But without television ... “a conscious choice,” Karen explains.
Outside the wood burning sauna tub is next to the river, and snow angels line up in the drifts. In the barn there is a well equipped gym with a focus on cross-fit. In one section you find table tennis, darts, pool tables and a game corner, in another there are areas for yoga and meditation. Book a massage or enjoy the local beer in the bar. In summer, you can play tennis, kayak, swim, barbecue, jump on a trampoline and try paddle boarding.
You can also take advantage of the Färnebofjärden National Park. Even in the winter. If needed, skis and skates can be rented in Gysinge. The national park showcases a mosaic of lakes, rapids, wetlands and forests. But also coastal marshes, river meadows and floodplains with high biological and aesthetic values. There are said to be 205 bird species, of which over a hundred regularly nest in the area.
The entire national park is marked by the regular and extensive floods that make Färnebofjärden one of Sweden’s most valuable natural areas. Here Norrland’s marshlands and coniferous forest meet the deciduous forests of southern Sweden.
At the national park’s main entrance at Sevedskvarn mill on Mattön island, the smell of burning wood lures us onto one of the hiking trails that starts at the entrance.
At one of the architect designed windbreaks, a young couple has taken possession of the barbecue area and settled down next to the fire for coffee, tea and sandwiches. The ground is covered with a thin layer of snow, there is a loud roar from the river furrows and the sun has already begun its descent, signaling an early dusk.
We continue for a few kilometers on the path that follows the shore. Sometimes lingering flood waters force us to make detours out in the snow to be able to continue in dry shoes. There are a variety of hiking trails to choose among, and for the most part you can get there without getting your feet wet. The slightly longer trails Gästrikeleden and Upplandsleden also pass here. With hot cheeks we return to Gysinge Bruk.
The Julmarknad on the mill’s premises in early December is a cozy event that draws visitors from near and far. It offers shopping for arts and crafts, delicacies and Christmas food, and also excursions by foot or by horse and carriage along powdery white, snowy roads. The inn offers a special holiday menu throughout December but other than on the day of the Julmarknad, the inn’s Christmas table is only available for larger groups and has to be prebooked. Chef Högfeldt, above, shares a special recipe from this year’s treats on page 24.
The darkness falls faster and faster and finally manages to drive away the little sunshine that has been hanging on for the longest time. Strings of lights are lit in the trees and there is a fire in the inn’s stove. Soon chef Högfeldt’s dinner will be presented on the white linen covered tables. What will be served? After our walk in the woods it becomes both a well prepared and welcome surprise.
Text: Mats Wigardt Photography: Bosse Lind
DID YOU KNOW?
Buried salmon. Another staple on the Swedish Christmas table, gravlax literally translates to “grave salmon.” The name refers to how the original, rather primitive version of gravlax was prepared. According to our former food expert, the late professor Jan-Öjvind Swahn, gravlax has a special place in Swedish history.
Travelers visiting the north of Sweden a couple hundred years ago—particularly foreigners with sensitive noses—spoke from time to time of the extraordinary stink that blanketed the countryside. The smell originated from a present-day delicacy, the gravlax. The word grav is the name of the grave you dig in the earth for the newly caught salmon, because that is how the original and much more primitive version of gravlax was once prepared.
The fishing places were along the great rivers, which held as many salmon in the Middle Ages as Alaska holds today. But the farms that owned the fishing rights were often far away. When the time came for the salmon to make their way upriver in spring, it was impossible for a cart to penetrate the sodden, snow-choked, pathless forests, and salt was too expensive for anyone to afford proper salting. But you could carry a few bags of salt on your back when you set off on foot or horseback for the salmon-fishing and that was enough to preserve the salmon—at least partially—until it came to market. Freshly caught salmon were placed into a shallow “grave” dug into the earth, lightly salted and stored there. The reported smell came from areas where the salmon had fermented. Today gravlax is prepared in kitchens not only all over Sweden but is a common dish at many first class restaurants in the world—and, is cured rather than fermented.
Gästrikland
The 45 feet tall Gävlebocken in the city center of Gävle, municipal capital of Gävleborg County and part of what used to be Gästrikland (until 1634)—known for being destroyed or damaged most years.
Läs texten. Sätt in ord från den för att lösa korsordet / Read the text. Use words from it to solve the crossword puzzle
Du hittar en lista över nya ord i spalten till höger och den fullständiga texten på engelska på sidan 30 | You find a list of new words in the column to the right and the complete text in English on page 30.
Gästrikland – Porten till Norrland
Gästrikland kallas ibland för porten till Norrland och är norra Sveriges sydligaste och minsta landskap. Landskapet ligger bara ett par timmar norr om Stockholm, nära Uppland vid Östersjön. Det har 157,000 invånare. Regional huvudstad är
Gävle (69,000 invånare), känt för den gigantiska gävlebocken (13 meter hög) av halm som står från första advent och några veckor framåt—och kanske ändå mer känd för att den ofta brunnit ner. Gamla stan med sina kullerstensgator med mönster delvis från medeltiden är värt ett besök. Mackmyra whiskyby och Joe Hillgården är andra attraktioner. Joe Hill, fackföreningsaktivist och folksångare, som inspirerade Dylan, Guthrie och Baez, avrättades i Salt Lake City 1915. Hans ursprungliga namn var Joel Emmanuel Hägglund och han föddes i Gävle 1879.
De utpräglade kustlandskapet skulle kunna kallas för Järnriket eftersom man sedan lång tid tillbaka har utvunnit järn här. Det är ingen slump att världskoncernen Sandvik AB med 41,000 anställda i hela världen har sitt ursprung här, i Sandviken. För besökare har Sandviken (22500 invånare) ett gammalt järnbruk, Årsunda Vikingagård och en konsthall. Hofors (7000 invånare) har sina 100 föreningar, gruvor och masugn. Ockelbo är känt för Älgparken, uthyrning av islandshästar, Wij Trädgårdar och Furuvik, en djurpark (och är förstås känt som hemort för svenske Prins Daniel, gift med kronprinsessan). Det summerar orter i landskapet med över 2000 invånare. Gästrikland har mer än 1800 fornlämningar. Skärgården nära Gävle har pittoreska öar. Gevalia (kaffe), Ahlgrens bilar och Brynäs (det lokala ishockeylaget) är Gävles stolthet. Den lilla ön Tjuvholmen är delad mellan fyra län men “bara” tre landskap (Dalarna, Gästrikland, Västmanland) eftersom den historiska gränsen mellan Uppland och Gästrikland gick strax söder om Färnebofjärden där ön ligger.
Subscribers eager to look back at earlier lessons of Discover Swedish, lessons 1-67, please check our online digital content at: www. nordstjernan.com/digital_issues
Gästrikland
Ordförråd / Vocabulary:
Östersjön: the Baltic känt för: known for bock: he-goat
hjalm: straw första: first
några veckor: a few weeks framåt: forward Gamla stan: the old town värt ett besök: worth a visit by: village
gård: farm house (estate) fackförening: trade union avrättas: be executed järnbruk: ironworks konsthall: art gallery förening: club, association gruva: (a) mine masugn: blast furnace uthyrning: letting, for rent häst: horse djurpark: wild life park fornlämning: ancient monuments skär: islet skärgård: archipelago
många: many ö (plur öar): island (islands) lag: team
lilla: small delad mellan: divided between län: (like) province/region 21 counties in a reformed division maräng: meringue aln: 45 inches adel: nobility ur: (a) watch va: what (do you mean?) unna sig: treat yourself to lo: lynx bo: 1) nest 2) live sjuk: sick
konst: art trä: wood kör: choir
älg: moose
Discover Swedish is not your typical language course. These practices and lessons are for regular readers, maybe even beginners, trying to get a casual grip on the Swedish language. By partaking in Discover Swedish you may learn a bit about Sverige (Sweden), svenska (the language) och svenskarna (the people of Sweden).
Christer Amnéus
CROSSWORD PUZZLE Gästrikland (Key, page 30)
Gästrikland—Porten till | Gateway to | Norrland
Only a couple of hours north of Stockholm and yet, considered gateway to the north of Sweden, “Norrland”
tillönskas
Vasamedlemmar och
övriga föreningsmedlemmar av
Fylgia Lodge Nr. 119 V.O.A.
Scott Schulkin, Ordförande
Roxanne Schulkin, Sekreterare
Wishing all our friends
The Talbot Family Carol, Kurt & Marilyn
Christopher & Stephanie, Alexandra, Kaley, Audrey, Layla & Wayne Wood
Erika & Bret Marshall
Familjen Schulkin
önskar
Eva, Oskar & Nils Welin
SAN FRANCISCO & LOS ANGELES
This dish, created by chef Högfeldt at Gysinge Inn, is an homage to two distinctly Swedish/Scandinavian dishes around Christmas—Janssons Frestelse (Jansson’s Temptation, story and recipe page 27) and lutfisk, often served with a white creamy béchamel sauce and green peas. If you’re of Scandinavian descent, lutfisk (or lutefisk in Norwegian) may not need a closer introduction.
To me, having grown up in Scandinavia in the 1970s, lutfisk—a Scandinavian dish of dried whitefish that’s been cured in lye, dried, then rehydrated, and steamed until it’s gelatinous—is better used as an object for long throw competitions than as something edible.
And yes, there is or used to be such a thing. A town 15-20 miles southwest of Minnesota used to have an annual lutefisk toss competition. The Norwegian team most often won over the Swedish team when we covered the event. Prize? The glory, a trophy and a packet of lutfisk. (The latter could be why the Norwegians often won, of course.) Back to chef Högfeldt’s dish, which lends the most delicious tastes from both of these classic Scandinavian dishes. The result? Just as delicious as it sounds. All the ingredients may sound a bit overwhelming but simply follow the steps and you’ll be sure to add this to your new winter classics.
Start by preparing the caramelized onions
2 yellow onions
3 tbsp butter salt
Peel and slice the onion, fry for 1 minute on high temperature until it gets a little color. Lightly salt and reduce the heat to half, let it fry for 10-15 minutes until the onion releases all liquid and acquires a light brown tone. Finish by adding the butter and possibly more salt. Set aside to cool until you are ready to add the peas just before serving. Then start with the sauce to allow it to reduce properly.
Creamy white wine sauce with anchovies and chives
3 shallots
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fish bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick of butter
1 can Swedish style anchovy fillets
1 bunch of fresh chives
Chop the shallots and fry in butter until the shallots become translucent and fragrant, add wine, some liquid from the anchovy can and bouillon, let it simmer until the sauce has reduced to about 1 cup (2dl). Strain into a new pan and add the cream. Heat to a boil and taste. Before serving, chop the anchovies and the chives finely and add to the sauce.
Swedish tinned sprats, or ansjovis, are nothing like the anchovies purchased in the United States. Look for the tins at most Scandinavian specialty stores in America to add the just right salty, spicy complement to this dish or “Janssons Frestelse” (page 27)
Eager to try your hand at lutefisk tossing? Try Nordic Music Fest (https://nordicmusicfest. org/) in Victoria, Minnesota, which organizes a playful tournament at the time of the festival in September every year.
Cod
1-1/2 pounds cod fillet (preferably fresh)
1-1/2 cups of ice cold water
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp butter
Whisk together ice cold water and salt. Divide the cod into portions and add them to the salt water for 10 minutes. Take them out, rinse off in water and wipe dry. Lay half the butter in the baking dish, put the cod down and put the rest of the butter on top of the cod. Bake in the oven at 400°F for 13-15 minutes.
Fried potato strips
4 large russet potatoes
4 cups lukewarm water or as much needed to completely cover the potatoes.
1 tbsp salt oil for frying
Slice the potatoes thinly on a mandolin 2/8” inch and cut them into sticks. Mix lukewarm water with salt and add the potatoes. Leave for at least 10 minutes then pour out the liquid and wipe the potatoes dry with a kitchen towel. Fry in batches in 350-375°F oil until golden brown. Carefully put the crisply fried potatoes on a paper towel and salt lightly.
Sauteed green peas
14 oz frozen peas
caramelized onions
butter
Boil water and quickly blanch the peas, drain. Heat up the pan with the caramelized onions and add the peas.
Dessert
As for dessert, who doesn’t remember Kristi Bissell’s modern take on the Swedish Christmas Eve smörgåsbord a few years ago? Kristi found a way to both honor tradition and bring a fresh and modern approach to this festive meal and the dessert became almost like a palate refresher. Lingonberry skyr mousse, a quick and easy to prepare dessert, yet elegant and oh so Swedish.
Lingonberry skyr mousse
Makes 6-8 servings
1/2 cup cold water
1 packet unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup granulated sugar pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups frozen lingonberries, plus additional berries for serving
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup full-fat skyr or Greek yogurt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
1. Place water in a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Let sit for 3 minutes. Add sugar and salt. Heat mixture over medium until sugar dissolves. Add lingonberries and remove from heat. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Whisk lingonberry mixture with vanilla and skyr in a medium bowl until fully combined. Set aside. Whip cream to medium peaks in a mixer. Gently whisk cream into lingonberry mixture until fully combined.
3. Pour mousse into individual serving cups and chill at least two hours. Serve, garnished with lingonberries.
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Roasted gingerbreadwith glögg sauce and ice cream
In times of glögg making, this is a definite winner. First, the most time-consuming and involved task is that of making the gingerbread. This particular recipe will give you an old-fashioned kind of gingerbread.
Ingredients
2 sticks butter
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups brown sugar
2-3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 cup currants
10 dried and cut apricots
peel from one orange 3/4 cup milk
Glögg sauce
Ingredients
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup sugar
grated orange peel,cinnamon stick, cloves and ginger to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup red wine
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and bread a cake pan (do not use a small pan).
- Melt the butter. Mix egg and brown sugar.
- In another bowl mix flour, salt, baking powder, spices, currants, and cut apricots. Pour the mixture into the egg batter with the melted butter.
- Add the orange peel and the milk, and pour the batter in the cake pan.
- Bake in the lower part of the oven for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Do a stick test to make sure the cake is dry inside. You might have to cover the cake with aluminum foil the last 20 minutes so as to not have it too dark. Let cool.
Instructions
1. Bring to a boil wine, sugar, and spices and let simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Take the cold wine and stir the cornstarch into it, then add to the glögg mixture. Boil for 2-3 minutes.
3. Cut your gingerbread into thick slices and roast them in a dry, hot pan. Make sure to roast both sides.
Serve the warm, roasted gingerbread with the glögg sauce and vanilla ice cream.
For anytime of the year but a ‘must’ on the Swedish Christmas table
“Remember this is not a fish dish, the anchovy is really there as a spice and will barely be detectable if you cut them into small pieces.”
The First Temptation of the Swedes and a staple for the Swedish smorgasbord: Jansson’s Temptation.
One of the traditional Scandinavian dishes we receive the most questions about is Janssons frestelse, or, in a direct translation, Jansson’s Temptation, which is a staple of nearly every Swedish smörgåsbord, and a popular late-night nosh, or vickning, as the Swedes would refer to it.
Some years ago we turned to a folklore professor in Lund, Sweden to learn a bit more about Jansson’s, which can best be described as a creamy anchovy-laden potato casserole. The dish appears as “anchovy casserole” or “anchovy dish à la Irma” in early handwritten recipe collections; the name Jansson’s didn’t appear until the 1930s.
So who was Jansson? What was the occasion for the very first temptation? Food writers argued for years over the origins of the name. But in 1989, writer Gunnar Stigmark revealed what might be the final answer to the enigma.
The casserole had been a popular dish with the rich ladies of Östermalm in central Stockholm for quite some time, when, for a New Year’s party in 1929, Stigmark’s mother came up with the idea of making the dish somehow sound a bit more compelling. One of the blockbuster movies at the time was a film with popular actor Edvin Adolphsson called “Janssons Frestelse” (1928). Thus, Jansson’s was born.
Whether or not the story is true, which sounds more tempting to you: anchovy-potato casserole or Jansson’s Temptation?
You’ll find Jansson’s on the menu of most Nordic or Swedish restaurants in America near any of the traditional holidays. And it’s easy to make at home. Most recipes differ a little — how thinly you slice the potato strips, how much cream you use or whether you add anchovy brine is mostly a matter of taste. Similarly, the more you rinse the potatoes and let them rest in water to remove some of the starch, the thicker the sauce will be. Here opinions part on whether one way is better than another, so don’t be afraid to experiment on your own.
What is an absolute are the salty, Swedish-style anchovy fillets you can get only through a specialized Scandinavian store or one of the IKEA stores throughout America. The much sweeter American or Italian anchovies just aren’t the same. (That said, New York-based chef Ulrika Bengtsson sometimes combines 50 percent Italian anchovies with an equal amount of the Swedish matjes spiced herring, reportedly with good results.)
Janssons frestelse
(Jansson’s temptation)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 kg (2-1/4 lb) potatoes (do not use new potatoes)
2 onions
butter
100 g (3-1/2 oz) Swedish-style anchovy fillets and brine (one can)
4 dl (1-2/3 cups) heavy cream
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
The Scandinavian style anchovy fillets can be bought at Scandinavian Butik, www.scandinavianbutik.com and at Scandinavian Specialties, www. scanspecialties.com, or White’s www.scottshometownfoods.com or www.cookswedish.com, among others—they all do mail order.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 250˚C (425˚F). Peel and cut potatoes into strips. Peel onions and cut into thin slices. Sauté the onions in 1 tbsp butter until soft. Generously grease a deep, straight-sided ovenproof dish with butter. Cut or chop the anchovy fillets into small pieces—don’t hesitate to use scissors and remember this is not a fish dish, the anchovy is really there as a spice and will barely be detectable if you cut them into small pieces. Layer potatoes, onion and anchovies, ending with potatoes. Press down lightly to even out surface. Pour cream over the casserole, almost to top of potatoes. Sprinkle with anchovy brine. Finally, sprinkle with a generous amount of breadcrumbs and dot with butter. Bake about 45 minutes.
This recipe comes from Served from the Swedish Kitchen, published by ICA-Förlaget Sweden. And here is a slight variation in a recipe from Jan Wikström, a former executive chef at the Swedish Consul General’s residence in New York:
Ingredients:
10 raw, peeled potatoes
2 yellow onions
approx 20 anchovy fillets (this is more than in one can and will give more salty and anchovy taste. Start smaller if this is your first time cooking Janssons Frestelse!
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
plain breadcrumbs
1/2 stick of butter
butter to grease the pan
Instructions:
Cut the potatoes into fine strips, do not rinse. Cut the onion into thin slices.
Grease a straight-sided ovenproof pan. Put layers of potatoes, onions and anchovies, ending with a layer of potatoes.
Pour cream and milk over the potatoes with some of the brine from the anchovies. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and dot butter on the top.
Put in an oven pre-heated to 400˚F and bake for about 45 minutes.
Serve hot with beer, snaps and Swedish knäckebröd and Västerbotten cheese or a sharper aged cheddar. Delicious! (- Jan Wikström) UBM
Sweet Treats from Sweden
Ischoklad / Ice chocolate
A traditional Christmas treat that originates from Germany is ice chocolate. Because it has only two ingredients it’s simple to make and you can easily have your children or grandchildren help. “Ice” in this case means that the chocolate melts in your mouth and presents you with a cool feeling—melting ice chocolate treats.
For 40-50 pieces you need:
1 oz. chocolate
2-1/2 oz. coconut butter
small aluminum forms
Arrange the aluminum forms on a plate. Melt the chocolate and the butter on a bain-marie. Pour carefully into the forms. Let sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Our two all-time absolute favorites for the sweeter side of Christmas you see here have been a staple for many years in Sweden.
Knäck
This recipe for “Knäck” (Swedish Christmas toffee) yields approximately 40-50 pieces.
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup pale syrup
3-1/2 tbsp butter
3-1/2 tbsp walnuts
3-1/2 tbsp almond flakes paper cups
Instructions
Arrange the paper cups on a plate. Put nuts and almonds in a plastic bag and crush them by using a rolling pin. Combine sugar, cream and syrup in a heavy saucepan and stir constantly over low to medium heat, until the caramel reaches 250° F. Remove the pot from the heat, add the butter and stir until melted. Add crushed nuts and almonds. Pour into the paper cups and let cool in the fridge.
Merry Christmas
God Jul och ett Framgångsrikt Nytt År! önskas Vasa-Syskon och vänner Lodge Freja No 100 Chair: Marylin Cole 914-793-9803 Monthly meeting at Emanuel Lutheran Church, Pleasantville, NY
Holidays from Scandinavian Park, Inc.NFP Vasa Park, Route 31 South Elgin, Illinois
Join us as a member in 2025, come and visit the Erlander Home Museum and Nordic Cultural Center!
Swedish Historical Society 404 S. Third Street Rockford, IL 61104 (815) 963-5559 www.swedishhistorical.org from the Swedish Historical Society of Rockford
Thank you for your support in 2024 and please consider sending a holiday donation to Scandinavian Park, Inc. NFP c/o Johannes Smits, Treasurer, 315 Chatham Lane, Roselle, IL 60172, so we can keep Vasa Park going strong in 2025. For news and updates, visit www.vasaparkil.com and www.scandinaviandayil.com.
“Knäck”—Swedish Christmas toffee.
Sip Swedish through the holidays
Swedes drink a lot of glögg around Christmas. There are as many kinds of glögg—with alcohol and without—as there are people making it, sometimes with red wine or vodka, cloves or cinnamon, almonds or raisins. While most of us may prefer our own home-made concoctions when it comes to glögg, we have to say Sjöblom Glögg is a nice addition to any holiday event. It’s well balanced, mildly spiced and with a core flavor of wine—and a quite lovely wine at that. Many of you may have already tasted the glögg made of Swedish California grapes from Napa Valley’s Sjoeblom Winery. Wine- turned also glögg-maker Mike Sjöblom spent several days with a glögg flavoring specialist, a mixologist at a company specializing in developing glögg flavors in Sweden. Hundreds of blends were tasted, refined, retested, blended and finally approved to make the first wine-based glögg produced in the U.S. to reach market. Sign up at www.gloggclub.com to order your own wherever you are. Our tip: Add a splash of dark rum to the Sjöblom Glögg, some brown sugar and the spices listed below (all to taste, and trust us when we say constantly tasting your very own is part of the fun). In case you’re making your own, here’s the recipe for an old-fashioned glögg:
Half a cup of dark rum - remember to sip responsibly! (you can also use vodka, whiskey or brandy or, well all of the above)
5 cinnamon sticks
20 cloves
1 piece of fresh ginger
1 teaspoon crushed cardamom kernels
1 bitter orange peel
1 bottle of red wine (not too strong or rich)
1 cup + 2 oz sugar
vanilla
blanched almonds and raisins
Mix the alcohol and spices in a jar, cover with lid and put in the fridge overnight. Shake the jar occasionally. Let the mixture pass through a coffee filter until you get a clear, golden liquid. Never be afraid of experimenting with the amount of every ingredient to find your own favorite taste! Heat this liquid with the red wine, sugar and vanilla. Serve the hot glögg with blanched almonds and raisins.
Holiday Greetings
From New Jersey District #6 Vasa Order of America
från
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[The] Swede
Over 250 short chapters will make you understand your Swedish relatives better, prepare you for the next trip and make life Sweder. A quintessential guide to Sweden and being Swedish.
Price: $22.95
Until the Lights Come Back On Lilly Setterdahl’s newest novel is a roller coaster of events after a cyber attack has cut off all electric power in Sweden in the month of October. The book follows one family but shows how a catastrophe that’s all too conceivable in a post-pandemic world will truly affect everyone.
Price: $19.95
Not My Time to Die — Titanic and the Swedes on board
The book describes the conditions in Sweden in 1912, the reasons for the emigration, and profiles of each of the 123 Swedes on board. Eye-witness accounts, letters, newspaper reports, and interviews give new insight to what happened on that tragic night 100 years ago. Larger size, perfect bound.
298 pages, richly illustrated.
Price $25.95
Memories from Fäbodar in Sweden
Travel 80 years back in time to learn about one young boy’s idyllic summers at his family’s cabin at the summaer pasture. His experiences are typical of so many Swedish families who moved to a summer cabin, along with all their farm animals, to enjoy life with fresh pastures and mountain air. The fäbod way of life continued for centuries – in central provinces such as Dalarna, Värmland, Hälsingland, Härjedalen and Jämtland and Rune Mats’s adventures chronicle its last decade.
Price: $22.95
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Swede Among the Rednecks
Essays for Nordstjernan: A book for Swedes, Americans and Swedish Americans in America with a foot on each side of the Atlantic. By columnist Ulf Kirchdorfer.
Chasing Snaps Songs
100 pages on snapsvisor —the why, how, when and what to sing at a traditional Swedish dinner. Includes fun and easy-to-sing songs, many in English, and how to create your own song. The essential companion to a Swedish dinner party. Everything you need to know to safely navigate social functions in Sweden or Swedish America.
Price: $15.95
Swedish Schnapps Songs 64 pages, covering 130 fun and easyto-sing schnapps songs, 1/3 of them in English.
Price: $12.95
Gästrikland – Porten till | Gateway to | Norrland
Gästrikland is sometimes called the gateway to Norrland and is northern Sweden’s southernmost and smallest province. The landscape is just a couple hours north of Stockholm, near Uppland on the Baltic Sea. It has 157,000 inhabitants. Gävle is the regional capital (69,000 residents), known for its gigantic straw Christmas goat (13 meters, 42 feet tall) which attempts to stand throughout December—and is perhaps even more famous because it is often burned down. The old town and its cobbled streets with patterns partly from the Middle Ages is worth a visit. The Mackmyra whisky village and the Joe Hill house are other attractions. Joe Hill, the trade union activist and folksinger, who inspired Dylan, Guthrie and Baez, was executed (unjustly for murder) in Salt Lake City in 1915. His original name was Joel Emmanuel Hägglund and he was born in Gävle in 1879.
The coastal landscape could be called the Iron Kingdom because iron has been mined here for a long time. It is no coincidence that the multinational Sandvik AB in Sandviken with 41,000 employees worldwide has its origins here. Sandviken (22,500 residents) offers visitors an old ironworks, the Årsunda Viking farm (an archeological outdoor museum) and an art museum. Hofors (7,000 residents) has its 100 associations and clubs, old mines and a blast furnace. Ockelbo is known for the Moose Park, the possibility to let Icelandic horses, the Wij Gardens and Furuvik, a wild life park (and is of course known as the birthplace of Swedish Prince Daniel, married to the Crown Princess). That sums up towns in the landscape with over 2,000 inhabitants.
Gästrikland has more than 1,800 ancient remains. The archipelago near Gävle has picturesque islands. Gevalia (coffee), Ahlgrens bilar candy and Brynäs (the local ice hockey team) are Gävle’s pride. The small island of Tjuvholmen is divided between four counties but “only” three provinces (Dalarna, Gästrikland, Västmanland) — this is the case because the historical border between Uppland and Gästrikland was just south of Färnebofjärden Lake where the island is located.
Swedish News
Kristersson in talks with NATO
During November, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and new NATO chief Mark Rutte. The talks were about European security and support for Ukraine. “We talked about our cooperation in NATO and our obligation to continue supporting Ukraine - militarily, humanitarian and politically,” says Kristersson.
Busch: Review immigrant voting rights
The KD Christian Democrats’ leader Ebba Busch wants to review the right of immigrants to vote in municipal and regional elections, and extend the time one must have lived in Sweden in order to vote. “We allow people to vote in municipal elections quite easily. It can flip the majority in an entire municipality,” says Busch in interviews with Swedish media. Today, the requirement is that a person must have been registered as a resident in the national register for three years in order to vote. Busch has said that “it remains to be decided where the actual limit should go” without being specific about where she wants it to go.
Expensive medicines get more expensive
Inflation rose to 1.5 percent in October, according to the CPIF measure. In September, inflation was 1.1 percent, according to preliminary figures from Statistics Sweden (SCB). According to Bloomberg’s compilation, analysts had believed in an inflation outcome of 1.3 percent. Adjusted for energy prices, inflation amounted to 2.1 percent. This can be compared with 2.0 percent the previous month and the market’s expectations of 2.0 percent.
Government sells Bilprovningen
The buyer of the car testing organization is a German company, TÜV Rheinland, a regional German equivalent organization with 22,000 employees. The price amounts to SEK 1.2 billion, according to Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson. Car testing operations in Sweden have been deregulated since 2010. Car testing for safety reasons has existed since 1963 and the company has over 100 stations around Sweden.
PG Gyllenhammar dead at 89
Pehr G. Gyllenhammar, who became “PG” throughout Sweden, is dead. He is best known as AB Volvo’s CEO 1971-1983 and its chairman of the board 19831993. As a board professional, he has had a wide range of assignments, including for the Stenbeck sphere’s power company Kinnevik, the news agency Reuters, the investment bank Rothschild Europe and the British insurance company Commercial Union. Gyllenhammar’s career began in the insurance industry, where in 1970 he succeeded his father as Skandia CEO. Pehr G. Gyllenhammar was 89 years old.
Northvolt in Chapter 11
Battery manufacturer Northvolt applied for reconstruction in the U.S. The aim is to secure financing through the so-called Chapter 11 process in the USA. Operations are said to continue as usual. The decision provides access to $145 million in cash from a security package and $100 million in new customer financing. “In connection with this, founder and CEO Peter Carlsson is transitioning to become a senior advisor and thereby leaves the role of CEO” according to a press release from the company. “He will also remain as a member of the
board,” according to the release. The recruitment of a new CEO has begun. The Chapter 11 process will help secure Northvolt’s long-term mission to establish a domestic, Western industrial base for battery production, according to the aforementioned press release from the company in late November. According to U.S. court documents, Northvolt owes billions to its suppliers. Estimates say debts are in the neighborhood of SEK 2.5 billion including 11 Swedish subcontractors, whose demands on Northvolt amount to a total of SEK 853 million.
Government stops offshore wind power
The government has decided that only one of 14 offshore wind farm plans gets the go-ahead: Poseidon, outside Stenungsund on Sweden’s west coast, will be built. All others are refused due to security concerns. Recently, the Swedish Armed Forces published an analysis, which concludes that offshore wind power farms will disrupt the ability to defend Sweden. According to Sweden’s Minister for Energy and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch, that analysis makes it impossible for a large number of wind farms to be built in the Baltic Sea. The government’s decision is “extremely surprising,” according to the industry organization Swedish Wind Energy.
The 13 rejected projects corresponded to approximately 30 gigawatts of installed power and could generate up to 140 terawatt-hours of electricity—the equivalent of Sweden’s electricity consumption today (when and if it’s windy). Of the total of 24 applications that were on the government’s table for the construction of offshore wind farms, about 10 of them remain to be decided upon. Svenska Kraftnät believes it will be much more difficult to cope with the green energy transition after the government stopped all wind farms in the Baltic Sea. In order to meet previously set goals, it is believed that more wind turbines on land are now required.
60,000 high school seniors failed reading comprehension
In the 10 years since 2014, 61,972 ninth graders have failed the national test of reading comprehension, according to statistics from the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) that was reviewed by Swedish television. Despite nine years of primary school, the students do not understand what they read. The numbers increased from 5,695
in the academic year 2017/18 to a whopping 17,574 in the academic year 2021/22. Figures from the previous academic year’s test results are available in December, and the trend is expected to continue. At the same time, teachers and researchers testify that the national tests are actually too easy, and hide a dark number of reading-disabled students.
Founded in 2015 by former Tesla executives, the once so promising Northvolt commissioned its first plant in Skellefteå, Sweden (above) in 2021 and announced plans to build several others in rapid succession.
