Swedish Press Dec 2018/Jan 2019 Vol 89:10

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December 2018/January 2019 Vol 89:10 $5.95

God Jul & Gott Nytt ร r

10 2018

Jultomte The World of Jenny Nystrรถm Kronaby Watch Liv Ullmann

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06-11-2018 05:30:59:PM

Swedish Press is the world’s leading magazine on all good things Swedish.

An authority on design, business, culture and travel since 1929, Swedish Press delivers insightful news and commentary in a visually striking format. With a nod to the past, and a peek to the future, Swedish Press is your go-to source for updates and inspiration from Sweden.

SWEDISH PRESS (ISSN 0839-2323) is published ten times per year (Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July/Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec/Jan) by Swedish Press Inc, 862 Peace Portal Drive, Suite #101, Blaine WA 98230 for $45 per year.

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US POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Swedish Press, PO Box 420404, San Diego, CA 92142-0404 OFFICE: 9040 Shaughnessy Street, Vancouver, BC V6P 6E5 Canada US MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 420404, San Diego, CA 92142-0404 WEBSITE www.swedishpress.com E-MAIL info@swedishpress.com TEL +1 360 450 5858 TOLL FREE +1 866 882 0088 PUBLISHER Claes Fredriksson Claes@swedishpress.com EDITOR Peter Berlin Peter@swedishpress.com ART DIRECTOR Joan Law Joan@swedishpress.com REPRESENTATIVES Calgary: Carin Pihl +1 403 931 0370 Thunder Bay: Elinor Barr +1 807 344 8355 Toronto: Gunilla Sjölin +1 905 751 5297 Winnipeg: Laurel Anderson-McCallum +1 204 792 7011 Los Angeles: Birgitta Lauren +1 310 201 0079 New York: Timothy Lyons +1 732 685 3747 San Diego: Sue Eidson +1 858 541 0207

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4 Letters to the Editor

5 From the Editor’s Desk Swedish Headlines 6 Headline News: Life Under a Rock 7 Swedes in the News 8 Landskapsnyheterna Business 9 Business News 10 Company File: Kronaby Sweden

Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann. Photo © AB Svensk Filmindustri

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Hemma Hos 22 Design: Christmas Gifts with Swedish Functionality and Style 23 Treats à la Maria Jönsson

Heritage Dalahäst invigning på Höstmarknaden i Vasaparken den 14 oktober 2018

Feature 12 The Genealogy of the Swedish Tomte

In the Loop 27 Canada, US & Beyond 28 Calendar and Events

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Swedish Press Connects 24 SCA – Swedish Council of America Christmas is a Child’s Holiday Road to 2045 26 Swedish Vehicle Industry – More than Volvo

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CONTENTS ( December 2018 | January 2019 )

ADVISORY COMMITTEE Björn Bayley, Peter Ladner, Brian Antonson, Christer Garell, Anders & Hamida Neumuller

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent of Swedish Press is strictly prohibited. Unsolicited material is welcome, but never the publishers responsibility. Enclose stamped self-addressed envelope for return. Statements and opinions expressed by the writers and claims in the advertising are their own and do not necessarily represent Swedish Press.

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Swedish Press

Interview 14 Dragana Kusoffsky Maksimovic – Jenny Nyströms företagsamma tomtar

30 Sista Ordet The First Second

Heritage 18 Live Love Laugh – A Celebration of Arne J Nilsson Lifestyle 20 Top Sju 21 Film: Liv Ullmann’s Most Profound Experience with Ingmar Bergman

Above: The Playsam ‘Xtreamliner Cab’ comes in a variety of shiny shades. Photo © Jonas Lindström | Cover image: One of many of Jenny Nyström’s illustrations.

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 3

Letters to the Editor Enjoy reading Swedish Press?

Email us your pictures along with your name and comments to info@swedishpress.com and we’ll be happy to publish them.

Founded in 1981

Swenson Center

Augustana College Rock Island, IL 61201-2296 Phone 309-794 7204 sag@augustana.edu www.augustana.edu/sag

Hi there, My name is Amber Roy and I’m the president of Silverhill Hall Association.

It is our duty to maintain and preserve Silverhill Hall in Mission, BC. Silverhill Hall is a very small community gathering place built by Swedish settlers in 1919. On land donated by Siver Lowe, 28 Swedish men donated $1 each for the materials to construct the hall. Nearby trees were felled and dragged up our steep hill by horses.

Over the years, the hall has been home to a variety of meetings and celebrations for people all over the Fraser Valley, but it has stayed close to the families that so lovingly crafted it. For example, Jennifer Lowe, great granddaughter of the very Silver Lowe that donated the land,

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 4

is general manager of the hall to this very day.

We suffered a devastating loss last week when, after 99 years, Silverhill Hall was lost to fire. The entire community has felt this loss; we’ve had an outpouring of emotional messages full of memories and hope.

After what feels like endless discussion, we have decided to honour our Swedish ancestry by rebuilding the hall in their spirit.

Unfortunately, our board was only recently made aware that the fire insurance was cancelled by a previous administration many years ago for financial reasons. This obviously is a big setback in the rebuild, as 100% of funding is going to have to be donated and fundraised for.

I am writing to you to humbly ask if you are able to work with us to get the word out about our GoFundMe campaign and fundraising efforts. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Sincerely, Amber Roy, President Silverhill Hall Association www.gofundme.com/rebuild-silverhill-hall

Whether your Swedish is fluent or rusty, we hone your language skills by publishing some articles in Swedish. But never despair: you will find English translations online thanks to our valiant team of volunteer translators. Simply go to http://biolson.atspace.cc/ swemail/ and you will find translations of all Swedish articles going as far back as to August 2007.

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from the Editor’s Desk

Celebrating Christmas at Home and Abroad We need your support!

Swedish Press strives to create a high quality magazine for you, but the costs are considerable and ever-increasing.

Please consider making a generous donation to help keep your publication, and Swedish heritage, alive. You’ll find a form on page 29. Tack!

GRATTIS PÅ FÖDELSEDAGEN Dec 7 Chelsea Dahl, 8 år Dec 11 Mila Granberg, 14 år Dec 12 Alec Anders Malhotra, 8 år Dec 15 Chloe Dahl, 10 år Dec 20 Victor Spentzas, 16 år Dec 22 Ella Karolina Lee Sheppard,

15 år Dec 31 Erika Serhan, 14 år Jan 2 Sofia Eaton, 14 år Jan 8 Sofia Carson, 15 år Jan 10 Linnea Moutray, 16 år Jan 14 Matthew Dahl, 8 år Jan 22 Linnea Granberg, 16 år Jan 23 Niklas Lofstrand-Davey, 9 år Jan 25 Asia Thornquist, 13 år

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any years ago an American friend of mine told me about her visit to Japan at Christmas time. Even though Japan is a predominantly Shinto and Buddhist country, she discovered to her surprise that some of the department stores in Tokyo were putting on Christmas displays to entice customers to buy Christmas presents. In the atrium of one of the stores she found herself standing face to face with a giant stuffed Santa Claus nailed to… a cross!

Well, Swedes aren’t above borrowing traditions from abroad and adapting them.

Take Walpurgis bonfires (from Germany), Maypole dancing (also from Germany) and Santa Lucia parades (Sicily). These are celebrated as faithfully in Swedish communities around the world as in Sweden itself. Recent additions in Sweden include Halloween (from Ireland via the USA) and Valentine’s Day (France & England via the USA).

In the December/January issue of Swedish Press we report on the latest social and business developments in Sweden. The country is not immune to the general turmoil in world politics but is proving admirably resilient, as posited in Borgströms Blogg (page 9).

Given that North Americans sometimes confuse Sweden with watch-making Switzerland, it is ironic that Sweden is now producing a hi-tech watch, the Kronaby, as profiled in Company File (page 10). In our regular feature Road to 2045, Mattias Goldmann reminds us that the Swedish vehicle industry is about more than just Volvo (page 26).

In the realm of culture we present an exclusive interview with Dragana Kusoffsky Maksimovic, the CEO of Sven-Harry’s Museum of Art in Stockholm which was founded by the bricklayer turned house builder turned art collector Sven-Harry Karlsson (page 14).

Meet Arne Nilsson, an intrepid Swede who during his long lifespan grew up as a farmboy in Småland and emigrated to America to became a highly respected antiques and art dealer (page 18).

Agneta Nilsson, the founder of Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA), writes about the fifteen giant wooden Dala horses she commissioned in 2002 – 2003 on occasion of SWEA’s 25th anniversary, and the subsequent fate of the one that found its way to Los Angeles (page 11).

Also in this issue you will have Swedish Tomten and his relationship to Santa Claus explained once and for all, thanks to some thorough research performed by our contributor Lara Andersson (page 12). There is also an article that offers ideas for Christmas gifts which embody Swedish functionality and style (page 22).

In Sista Ordet a young woman describes her thrill at being chosen as this year’s Lucia in Vancouver, BC – especially since she will be following in her mother’s footsteps in that role (page 30).

Swedish Press will celebrate its 90th anniversary during 2019. You can read all about the history of our magazine on Wikipedia.org by typing Swedish Press, and also on Wikipedia.se under Swedish Press (tidskrift). We would very much welcome suggestions from our readers how best to celebrate the milestone!

We at Swedish Press wish you a joyful Christmas and much success in 2019. We look forward to meeting you again in our February issue.

Peter Berlin Editor Peter@Swedishpress.com December 2018

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Swedish Headlines

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Don’t Mess With Nuns and Ministers Life Under a Rock

By Peter Berlin

J

ordan B. Peterson, a professor of psychology at University of Toronto, thrives on controversy.

He is not afraid of provoking feminists, backers of political correctness and climate change activists by openly expressing views that some of us might hold but are well advised not to state openly. Much of his rhetoric centres on gender, along the lines that “masculinity represents order” while “femininity is chaos” – hence the title of his new book 12 Rules For Life, an Antidote to Chaos. He is also famous for having stated that men can’t “control crazy women” because men “have absolutely no respect” for someone they cannot physically fight.

By contrast, some of his other pronouncements are familiar clichés, like “Divorce is damaging for children. We know that a stable, intact, family with two parents is best for children.”

Peterson visited Sweden on November 6 in connection with the release of his new book. During one of his lectures he affirmed that “You

Swedes are at the forefront of a social experiment which will have consequences for the whole world, especially in the West. Your society has taken social policy further than any other country in order to create a level playing-field.”

Some of Peterson’s earlier lectures and interviews can be found on YouTube. One of the most memorable interviews with him was conducted by Cathy Newman on Britain’s Channel 4. The event, which was tense from the beginning, became downright illtempered as Peterson accused Newman of using misquotes and taking statements out of context to try to corner him. Newman, in turn, suffered moments of speechlessness as Peterson repeatedly denied having made certain statements in the past.

Some unfashionable anti-feminist views contained in his new book prompted Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström to lose her temper during a recent debate about women’s rights, telling her audience that she “can’t grasp why people waste so much time on that man. I think he should crawl back under the rock he came from.”

Jordan B. Peterson was a guest on Talkshow with Fredrik Skavlan on SVT, October 26.

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International Parents Beware From now onwards, Sweden will refuse to register certain names for newborns. Parents are required to submit their choices for baby names to Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Authority) which is authorized to reject “names that can give offence or be seen to cause discomfort for the bearer” – at least in Sweden. Examples of names that have been refused are Q, Token, Metallica, Pilzner, Allah, Ford and Michael Jackson. Some of the parents have gone to court to have the refusal overturned. To be on the safe side, international parents-to-be living in Sweden may wish to consider good old Viking names like Björn, Ulf, Sverker, Gudrun and Ragnhild for their offspring…

Swedish Nun & Nobleman Join Forces A Swedish count is joining forces with a nun from a convent near his castle to stop a British mining company from destroying the surrounding countryside in the Swedish province of Skåne.

The company has been granted a licence to prospect for the rare-earth metal Vanadium which is expected to serve as a core element in future eco-friendly electric batteries. The count-nun duo are key members of a local protest movement called VetoNu (eng. Veto Now) with the stated aim of forestalling a repeat of the ecological damage caused by a shale gas exploration project some years ago.

The mining company claims to have a “green” agenda, but few people in Skåne are convinced, and VetoNu is contesting the mining licence.

“We are the little stone that causes the colossus with clay feet to collapse,” promises the nun, referring to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from the Book of Daniel.

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Swedes in the News

Swedish Politics, Health and Horror Health à la Nylén

Mårtén Nylén. Photo: Magnus Sandberg

Swedish physiotherapist, health educator and lecturer Mårten Nylén, 43, is wellknown for coaching and pushing his clients, including American musicians Will Smith and Wyclef Jean, as well as the competitors in Swedish reality show Biggest Loser to the max. To share and spread his love for exercise, Nylén, who currently serves as expert commentator on the popular TV show Ninja Warrior, has written a book called Mårten Nylén: resultat, balans och lite magi. In his book Nylén reveals his secrets to a healthier lifestyle using simple exercises, a well-rounded diet, rest and mental balance. Mårten Nylén: resultat, balans och lite magi is available in stores on December 1.

Månsson’s debut Described by the media as “a masterpiece” and “guaranteed to chill the blood”, the spine-chilling drama Kvinnan i Svart (Woman in Black) promises

to be a huge hit when it premieres at Scalateatern in Stockholm on January 31. The popular play, based on Susan Hill’s horror novel The Woman in Black about a lawyer sent to care for a deceased woman’s estate, features Swedish actors and comedians Claes Månsson and Rikard Ulvshammar.

Known for his decades in comedy, The Woman in Black marks Månsson’s debut in a horror genre.

Linda Hedberg directs.

Charlotte Kalla. Photo: Superstudio

impressive twelwe World Championship medals. In 2011 she was appointed Female Athlete of the Year (Årets kvinnliga idrottare 2010) at Idrottsgalan. Kalla was honored with a statue of herself in her hometown Tärendö near Pajala in 2010.

Neslund, Kevin Chown and Andrew Morrison Johnson, Kyle felt overwhelmed with joy at meeting his European relatives and promised to return to Stockholm often to stay connected with his newly discovered friends and family. He still lives in the same place where his Swedish ancestors settled when arriving in America.

Support for Corazza

Forever a Swede Anna Maria Corazza Bildt Claes Månsson. Photo: Mattias Ahlm

Kalla ranked # 1 The International Ski Federation (FIS, Fédération Internationale de Ski) ranked Swedish crosscountry skier Charlotte Kalla, 31, in first place among the world’s best cross-country skiers (distansåkare) prior to the upcoming season. Kalla’s top spot is followed by three Norwegians: Ingvild Flugstad Östberg, Marit Björgen and Ragnhild Haga.

The next best Swedish skier was Ebba Andersson in 12th place. Kalla, born in Pajala, Norrbotten has earned an

Kyle Johnson. Photo: Magnus Liam Karlsson /SVT

Middle school teacher Kyle Johnson, 29, from Independence, a small town in Minnesota, won Swedish Television’s genealogy show/competition Allt för Sverige, where 10 Americans with Swedish heritage travel to Sweden to compete in everything from customs to myths. After having defeated fellow competitors David

The Moderate election committee did not nominate Italian-born Swedish Moderate Party politician and entrepreneur Anna Maria Corazza Bildt Member of the European Parliament (MEP), for the EU election next May. Corazza Bildt, who is the wife of former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, wrote in a comment on Facebook that she was deeply disappointed.

Corazza Bildt told Swedish Press she is not stepping away from politics and thanked the people and organizations around the country that had supported her.

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[Landskapsnyheterna] SMÅLAND Ronja Fredriksson 17 år från Nybro och hennes kusin möttes av ett lodjur när de kom åkande i sin bil i centrala Kalmar. Kusinerna blev väldigt förvånade när de såg lodjuret komma gående på Dragonvägen.

– Först trodde vi att det var en katt, men en väldigt stor katt. Sedan kom vi närmre och då såg vi att det var ett lodjur, sa Ronja.

– Det var häftigt. Man har ju aldrig sett ett sånt djur vilt tidigare, bara inne på djurparker. Det är verkligen inget man förväntar sig se inne i centrala Kalmar.

Lodjuret som i vanliga fall är skygga djur verkade inte besvärad av uppmärksamheten.

– Den skyndade inte på alls när vi kom körandes. Den gick lugnt som om den var på en catwalk trots att det rörde sig en del folk i närheten.

Fredrik Ustrup, vilthandläggare på länsstyrelsen, gav sin syn på händelsen.

– Normalt sett är de ju skygga, sa han till SVT Nyheter Småland.

– Jag tror inte man kommer lyckas fånga det, och även om man skulle kunna så får man inte. Vår rekommendation är att man låter det vara i fred.

GOTLAND I Gråbo på Gotland erbjuder Hälsofrämjandeenheten – Region Gotland utbildningsträffar för seniorer som vill lära sig mer om mobiltelefoner och sociala medier. Det är områdets ungdomar som fått i uppgift att hjälpa seniorerna. Under mötena delas de äldre och yngre medlemmarna upp i grupper där de kan diskutera eventuella problem med till exempel mobiltelefoner.

– Jag har tagit med min mobil som jag har det lite knepigt med. Jag har lite svårt för den, den är ny, sa Yvonne Pettersson.

Yvonne får hjälp av Samuel Larsson som studerar data och kommunikation på Wisbygymnasiet.

– Det känns bra att kunna hjälpa.

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Telefonen är ju en stor del av vårt samhälle, och man använder dem ju dagligen överallt, sa Samuel.

Totalt planeras fyra träffar mellan seniorerna och ungdomarna.

– Vi träffar ju ofta seniorer som tycker att det är svårt. Tekniken går framåt väldigt fort. Då sa vi att vi testar en sådan här aktivitet och ser hur det går. Wisbygymansiet nappade, och vi tror att detta också kan vara bra för eleverna där att få träffa en äldre generation och kunna förklara för dem, sa Ewa Hansson, aktivitetssamordnare på Hälsofrämjandeenheten.

UPPLAND Polisen skickades till Drottningholms Slott i Ekerö, väster om Stockholm, efter att två drönare setts komma flygande över slottet. På plats kunde polisen gripa de två personer som omhändertagits av Drottningholms slottsvakter.

– Det var personal som omhändertog två personer, sa Towe Hägg på polisens regionledningscentral i Stockholm.

Personerna som flög drönarna tros vara utländska medborgare. Polisen kommer nu att hålla förhör.

– Vi har två personer gripna för brott mot skyddslagen. De ska nu höras och så får man kontakta åklagare som beslutar om de ska anhållas eller inte, sa Towe Hägg.

Det är olagligt att flyga drönare över Drottningholms Slott och Kung Carl XVI Gustaf har informerats.

– Vid alla händelser som är extraordinära, även i det här fallet, så ger vi information, sa Hovets informationschef Margareta Thorgren.

VÄSTERBOTTEN Trafikpolisen Johan Löfstedt blev skrämd och orolig efter att han stoppat (vad som såg ut att vara) en blodig bilist för fortkörning på E4 intill Stöcksjö söder om Umeå.

– När jag gick fram såg jag en kniv

LAPPLAND NORRBOTTEN

VÄSTERBOTTEN

JÄMTLAND

HÄRJEDALEN

ÅNGERMANLAND

MEDELPAD HÄLSINGLAND

DALARNA GÄSTRIKLAND VÄSTMANLAND VÄRMLAND

NÄRKE

UPPLAND

SÖDERMANLAND

DALSLAND ÖSTERGÖTLAND BOHUSLAND VÄSTERGöteborg GÖTLAND SMÅLAND HALLAND SKÅNE

Stockholm

GOTLAND ÖLAND

BLEKINGE

Malmö

i bröstet på föraren. Han var jättemycket skadad i ansiktet.

– Jag hann tänka tusen tankar. Är han på väg till akuten, har han blivit attackerad?

Lyckligtvis var mannen oskadd och förklaringen till blodet och kniven fick Johan att skratta.

– Jag sa ”men människa vad har hänt?” Då sa han direkt att han är på väg på en halloweenfest. Det tyckte jag var roligt ändå, sa Johan Löfstedt.

Johan var imponerad av sminkningen och trots att bilisten fick böter höll han med om att situationen var humoristisk. Johan fick lov att ta ett foto som han sedan delade på polisens Instagramkonto.

– Han bjöd på det på något sätt. Så det blev ett trevligt möte trots att han åkte därifrån med böter, sa Johan.

– Vi gjorde vårt jobb i vilket fall som helst, men det blev en trevlig skruv på det. Och han tyckte väl också att det var helt okej.

[Business] News

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Colombia Calling

n November 16, Volvo received an order for 700 city buses from Colombia. The country’s capital Bogotá is replacing its Euro II and Euro III buses with new vehicles that meet the far stricter Euro V emission standards. The new model comes equipped with exhaust filters that eliminate 96 percent of pollutants.

The bus fleet will be deployed in 2019.

This is not the first time Colombia has chosen Volvo as the preferred supplier of city buses; since 2011 Volvo has delivered more than 2,300 buses to the South American country.

Volvo is the market leader for buses in Latin America. With this most recent order, the company will have delivered more than 5,000 buses to rapid transit systems in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Chile and El Salvador.

Volvo Euro V bi-articulated bus destined for Colombia. Photo: Volvo Bussar

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Senaste nytt

örsta omröstningen 14 november av högst fyra sådana slutade med att Riksdagen sade nej till moderaten Ulf Kristersson som statsminister sedan Liberalerna och Centern röstade emot den Allians de varit med i under 14 års tid. Detta eftersom de inte ville att Sverigedemokraterna på yttersta högerkanten ska bli vågmästare, vilket de ändå är enligt valresultatet. Återstår tre omröstningar med nya kandidater. Blir det nej till dessa återstår extraval.

Henric Borgström

Borgströms Blogg: Problemen väntar på lösning i lysande svensk ekonomi

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et kanske bara är bra att Sveriges övergångsregering får fortsätta. Åsikten har uttalats både av ekonomer och enstaka politiker under fruktlösa försök att få ihop en handlingskraftig regering efter valet 9 september.

Nya kostnadsdrivande beslut får inte fattas så länge den nedröstade nuvarande rödgröna regeringen är en expeditionsministär. Men partierna har i allmän enighet beslutat göra undantag för att snarast sänka skatten för pensionärer eftersom den är högre än för arbetstagare.

Lika bra att köra vidare med vingklippt regering så att det inte blir några äventyrligheter, är ett argument. Ekonomin är ju på topp.

Visserligen revideras den ena prognosen efter den andra nedåt.

Fortfarande ångar svensk ekonomi i god takt men samtidigt väntar flera svåra problem: Oförmåga att hantera integration av de många flyktingarna, köer i sjukvården, undermåliga skolresultat, brist på både lärare och poliser samt en utbredd önskan att vässa ett nedrustat försvar.

Statsskulden tillhör de lägsta i EU, de samlade utrikesaffärerna i bytesbalansen har höga överskott.

Politikerna har ålagt sig själva att se till att offentliga sektorn visar årliga överskott. Resultatet är att statsskulden i år är på väg ned till 25 procent, enligt EU-mått ned mot 35 procent.

Samtidigt ökar den privata skuldsättningen. Bostadslån kan erhållas

till drygt en procents årlig ränta.

Riksbanken håller fortfarande minusränta inom banksystemet (reporäntan), en höjning har uppskjutits gång på gång.

Vinsterna i näringslivet ligger på hög nivå, aktiekurserna nådde all time high i början av oktober men har sjunkit ca tio procent sedan dess.

Inflationsmålet om 2 procent årligen har efter många år med ännu lägre prisstegringar nu nått den beslutade nivån. Reallöneökningarna ligger därmed på en enstaka procent.

I all denna relativa vällevnad, både historiskt och i jämförelse med övriga världen, ökar rädslan för en krasch. Så här kan det väl inte fortgå, uppåt år efter år, frågar sig många.

En krasch uppenbarar sig först på aktiemarknaden. Men trots nedgången i oktober har aktiekurserna genomsnitt stigit med 35 procent på fem år men hela 195 procent på tio år efter förra kraschen utlöst av banken Lehman Brothers.

Det stora problemet uppstår om näringslivet uppskjuter investeringar under intryck av en allmän pessimism i det ekonomiska livet.

Det är här handlingskraftiga regeringar kan få fart på håglösa investerare. Övergångsregering kan Sverige leva med ännu ett bra tag, men de djupare problemen i Sverige pockar på lösningar, och det utbredda politikerföraktet ökar ju längre det dröjer.

Henric Borgström är mångårig ekonomijournalist i svensk radio, TV och press. Artikeln publicerad i finlandssvenska Hufvudstadsbladet.

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Company File

Watch it: Sweden is Competing with Switzerland!

By Peter Berlin

A

Swedish reporter once interviewed an American Vice President. When the reporter was about to leave, the Vice President said: “By the way, I love your watches,” confusing Sweden with Switzerland.

Many of us Swedes living in North America have had similar experiences. If we have to be confused with somebody, we could do worse than being mixed up with the meticulous, watch-making Swiss.

The irony is that Sweden has begun making luxury watches, many of them smartwatches. There are a dozen Swedish watchmakers in total. Most of them are start-up companies; some are still in the process of acquiring equity through crowd-funding. Their business models involve gaining a competitive edge by combining hi-tech with simple Scandinavian elegance, resulting in so-called hybrid smartwatches.

But who needs a hi-tech wristwatch these days when almost everybody carries a mobile phone which tells the date and time? One of those Swedish makers of hybrid smartwatches, Kronaby Sweden, offers a clue on their website. They say that with our addiction to mobile phones it is easy to become

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 10

Actor Matias Varela, Kronaby global ambassador. Photo: Kronaby Sweden

hyper-connected, over-stimulated, distracted and alienated from the things that really matter, like family and friends, or the road traffic around us. Deep down we want to be present in the moment, and a hi-tech wristwatch allows us to be just that. Connected, Not Distracted is the company’s motto.

Like all smartwatches, the Kronaby can do many things other than tell the time. It will count the number of steps you take every day.

By downloading the user-friendly Kronaby app, you can link the watch to a mobile phone. The watch will then filter incoming calls and notifications to your smartphone by vibrating gently if they are important enough to require your immediate attention. With the click of a button, it can trigger your smart-phone to take a picture.

Similarly, the watch lets you control all your connected devices in your house, like your coffee machine, your lights, garage door etc. These are just examples of what the Kronaby watch can do. It is up to the user to select the desired features on the watch.

The Kronaby is a hybrid smartwatch. One of the differences between a hybrid smartwatch and a regular smartwatch is in the design.

Generally, a hybrid smartwatch doesn’t have a bright touchscreen and looks much more like a regular watch than all-out smartwatches like the Apple Watch 3 or the Fitbit Ionic.

Kronaby is a brand launched

by Anima, a Swedish technology company specializing in smart, purposefully designed, connected products. The company is located in Malmö, Sweden and employs a team of 70 people. Anima is backed by the Chinese company Goertek Inc which is responsible for series production of the Kronaby watch.

One of the four co-founders of Kronaby Sweden is the CEO Pål Borge who has a background in the consumer electronics industry and Sony Mobile. The company is actively promoting itself in the United States. On October 9th and 10th Kronaby and their global ambassador, actor Matias Varela, hosted various events in New York City by teaming up with strong Swedish partners such as ASKA, FIKA and the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce. The new Kronaby models are now available for purchase online and in selected stores.

The prices range from $395 to $775. See also www.kronaby.com.

Photos: Kronaby Sweden

H E RI TAG E

Hur en Dalahäst undgick att slaktas Dalahäst invigning på Höstmarknaden i Vasaparken den 14 oktober 2018 Av Agneta Nilsson

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å blev det dags för Höstmarknaden i VASAparken, Agoura Hills!

Denna gång var det en extra speciell höstmarknad, då VASA Park Association skulle inviga en alldeles äkta orange Dalahäst som väger 750 kilo. Inte vilken häst som helst, utan en SWEA-häst som SWEA Los Angeles donerade till Svenska kyrkan 2004 efter att den varit en bland 15 hästar som alla vägde omkring 750 kilo. Detta var grundaren av SWEA Agneta Nilssons ”brainchild”, och hon beställde 15 hästar mellan 2002 och 2003 i Dalarna hos Ewa Modig och hennes sambo Håkan. Alla dessa hästar skulle hjälpa till att fira SWEA Internationals 25-års jubileum i Stockholm i juni 2004.

Hästarna betalades av olika SWEAavdelningar. Varje avdelning utsåg en konstnär inom sin avdelning som skulle få måla en häst. Alla konstnärerna betalade sin egen resa till Sverige där de fick bo på en härlig gård, Finnbo, utanför Smedjebacken i Dalarna. På detta ställe befann sig Agneta Nilsson den största delen av sommaren 2003 för att ”serva” alla konstnärer som kommit för att måla sina hästar. Tillsammans med SWEA-medhjälpare såg Agneta till att alla fick frukost, lunch och middag mellan intensiva målningsaktiviteter.

I augusti 2003 var det dags för alla hästarna att ge sig ut på resa till olika platser i främst Sverige och

USA, fast en av dem skulle faktiskt till Mellanöstern. Änglahästen, alltså SWEA Los Angeles’ fina häst dekorerad med himmelska änglar och silhuetten av Los Angeles’ stadskärna på magen, målades av Gunilla Marlis, SWEA Los Angeles.

Hästen skänktes till Svenska kyrkan i San Pedro som dekoration på uteplatsen. Under hösten 2004 invigdes den på sin slutgiltiga plats – åtminstone trodde vi att så skulle bli fallet. År 2017 hade svenska kyrkorådet faställt att hästen blivit så pass illa medfaren att det kunde vara farligt för barnen att leka runt och ovanpå den. Rådet övervägde därför att göra sig av med hästen. När jag fick reda på detta, blev jag först bestört men förstod sedan att det var dags att om möjligt restaurera hästen.

Vi började kolla lite och insåg att mycket behövde göras. Vi började se oss omkring efter olika möjligheter.

En dag sa MajLis Aasa till mig: “Agneta, varför tar du inte kontakt med VASA Park Association, de har säkert händiga och duktiga svenskamerikaner som skulle kunna klara av uppgiften, mot att kyrkan skänker dem hästen som gåva”. Jag tyckte om idén, åkte ut till parken på deras höstfest och träffade de ansvariga. Projektet verkade inte alls omöjligt, så de lovade att återkomma. Efter ett möte i november 2017 gav de tillkänna att de gärna ville ha hästen. De hade varit i kyrkan och inspekterat den och sett att den inte var i något vidare skick, men det avskräckte dem inte. Ingen var gladare än jag!

Efter en hel del email fram och tillbaka hämtade de i början av 2018 den 750 kilo tunga hästen som dessutom stod väl förankrad i cement i trägården. Med Guds hjälp och svenskamerikansk envishet och styrka lyckades de forsla bort den. Två unga damer flögs över hit från Sverige. Det tog dem ett par dagar att fint dekorera hästen.

Sedan fick den vila och torka innan den forslades till VASAparken och invigningen.

Jag ville naturligtvis inte missa detta tillfälle, så roligt för mig att veta att en av “mina” SWEA-hästar nu fått ett mycket förlängt liv tack vare alla duktiga medlemmar i VASA Park Association. Det känns verkligen som om denna häst nu får ett varmt och ombonat hem ute i parken. För mig var det en historisk dag. Jag tror att alla Vasamedlemmar och andra som var där på invigningen kände på samma vis!

Foto: Agneta Nilsson

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 11

The Genealogy of the Swedish Tomte

By Lara Andersson

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f you have ever visited a Swede’s house in December, it’s very likely you’ve come across a stuffed, gnome-like figure with a wooly beard and a conical cap cheerfully perched upon the fireplace or on the dining-room table.

These little men, alongside Sweden’s quintessential straw goats, or julbockar, are integral to Scandinavian folklore and tradition. While many know and recognize these classic decorations, not all appreciate the far-reaching history of the Tomte.

Tomte, derived from the Swedish word “tomt,” or plot of land, literally means “homestead man.” If you’ve ever heard the beloved character referred to as a “nisse” it is likely in reference to a Norwegian variant of the mythological figure, as Nisse is a Norwegian nickname for the name

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 12

Nils. Typically depicted as small and elderly, the Tomte is roughly half the size of a man, with rags for clothes and a heavy white beard.

This miniature sprite has long been a symbol for the winter solstice and the celebration of yuletide, though his connotations have evolved over the years.

Originally, the “homestead man” was believed to be the ancestral spirit of the first farmer to have worked a

given plot of land. Dwelling around the farm but careful to always remain out of sight, the Tomte is known to be a dutiful, hard worker. He cares for the animals, children and property at the homestead, asking very little in return but respect and the occasional bowl of porridge. At the inkling of disrespect – which can come in the form of foul language or a sudden change in an age-old tradition – he will not hesitate to stir up trouble.

Tomtes are known to be mischievous and fiery-tempered, acting out through something as benign as mixing up the animals in the barn to much more extreme shows of chaos and violence.

One classic example of his fickle character is the story of Tomte and his Christmas porridge. For his loyal work throughout the year, a Tomte

is said to require a bowl of porridge with a generous dollop of butter on top when the holidays come around.

Legend has it that one year a servant girl jokingly hid the butter at the bottom of the bowl, and the Tomte was so infuriated by the slight that he slaughtered the family’s best cow.

Upon finishing his meal and realizing that there was butter at the bottom of the bowl the Tomte felt guilty – so guilty that he stole a neighbor’s cow as a replacement to atone for his mistake.

While many viewed the prospect of having a Tomte as a blessing of good fortune, earlier believers associated the character with false gods and Devil worship. The Tomte was considered heathen; to keep one indicated not only laziness but also posed a potential threat to neighboring farmers, as the sprite was known to steal. In a 14th century decree the famous Saint Birgitta of Vadstena warned against “tompta gudhi” or “Tomte gods,” perpetuating the idea that these creatures put one’s soul at risk. Today, however, the Tomte is aligned more closely with the jolly Saint Nicholas than with his pagan roots.

Aside from their shared name and a few costume similarities, it is very clear that the homestead Tomte and the American Santa Claus with his jolly belly and hearty laugh don’t have much in common. How, then, did these two become interlinked?

Tommy Kuusela, from the Swedish Institute for Language and Folklore, argues that it was through artists and authors that Tomte’s name and image shifted over time.

One significant factor in the evolution of Tomte comes from artist Jenny Nyström’s interpretation of Viktor Rydberg’s poem “Tomten.”

First published in the New Illustrated Magazine in 1881, Rydberg paints a picture of the Tomte’s solitary life: Midwinter’s nightly frost is hard — Brightly the stars are beaming; Fast asleep is the lonely yard, All, at midnight, are dreaming.

Clear is the moon, and the snow-drifts shine, Glistening white, on fir and pine, Covers on rooflets making.

None but the Tomte is waking.

Nyström’s accompanying illustration offers a new kind of tomte, a mix between Tomte, Santa Claus and the yule goat, who traditionally delivered presents to children in Swedish folklore. The result was a shift in Tomte’s persona. He became an adult-sized man, friendly, carrying a bag of gifts on his back, often with his yule goat in tow.

While the original Tomte has not died out, he is much less frequently referred to than this newer model.

Kuusela points out that this is a reaction not only to the international Tomte’s commercial appeal, but also

the transformation of Sweden from a nation filled with country dwellers to city dwellers. “With citizens in the city’s electric lights and dense and bustling environment, Tomte wasn’t fulfilling his traditional role. Instead he became a symbol that could be used for different ends, from advertisements to entertainment.” This Tomte no longer does the hard work behind the scenes but plays the role of a benevolent celebrity, the focal point of Christmas celebrations.

This is precisely why a place like Tomteland, or “Santaworld,” located in a northern Swedish town called Mora, has become such a hit. On their grounds the organizers cater to fantasy lovers, offering visitations to fairies, trolls, witches and – most importantly – Tomte. The park, which opened in 1984, welcomes visitors all year round, but in the winter months they create a holiday paradise. Here you can encounter living Swedish tradition and meet Tomte up close.

You can even have a glimpse into his workshop and see his sled. While the park delivers a rather Americanized Santa Claus, they offer a place called “nissebyn,” or “Tomte town.” Here, the small sprites have been given the task of preparing Santa’s gifts, fulfilling their worker roles with glee.

“Forest Tomtes aren’t any taller than three apples high,” they write on their website, “and they live in small houses under rocks and treestumps.” Here the mythologies blend and live on.

All illustrations by Jenny Nyström

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 13

EXKLUSIV INTERVJU MED DRAGANA KUSOFFSKY MAKSIMOVIC

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ragana berättar om muséets grundare och tillblivelse: – Sven-Harry Karlsson började som murare. Han ville bli byggmästare, precis som sin far, så han bestämde sig för att först lära sig muraryrket. När han skulle gör sin gesällvandring fick han välja mellan Tyskland och USA. Han valde att göra den i Burlingame nära San Francisco 1955 – 56. Sedan återvände han till Sverige för att grunda sitt nya byggnadsföretag. Hans far var konstsamlare, en passion som Sven-Harry övertog och utvecklade vidare. När hans egen konstsamling blivit betydande nog, ville han att även andra människor skulle få njuta av den.

Numera är han pensionerad. Han har lagt ner hela sin förmögenhet på att bilda den här stiftelsen och att bygga detta fantastiska hus i Vasaparken i Stockholm med dess gyllene fasad i mässing som arkitektkontoret Wingårdh har ritat. Högst upp på taket, som kronan på verket, har Sven-Harry byggt en exakt kopia av sitt hem, herrgården Ekholmsnäs på Lidingö, inklusive möbler och inredning. I konstsamlingen finns verk av Carl Fredrik Hill, August Strindberg, Edvard Munch, Helene Schjerfbeck, Anders Zorn med flera. Inredningen omfattar allt från senantika mattor till mattor

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 14

Jenny Nyströms företagsamma tomtar h Dragana Kusoffsky Maksimovic är sedan i våras ny VD för SvenHarrys Konstmuseum i Stockholm.

Tidigare har hon arbetat mycket med marknadsföring och som producent av stora projekt för bl.a.

Kulturhuset i Stockholm, Bok- och biblioteksmässan i Göteborg, svenska PEN-klubben samt Stockholms vattenfestival. Hon har arrangerat många utställningar, författarprogram, musikprogram och liknande evenemang.

av Märta-Måås Fjetterström; vidare återfinner man Georg Haupt-möbler, Gio Ponti-stolar, Eero Saarinen-bord, osv. 2011 öppnade vi dörrarna till muséet i Vasaparken. Förutom vår museiverksamhet har vi här arton hyreslägenheter, en restaurangverksamhet som heter Guld och ett möbeldesignföretag som heter Hem. Tanken är att hela det här huset ska uppfattas som både en destination och ett hem.

Förutom den permanenta samlingen har muséet för närvarande en utställning av illustratören och pionjären Jenny Nyströms verk som fortgår fram till den 17 februari 2019.

Så här säger Dragana: – För den äldre generationen är hon så kär, för det är många som minns Nyströms illustrationer och verk. Vi kände att vi ville visa Jenny Nyströms konst och berätta om vem hon var för den nya generationen. Vi bestämde oss för att betona Jenny Nyströms betydelse både som konstnär, illustratör och pionjär. Många privata långivare har bidragit med verk som aldrig tidigare visats för den breda allmänheten.

Jenny Nyström gick i åtta år på Konstakademien i Stockholm. Hon erhöll också en kunglig medalj och ett resestipendium 1882, vilket gjorde att hon kunde fortsätta att studera konst i Paris. Där hade hon ambitionen att visa sina verk på Parissalongen, som på den tiden var en av de få plattformarna för kvinnliga konstnärer att nå ut internationellt.

EXKLUSIV INTERVJU MED DRAGANA KUSOFFSKY MAKSIMOVIC

Jenny Nyström var väldigt målmedveten, hade ambition och talang.

Till slut fick hon tre verk accepterade av Parissalongen. Dragana tillägger: – Hon målade också ett fantastiskt fint självporträtt som vi har låtit förstora upp i utställningshallen. Porträttet återspeglar henne inte som ett objekt, utan som en självständig kvinna. Hon står i en säker posering, vänd mot betraktaren och möter rakt dennes blick. Man säga att verket påminner om samtidens akademiska porträtt av framstående män. På den tiden målade man ju kvinnor mest i den privata sfären, till exempel i hemmet och i trädgården, medan männen kunde avporträtteras i sina officiella roller. Här väljer hon alltså att låta sig synas som kvinna, sig själv, i samma stil som männens. Man ser en kvinna som står där med pondus, oberoende och med tilltagande självförtroende som konstnär.

Medan Jenny Nyström var i Paris, så började marknaden för illustrationer

ta fart i Europa. Det handlade om illustrationer till förpackningar, tidningsomslag, bokomslag, kalendrar med mera. Jenny följde denna utveckling med stort intresse. När hon återvände till Sverige 1886 var hon etablerad konstnär, men hon började också fokusera på illustrationer och bröt därmed mot sitt akademiska måleri. Vad som skilde henne från andra konstnärer som också illustrerade var att hon gjorde detta på heltid. I denna bemärkelse var hon pionjär.

Från och med 1890-talet fick Jenny Nyström mängder av beställningar på att illustrera böcker, tidningar och vykort. Under sin karriät illustrerade hon ungefär 2000 böcker för både barn och vuxna. Hon gjorde åtminstone 175 oljemålningar, och hon illustrerade över 10 000 bilder. Hon dog 1946 när hon var 92 år gammal och målade in i det sista. Dragana: – Jenny började tidigt kombinera flera tomtegestalter, bland annat Sankt Klaus, den tyska tomten. Så skapade hon den svenska jultomten och de tillhörande traditionerna. Redan på 1890 – 1900-talet lyssnade hennes

tomtenissar på radio. Tomten kunde släppa släden och istället komma nerdundrande med flygplan. Han kunde gå på bio. Det fanns kvinnliga tomtenissar också i illustrationerna.

Man ser kvinnlig emancipation, modern kommunikation, flygplan, tåg, radio, biograf, telefon, osv. Hon var före sin tid, och även i detta avseende var hon en pionjär. Man önskar nu att man hade kunnat möta henne livs levande efter den här utställningen!

Jag frågar Dragana om hennes planer för muséets framtid.

– Min ambition är att vidareutveckla Sven-Harrys vision. Vi är inte rädda för att blanda olika kultur- och konstuttryck. Om jag kan ha en historisk måleriutställning vid ett tillfälle, så kanske jag kan ha hi-tech projiceringar nästa gång för att visa vad som kommer att hända i framtiden. Jag vill också att vi ska ägna oss mer åt pedagogisk verksamhet med fler seminarier och föreläsningar än vad vi har haft hittills.

Vi har tre utställninghallar och ett mediarum där vi visar filmer. Vi har också en fantastisk skulpturpark på taket. Går man runt där, får man en fin utsikt över Vasaparken och delar av Stockholm. Slutligen har vi matcaféet där folk kan slinka in för att äta en matbit och dricka ett glas vin – som sagt, en destination och samtidigt ett hem!

Intervjun sammanställd av Peter Berlin

Foto: Sven-Harrys konstmuseum

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 15

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Ambassaden i Ottawa önskar alla läsare

God Jul och Gott Nytt År

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H Photo credit: Helena Wahlman/imagebank.sweden.se

Hemsida: www.swedishembassy.ca | Facebook: Embassy of Sweden in Ottawa | Twitter: @SwedenInCAN | Instagram: @SwedenInCAN

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Happy Holidays @SwedeninUSA @OlofsdotterK, Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter instagram.com/swedeninUSA facebook.com/swedeninUSA swedenabroad.com/washington youtube.com/EmbassyofSweden flickr.com/embassyofswedenwashingtondc

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 16

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H ERITAG E

Live Love Laugh – A Celebration of Arne J Nilsson

By Sofie Kinnefors

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n a cold, stormy morning in January of 1926 a very pregnant Ina Nilsson, 21, from Prästgården (the Rectory) in Gränna, Småland packed a few belongings and, together with her sister Greta, made way towards the harbor and the ferry in Gränna, which would take them to the hospital in Jönköping. On February 1 Ina welcomed her firstborn – a healthy boy whom she would later name Arne Janne Nilsson. Arne’s father Alix grew up on Stora Mårtenstorp in Gränna. Alix later leased the farm from his father, and Arne spent his first years there.

When the 1930’s depression hit, the Nilsson family moved to Östergötland. Alix had been offered a job at Oskar Andersson’s Orrenäs Gård, a piece of land consisting of four large farms with two distilleries for production of alcohol. Arne, along with his younger brother Allan and sisters Maj-Britt and Lena, spent

Arne far left with his cousins and brother Allan to the right (upper level)

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 18

Arne in his antique store in Santa Barbara.

5 Arne Nilsson was a small-scale farmer’s son from Småland who traveled to Southern California and became a successful antique dealer of European collectibles.

Even though he spent more than 30 years in California, he found ways to bring Swedish culture to his new home.

Taking part in Swedish organizations, selling “polkagrisar” and proudly referring to himself as a true Viking, where all part of his persona.

part of their childhood as well as their teenage years in two of the farms on the land.

Arne, who was strong and hardworking, shared in many of the jobs on the farm. His duties included churning butter, taking part of the slaughter, pulling the meat grinder while preparing sausages, and making sure that the firewood storage was always full. Arne was also a true animal lover and gladly took part in the animal husbandry at the farm.

The young farmer’s boy did well on the family farm and soon developed an interest in agriculture. Arne eventually moved on to work for bigger farms in the area and began three years of studies at Ultuna lantbruks-

Arne holding a young lamb

institut (School of Agriculture) in Uppsala. Shortly after the second World War he moved to England for studies in organic farming. Ecological farming of this kind lay at the forefront in England.

H E RI TAG E After having spent about a year in England, Arne travelled to the U.S. with his fiancée Marianne Olsson, who worked as a home economics teacher in Uppsala. Marianne studied at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, while Arne found work at Seabrook Farms in New Jersey.

The couple eventually moved to California and continued to work within their professions. Arne and Marianne got married at a Lutheran church in New Jersey in 1957, and in 1958 their eldest child, Susanna, was born in Ontario, Los Angeles. After a few years in the U.S. Marianne started to long back to Sweden, and in 1961 the Nilsson family (Arne, Marianne and daughter Susanna) settled in Skåne.

Marianne continued to teach, while Arne started working as a consultant at “Trädgårdshallen” in Helsingborg, after which he was commissioned by Kooperativa Förbundet (KF) to care for their potato department on Bjärehalvön in northwestern Skåne. In 1975 he founded his own company “Syd Potatis AB,” which he ran up until Marianne passed away in 1982.

The following year Arne decided to return to the United States. He filled a container with antiques and moved to Santa Barbara, California.

During his time in Santa Barbara, his three children – Susanna, Magnus and Johan – came to study at UC Santa Barbara. While in Santa Barbara Arne opened an antique store in downtown. He named it European Fine Art and filled it with beautiful European antiques and art. European art was largely missing during Arne’s time in the United States and his business blossomed. He was even accepted into California’s finest antique show in Beverly Hills – a prestigious show

for which you had to be selected.

Arne enjoyed being sociable and made life-long friends during his time in the antiques business.

Arne had baked Swedish polkagrisar as a hobby for many years. In 1987 he started supplying the pepper-

Arne J. Nilsson

mint candies to the Danish city of Solvang north of Santa Barbara.

His polkagrisar were high in demand and Arne and his team sent candies to numerous clubs and associations in the U.S. and Canada.

During his time in Santa Barbara Arne met a woman from Chicago named Norma Lewis. Norma was also a widower and over the next 26 years the two would travel the U.S., Caribbean and Europe.

In 1998, Arne sold his antique store. He moved to San Diego where he worked part time as an antique dealer of exclusive art, primarily from England and France.

In February of 2018 Arne turned 92 years old and lived a happy life as a retiree. He loved spending time with his family and keeping in touch with friends in Sweden and California.

He enjoyed writing cards and usually received around 60 holiday greetings every Christmas! He spoke with a pretty strong Swedish accent, but had no intention of changing his speech.

He found it to be a great conversation starter and often jokingly added “The girls like it!”

Arne also loved sunbathing, caring for his flowers – roses, orchids and cactuses; listening to classic country music, watching soccer, working on photographs and making outings to downtown Carlsbad on his mobility scooter.

Arne passed away from heart failure in October of 2018. On his refrigerator hung a big note with the words Live Love Laugh written on it.

Arne did just that: He lived life to the fullest – he was strong, adventurous and took chances. Arne loved and he was adored – he was all heart: affectionate, kind and generous. He gave the best hugs, surprised friends and family with flowers and was quick to offer a compliment. He also laughed a lot, always sporting a happy smile and a positive outlook on life.

In loving memory of my amazing grandfather and best friend Arne Nilsson (February 1, 1926 – October 25, 2018). I love you – always and forever!

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Arne, Marianne and a friend in Atlantic City

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 19

[Lifestyle]

Top Sju

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Sweden’s men’s national handball team (Svenska Handbollslandslaget) is gearing up for the 2019 World Men’s Handball Championship in Denmark and Germany January 10 to 27. The championship will be played in six different arenas: two in Denmark (Copenhagen and Herning) and four in Germany (Berlin, Cologne, Munich and Hamburg). Sweden is part of group D and will face Hungary, Qatar, Argentina, Egypt, and Angola in what is sure to be exciting games.

The final takes place at the indoor arena “Jyske Bank Boxen” in Herning, Denmark.

The Schönbrunn Slottsfilharmoniker from Vienna is returning to Sweden, starting in Kalmar on January 5 with their spectacular New Year’s Concert. The orchestra annually tours Japan, Australia, America and Europe with music inspired by the worldrenowned TV show broadcast on New Year’s Day. Audience members are encouraged to participate under the conductor’s lead during the famous Radetzkymarsh towards the end of the concert. For more information, see www.nyarskonserten.se

Nobel Prize Award Ceremony. Photo © Nobel Media AB/A. Mahmoud

10 “Nobeldagen” – the day on which the Nobel Prize is awarded in Sweden and Norway in recognition of academic, scientific and cultural accomplishments – falls on December 10. The prizes, established through the testament of Alfred Nobel in 1895, has been awarded since 1901 and are considered the most prestigious. All prizes (except for the Nobel Peace Prize) are handed out in a ceremony in the Stockholm Concert Hall followed by a banquet in “The Blue Hall” at Stockholm City Hall.

People who have received Nobel prizes include Mother Teresa, The Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Marie Curie and Bob Dylan.

50 Café “Konditori Ritorno” on Odengatan in Vasastan, central Stockholm has been chosen as one of “The 50 greatest cafés on Earth” by British daily newspaper The Telegraph. “Skip the hipster espresso bars and enjoy the retro charm of this 1959 institution,” said the review.

Konditori Ritorno’s retro atmosphere, free coffee refills and tasty cinnamon buns were well-liked by the British judges. The café was the only one in the Nordic countries that made the list.

24 Countdown to Christmas Eve on December 24 with Swedish Television’s 2018 Christmas calendar! Storm på Lugna gatan has been described as an exciting and

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fun family comedy featuring plenty of Christmas spirit, Santa Clauses, snow and gingerbread cookies. It tells the story of the Storm family who move into a new town and decide to participate in the town’s annual Christmas contest. Actors include Johan Rheborg, Lena Philipsson, Cecilia Forss, Henrik Johansson and Shima Niavarani. Storm på Lugna gatan premiers on Swedish Television SVT on December 1.

19552 Ikea, Google and Volvo Cars were amongst the most appreciated employers in Sweden according to a survey called “Karriärbarometern” by Swedish consulting firm Universum Globals. The consulting firm spoke to 19,552 young employees to find out what qualities they look for in an employer. The survey showed that employees are less willing to challenge themselves and more eager to find a safe and secure place of employment.

10 000 If you love the taste of fresh out of the oven saffron buns, you are bound to appreciate Brekeriet’s (a brewery in Skåne in Southern Sweden) saffron beer “Lusse Lelle.” Released for the second consecutive year, the tart (syrlig) wheat beer has been flavored with saffron, citrus and almond.

“Lusse Lelle” will be available at Systembolaget on December 7. Last year the beer quickly sold out, so make sure to get in line for one of the 10,000 bottles being released this year.

[Lifestyle] Film Liv Ullmann’s Most Profound Experience with Ingmar Bergman

By Alice Shih

“W

ould you like to be in one of my movies?” said Ingmar Bergman to Liv Ullmann when he ran into the young Norwegian actress on a street in Stockholm. She was visiting her best friend Bibi Andersson. The rest is history.

Liv Ullmann was on stage speaking to her fans at TIFF Bell Lightbox, one of the highlight events celebrating the Bergman Centenary.

She told the audience that Bergman knew of her works with Andersson before they were introduced. He offered the two actors his next movie, but the shoot got cancelled as he fell ill. The ladies decided to travel and when they reached Czechoslovakia, the embassy tracked them down and told them Bergman was well and ready for his next film. “While he was in the hospital, he looked at pictures of Bibi and me and was struck by the likeness of us, and

he said he was inspired to make Persona, which means a ‘Mask’,” said Ullmann. “I only had one word in the movie, which was ‘Nothing’; but it was something about him that I thought I understood. I had the feeling that I was doing him. Refusing to talk, refusing to be part of life, just watching and wondering, and feeling really on the outside – that was Ingmar. Although we never discussed it, my theory is that I was some kind of speaker for Ingmar in many of his movies.

“He had a difficult childhood. He loved his mother but they really did not have much contact with each other. He said that his father, who was a priest, was very cold. In the movie Private Confessions, he portrayed a priest’s wife who was having a lover. After Ingmar’s mother died, they found her diary. Nobody knew that she had a lover until then. He wrote in his own diary about the mother that he loved, ‘You are an actress, you fooled all of us’. From that diary, we found out that his father wrote beautifully to her, they never divorced. The mother said at the end of the movie, ‘My husband loved me more than I ever knew

how to love back.’ So what he made in the movie is more like a memory, and it didn’t reflect the truth that he’d known.

“I’m truthful, and he liked that.

We understood each other. While doing Persona, I kind of fell in love; he of course, shouldn’t know that!

I thought he fell in love with me too.

We never talked about it until one of the last days. We were all walking on the beach. Ingmar and I were sitting on a stone looking at the water, and then he said, ‘I had a dream last night that you and I are painfully connected.’ That was so beautiful! That was how we knew, after the movie was over, that we probably would continue to be together as a couple. Yes, we lived together for three movies. It was fantastic and artistic, being together artistically, being together as friends, being together as parents.

It is wonderful when you find someone you can work with until one of you dies.”

When asked about her most profound experience in her relationship with Bergman, Liv thought for a moment and replied, “I have to say, my daughter.”

Photos © AB Svensk Filmindustri

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Hemma hos

Christmas Gifts with Swedish Functionality and Style

By Kristi Robinson

W

hen you think of giving a Swedish Christmas gift, something traditional might come to mind – a Dala horse perhaps, or a wool blanket with a woodland motif ?

Great ideas they certainly are, but we searched a little off the beaten path to bring you a list of contemporary gifts that are practical, beautifully designed and, best of all, very Swedish.

Left: ‘Firesteel 2.0’ with a built-in emergency whistle. $16. Bottom: ‘Spork’ multi-utensil. $10 for a 4-pack.

Both available at www.amazon.com and various outdoor stores worldwide. Photos © Light My Fire

Light My Fire makes products that are the ideal gift for outdoor enthusiasts ranging from backyard campers all the way to hardcore survival experts. The company started with ‘Firesteel’, a magnesium firestarting tool originally used by the Swedish army. They expanded and designed many other useful gadgets used worldwide like the crowd favorite ‘Spork’ – a spoon, knife, and fork all in one utensil. Light My Fire grew the Spork range and has even created a spork lefty, as well as a

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[Design]

pint-sized spork for kids. Their love of color, design, outdoors, fun, and functionality comes through in every product, from their stacking dining kits to their collapsible/expandable Pack-up-Cup. Light My Fire products are inspired by nature’s multitude of beautiful shapes and colors.

The ‘Model Estate’ car was created for Volvo.

Available for $43 at www.playsam.com.

Photo © Playsam

It’s not often you can shop for a design connoisseur, an automotive enthusiast, and a child in the same place, but luxury toy makers Playsam make this possible. A small company in Kalmar, Sweden, Playsam have been making exquisitely designed wooden toys for over twenty years.

The sleek crafted toys are a Scandinavian design lover’s dream. Clean lines and smooth glossy forms are as pleasing to the eye as they are to hold. The range of toys includes a children’s ride-on roadster SAAB, a classic red rocking horse, streamliners, and executive gifts like a jetliner and

The ‘Xtreamliner Cab’ comes in a variety of shiny shades. Available for $70 at www.playsam.com. Photo © Jonas Lindström

a model rocket. Appealing to the inner child, Playsam say they have proven that art can be both beautiful and functional, and that superior design can transcend age, gender, and culture.

The products by EggKids are designed for children who will cherish these whimsical and playful characters on what is sure to be their favourite blanket or pillow. The parents will also appreciate that all of EggKids bedding is made with 100% certified organic cotton. Designer and founder Hans-Jörgen Hansson had a vision to create a character that would make kids feel happy and put a smile

EGGKIDS SMÅLAND Bedset Crib/Duvet Cover and Pillowcase 100% Organic Cotton.

Available for $95 at eggkids.com.

Photo © EggKids

on their faces. It began with Erik the Elephant and grew to encompass 26 heart-warming animal actors that adorn EggKids bed sets, blankets, decorative pillows, wearable blankets, and backpacks for little ones.

There is Evert the reindeer born in Småland, Elsa the giraffe who likes to star gaze, and Bruno the rhino who eats apple pie – just to name a few in their lovable line-up.

Hemma hos

I

grew up in communities 50 miles west of Chicago, Illinois, one of the many areas settled

by Swedish immigrants. My father Lennart came from Gränum in Blekinge province, and my mother Ingrid (born in India) grew up in Ockelbo, in Uppland province. My parents were proud of their heritage and my brother and I heard Swedish spoken in our house growing up.

We also knew lots of Swedes and attended many local Swedish events.

My godmother Edythe was like a grandmother to me, as all my relatives lived in Sweden and I didn’t get to see them very often. She opened up a gift shop in downtown Geneva, IL, in 1947, and when my father emigrated to the US in 1954, he worked in the shop and owned it for many years. Today it is still known as The Gift Box-Scandinavian Imports, in business for 71 years now. I grew up in the shop unpacking boxes of Scandinavian treasures and waiting on customers. My brother Hans and I still own it.

In the 1980s I attended Sigtuna Folkhögskola, Sweden’s first Viking capital city, studying weaving, art, history etc. I became fluent in Swedish by immersing myself in my studies and Swedish culture. I continued my studies in Fine Art/Fiber in the US. I love to weave, sew, knit, and paint, and continue to develop my own product lines and fine art to sell whenever I can. I also studied Nordic

[Treats]

à la Maria Jönsson

archaeology at Uppsala University and have excavated numerous bronze age and late iron age sites on both Gotland and in Blekinge.

Like any true Viking, I left my homeland and moved to northern New Mexico in the 1990s, a place full of beautiful mountain scenery, art, archaeology, and diverse cultures. I live in Los Alamos with my husband Robert. We pick lots of

wild mushrooms, and I even dressed up as Elsa Beskow’s chanterelle mushroom family for the Telluride, Colorado Mushroom festival. We enjoy visits to Sweden, staying in the cottage and visiting relatives. I work as an archaeologist for the forest service, but return home to Geneva often to help run the store.

By Maria Jönsson www.genevagiftbox.com

Ingrid’s Swedish Pancakes Ingredients: • 3 eggs • 1 cup cream • 1 cup sifted all-purpose whole wheat flour • 2 cups milk • 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation: Beat eggs and cream in bowl, sift in flour and beat batter until smooth.

Add milk gradually; stir in melted fat, salt and sugar. Preheat a good crêpe pan using non-stick cooking spray.

Stir batter before adding to pan, pour enough batter to cover the pan.

Photo: Maria Jönsson When surface starts to (ORM woven painting) bubble and gets dry, flip Swedish Cooking at the pancake with a large its Best, Marianne plastic spatula. Cook other side until golden brown. Serve rolled Grönwall van der with lingonberries, sugar, and/or maple syrup.

Tuuk

Svampstuvning Ingredienser: • 1 l (200 g) färsk blandsvamp (färska kantareller är bäst) • 2 msk smör • 2 msk vetemjöl • 3 dl gräddmjölk • 1/2 tsk salt • peppar Photo: Maria Jönsson (Fresh Chantrelle mushrooms from New Mexico) Svamp Kokboken Dieter Endom, Ingrid & Pelle Holmberg

Förberedelse: Lägg den färska svampen i en kastrull och låt den koka i sitt eget spad tills det mesta av vätskan kokat in. Lägg i smöret och fräs svampen. Strö över mjöl och späd med vätskan. Koka på svag värme 15 – 20 minuter.

Smaka av med salt och peppar. Servera med bröd.

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Swedish Press Connects

Swedish Council of America

Christmas is a Child’s Holiday

A

s we put out our Christmas decorations and plan our Yuletide meals, it is our favorite childhood memories that inspire us. We want to recreate these same positive experiences for our own children and grandchildren so that they, too, can share the warmth, joy and love of the season, just like we did when we were their age. After all, it is by sharing these remembrances that we pass on our Swedishness to future generations.

In early December, we teach our grandchildren how to bake cookies and breads for the holiday using our favorite recipes and well-honed techniques. In the middle of the month, wide-eyed youngsters and adults alike enjoy the mystical glow and haunting sounds of Sankta Lucia. And on Christmas Eve, we share with pride the traditional Swedish foods of the Julbord with friends, family and maybe even a few invited stragglers who are enjoying our holiday hospitality for the very first time. We certainly hope they come back again next year!

In every large city and small country hamlet with a sizable Swedish population, it is the local Swedish club, museum or lodge that serves as the preserver of Swedish heritage and focuses of Swedish-themed events. All across North America these organizations (most of which are SCA Affiliate Members) sponsor the dozens of Lucia Fests, Christmas Markets, Lutfisk Dinners and Julbords throughout the month of December. Plan now to invite all the members of your family to partake in one or more of these events this season and share the joys of a Swedish Christmas across the generations.

God Jul from all of us at Swedish Council of America!

Gregg White, SCA Executive Director

Photo: Image Bank Sweden, Carolina Romare

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Here are some of the holiday festivals listed in the Holiday Calendar on the SCA website: December 1 ScanFair Christmas Market, Nordic Northwest, Portland, OR Sankta Lucia Celebration, Swedish American Heritage Society of West Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI Lucia Fest and Christmas Market, American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia, PA Lucia Celebration, Swedish Store and Smörgåsbord, Swedish Heritage Society of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT December 2 Children’s Christmas in Scandinavia, Nordic Museum, Seattle, WA December 5 Joy of Christmas Past & Present, Augustana College Campus Ministries, Andover, IL December 8 Lucia Celebration Concerts, American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, MN Jul Celebration & Smörgåsbord, Vasa Norrskenet Lodge 331, Sioux City, IA Lucia Fest, New Sweden Cultural Heritage Society, Portland, OR December 9 Lucia Celebration, Swedish Cultural Association of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB Celebration of the St. Lucia Tradition, Dalesburg Scandinavian Association, Vermillion, SD Lucia Festival & Smörgåsbord, Swedish-American Society of Tidewater, Norfolk, VA December 12 Julbord, Swedish Cultural Association of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB December 13 St. Lucia Day Celebration, Swedish American Museum, Chicago, IL December 16 Sankta Lucia Festival, Swedish Cultural Heritage Society of the Red River Valley, Morehead, MN

SCA is Swedish America’s community foundation. Our mission is to promote knowledge and appreciation of Swedish heritage and culture in North American life and to strengthen contemporary cultural and educational ties between North America and Sweden. We achieve this by providing grants to organizations, scholarships to youth, recognition to leaders and communications to the community – all focused on furthering our mission. www.swedishcouncil.org

Bring An Old Tradition Back This Winter

HETTA No one does Christmas like the Swedes!

Glögg Made for Sharing

SUNDAY, DEC. 2

Christmas crafts 1 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 7

Julbord dinner 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, DEC. 9 Luciafest 3 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 14

Julbord lunch 12 noon and dinner 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 21

Lutfisk dinner 6:30 p.m.

MONDAY, DEC. 31

New Year’s Eve 8 p.m.

SWEDISHCLUBNW.ORG for prices and reservations.

1920 Dexter Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109 | 206-283-1090 | Free parking

HETTAGLOGG.COM

CELEBRATIONS 2018 JULMARKNAD

Saturday, Dec. 1, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

ST. LUCIA CELEBRATION

Thursday, Dec. 13 noon Chicago Cultural Center 4:45 p.m. Swedish American Museum 7 p.m. Ebenezer Lutheran Church

JULMIDDAG

Traditional Swedish Christmas family dinner Sunday, Dec. 16, 5 p.m.

Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago

SwedishAmericanMuseum.org

Sweden

Experience

in 2019

TASTE OF NORWAY & SWEDEN June 29 - July 9 Bergen, Norway’s fjord country, Oslo, Dalarna, Uppsala and Stockholm

CAPTIVATING SCANDINAVIA

July 6 - 19 Bergen, Norway’s fjord country, Oslo, Copenhagen, the Swedish Glass District, Gothenburg and Stockholm For additional tour options and booking, please contact:

WWW.BREKKETOURS.COM

1-800-437-5302 / tours@brekketours.com

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Road to 2045

Road to 2045

Swedish Vehicle Industry – More than Volvo

By Mattias Goldmann, CEO of Green and Liberal Mindset Fores

A

sk any foreigner to name a Swedish vehicle, and he or she will immediately mention Volvo. But there are more players on the market, both established and newcomers, from bikelike electric pods to passenger cars and heavy vehicles, all characterized by an impressive focus on climate and sustainability. Let the 2030-secretariat guide you!

Bikes and mopeds Traditionally, mopeds are used either by 15 to 18-year-olds in rural areas before they obtain their driving license, or by the elderly. A group of Swedish hipster entrepreneurs are challenging this with their electric Vässla, which sounds like Tesla and means weasel.

It is stylish, fast, silent and emissionsfree. It is mainly sold over the internet, with previous buyers acting as Vässla Heroes. When they offer potential clients to try their Vässla, they get points that can be exchanged for upand-coming designer clothes. Most of the early customers have never even considered a moped before.

Swedish bike manufacturers have proliferated in recent years, with a return to actually producing at least

Photo: Vässla

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part of the bikes in Sweden rather than in Asia. With the government’s 25 percent price subsidy on e-bikes, companies specializing in upmarket e-bikes such as Walleräng are particularly interesting.

Light vehicles Over the past decades, passenger vehicles have grown larger and heavier, but on average they still only carry 1.5 persons. This is now being challenged by several newcomers on the market.

CleanMotion is a three-wheel electric vehicle, classified as a light motorbike but mainly resembling a tuk-tuk. It has been developed by Hans Folkesson, former head of development at Volvo and Skoda-Volkswagen. It is now seen as a “pod-taxi” in Stockholm and Gothenburg, and local production in India and Indonesia is starting up.

Cars The other Swedish brand that many might know is Saab, which has now become Chinese-owned National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS).

Their focus is strictly electric cars, starting with the Saab 9-3 platform but developing new cars focusing on the Chinese shared vehicle market, and investing heavily in automated, self-driving cars.

Through innovative crowd-funding, Uniti has developed a light, small electric vehicle that they are now redesigning to be classified as a car, meaning that they also face much tougher and more costly regulations on safety. While production in Sweden is preferred, alternatives such as Silverstone in England are also being pursued.

Trucks and buses Scania, though not present in the US, is in fact one of the world’s largest

manufacturers of trucks and buses, and has what is probably the widest range of sustainable solutions. It offers vehicles designed for biodiesel, biogas, ethanol and electricity, including e-trucks powered by conductors installed below the road surface.

Einride focuses only on electric self-driving, driverless trucks which enables them to redesign the truck so that more space can be used for cargo.

Inzile is specializing in last mileage cargo, developing modestly priced, small electric trucks that may reach the inner cities where large trucks are inconvenient or simply not allowed. … and batteries With the Swedish and global emphasis on electromobility, the need for batteries increases rapidly – as well as the sustainability requirements. Northvolt, led by former Tesla executive Peter Carlsson, wants to answer both with a “gigafactory” in northern Sweden, using 100 percent green energy and sourcing raw materials from existing batteries rather than mining.

A bright future From bikes to trucks, the vehicle market is transforming rapidly. Legislative demands and customer expectations compel us to move away not only from the fossil fuels that we know so well, but also from the inefficiencies of the past – volume and weight, but also the driver him- or herself. In this megashift, Swedish vehicle companies are positioning themselves to be of global relevance and may be waiting for your call, your order or your readiness to invest in a brighter future.

Fores (which includes the 2030-secretariat) is a Swedish think tank devoted to questions related to climate and environment, migration and integration, entrepreneurship and economic reforms, as well as the digital society.

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Santa Lucia to be celebrated – The Swedish American Museum annually takes the lead in observances of Santa Lucia Day in the Chicago area.

Perhaps the most reverent celebration on Scandinavian calendars, it will take place Thursday, December 13, at three Chicago locations. Details to follow of the three commemorative events.

12 noon – A group of young women, aged 16 to 24, will assemble at the Chicago Cultural Center in white robes as a choir sings. Each candidate represents a Chicagoarea Swedish-American organization, and one will be selected as the community’s 2018 Santa Lucia.

4:45 p.m. – The annual Lucia Day procession will begin at the Swedish American Museum at 5211 N. Clark. The robed participants will march from the Museum around the Andersonville area before returning.

7 p.m. – In nearby Ebenezer Lutheran Church, known as the

“Swedish Cathedral” at 1650 W. Foster, a Santa Lucia service will be conducted. It will include holiday songs, readings and a final procession.

During similar events in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, Lucia is venerated in ceremonies where a selected young woman wears a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head.

New York

SWEA New York Mona Johnsson Scholarship – SWEA, the Swedish Women’s Educational Association, is a global non-profit organization for Swedish and Swedish-speaking women who are living or have lived outside of Sweden. SWEA’s mission includes supporting and raising awareness of the Swedish language, culture and traditions.

SWEA supports education through scholarships and other projects.

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Photo: Swedish American Museum

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Mona Johnsson was one of the founders of SWEA New York, and remained a very active and involved member until she passed away in 2014. Since that time, SWEA New York’s scholarship has been awarded in fond memory of Mona Johnsson.

The application deadline for the 2018 scholarship is December 16. The scholarship awardee(s) will be notified in the beginning of January and will receive the scholarship at SWEA New York’s Annual Meeting in February 2019.

Purpose: To support a person or an organization with ties to New York in their efforts to advance/ share knowledge of Swedish culture, traditions, language, history, or society.

Eligibility criteria: To be considered for the scholarship, an applicant must: • Have connections with New York and Sweden • Have concrete plans on how to use the scholarship • Commit to providing a report on how the scholarship was used, for instance by writing an article or giving a presentation to SWEA New York; and • If applicable, have established contact with the university, institution or organization where she/he will study • Both women and men are encouraged to apply • SWEA members and their families cannot apply.

For any questions, please email sweanyscholarship@gmail.com.

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CHICAGO Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640 Tel: 773-728 8111 | info@samac.org www.swedishamericanmuseum.org Dec 13 – Thu 12 noon: Annual St. Lucia celebration by Chicago-area Swedish cultural organizations, Chicago Cultural Center.

Dec 13 – Thu 4:45 pm: St. Lucia celebration at the Museum, followed by procession to nearby Ebenezer Lutheran Church for the annual 7 pm service.

Dec 16 – Sun 4 pm: Svensk Julgudstjänst, the traditional Christmas service in Swedish at Ebenezer Lutheran Church.

Dec 16 – Sun 5 pm: Julmiddag, the traditional Swedish family Christmas dinner and program, with a Lucia procession.

LOS ANGELES SWEA Los Angeles www.swea.org/losangeles Dec 2 – Sunday 10 am to 5 pm: SWEA LA 39th Annual Swedish Christmas at Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503.

CLEVELAND Nobel-Monitor Lodge VOA 3236 Berkeley Rd. Clev. Hts., OH 44118 Tel: 216-371-5141 Marty.bergman@sbcglobal.net Dec 8 – Sat 4 pm: Lucia Program – Vasa Voices Concert in Swedish followed by the Lucia Procession at Church of the Saviour, 2537 Lee Road, Cleveland Hts. OH Dec 25 – Tues 6:30 am: Julotta Service – A light breakfast served afterwards, at Peace Lutheran Church, 3740 Mayfield Rd. Clev Hts. OH 44118

PHILADEPHIA American Swedish Historical Museum 1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145 | Tel: 215-389 1776 | info@americanswedish.org | www.americanswedish.org Dec 1 – Sat 11 am to 4 pm: Lucia Fest and Christmas Market.

DETROIT Swedish Club of Southeast Michigan 22398 Ruth St, Farmington Hills, MI 48336 Info: 734-459 0596 www.swedishclub.net Dec 2 – Sun 1 to 2:30 pm: Julbord.

Dec 8 – Sat 3 pm: Lucia X'mas program & Afterglow Jan 13 – Sun 1-2:30 pm: Buffet & Annual Meeting FORT LAUDERDALE Consulate of Sweden, Fort Lauderdale Tower 101, 101NE 3rd Avenue, Suite 1700B, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 | Tel: 954-467 3507 fortlauderdale@consulateofsweden.org www.consulateofsweden-fortlauderdale.org Dec 9 – Sunday 6 to 9 pm: The Swedish Club of Sarasota presents its annual ‘Sankta Lucia’ pageant at the St. Armands Lutheran Church.

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MINNEAPOLIS American Swedish Institute 2600 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407 Tel: 612-871 4907 | www.asimn.org Dec 1-2: Sat 10 am to 5 pm, Sun 11 am to 5 pm: Julmarknad – ASI’s Christmas Market & Festival 2018.

Dec 8 – Sat 11 am and 1 pm: Luica Celebration – morning and afternoon concerts set in Larson Hall.

PORTLAND Nordic Northwest Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Rd., Portland, OR 97223 | Tel: 503-977 0275 www.nordicnorthwest.org Dec 1-2 – Sat 10 am to 5 pm and Sun 10 am to 4 pm: ScanFair at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland’s Rose Quarter.

Dec 8 – Sat 3 pm: New Sweden's traditional Lucia Fest at First Presbyterian Church,1200 SW Alder St., Portland.

SEATTLE Swedish Cultural Center 1920 Dexter Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 Tel: 206-283 1090 | www.swedishclubnw.org info@swedishculturalcenter.org Dec 7 – Fri: Julbord dinner.

Dec 9 – Sun: Luciafest with UW students.

Dec 14 – Fri: Julbord lunch and dinner.

Dec 21 – Fri: Lutfisk dinner Nordic Museum 2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107 Tel: 206-789 5707 | nordic@nordicmuseum.org www.nordicmuseum.org 18

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Ongoing through Apr 14, 2019 – The Vikings Begin Exhibition – Based on the latest research conducted on both historic and recent discoveries of Viking-era artifacts

by Uppsala University in Sweden.

WASHINGTON, DC Embassy of Sweden 2900 K Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20007 Tel: 202-467 2600 | www.swedenabroad.com ambassaden.washington@gov.se Ongoing through Jan 13 2019 – Exhibition – Nordic Impressions is a major survey of Nordic art spanning nearly 200 years.

CALGARY Swedish Society of Calgary 739 20 Ave. N.W. Calgary, AB T2M 1E2 Tel: 403-284 2610 | www.swedishsociety.ca Dec 10 – Mon: Lucia Celebration at St John Lutheran Church.

TORONTO Svenska kyrkan i Toronto 25 Old York Mills Road, Toronto ON M2P 1B5 Tel: 416-486 0466 | toronto@svenskakyrkan.se www.svenskakyrkan.se/toronto Dec 16 – Sun: Lucia celebration VANCOUVER Scandinavian Community Centre 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 Tel: 604-294 2777 | info@scandinaviancentre.org | www.swedishculturalsociety.ca Dec 1 – Sat 6 pm: Scandinavian Business Club’s Annual Christmas Dinner and Dance Dec 2 – Sun 6 pm: First of Advent Service at Danish Church at 6010 Kincaid Avenue, Burnaby. Coffee is served after the service.

Dec 8 – Sat 1 pm and 6pm: Lucia Celebrations at the Center.

WINNIPEG Swedish Cultural Assn of Manitoba 764 Erin Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 2W4 | Tel: 204-774 8047 | Reservations at: svenskclub17@gmail.com Dec 7 – Fri 11:30 am: Svensk Lunch – Home-made Scandinavian lunch Dec 9 – Sun 1:30 pm: Lucia Christmas Celebration. Tickets by Dec 1.

Dec 12 – Wed 5 pm: Julebord at IKEA. Feast of Swedish Christmas food; music.

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 29

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Sista ordet

'I will hopefully plan my daughter's Lucia one day...'

The First Second

T

By Kate Rytter he second after the candles are lit, when the audience goes silent, the lights go out, and the members of the Lucia procession take one huge breath: that is my favorite moment in the Lucia pageant.

My name is Kate Rytter, I am 21 years old, and this year I will be Vancouver’s Lucia. I have been waiting for this moment since I was 7, as every other Lucia aspirant has, and I am so excited! 30 years ago my mother, Catharina Wimme, was Lucia. This year I have the added honour of being the first 2nd generation Lucia in Vancouver. This means so much to me. Even though I won’t be in a grand hotel, as my mother was, it’s almost more significant that I’ll be at the Scandinavian Cultural Center (SCS).

I have been coming there all my life; I completed Swedish School there. I am fluent in Swedish, as well as Danish and French. I volunteered there

Kate Rytter, Vancouver Lucia 2018.

Photos courtesy: Kate Rytter

and still do. My parents used to take part in folk dancing. My grandparents, Nanny and Bert Wimme, have been in Canada for more than 50 years and were also very active at SCS. Mormor used to be in charge of the Lucia celebration when it was held at the Bayshore. It’s a wonderful thought that my mother’s mother planned her Lucia, the way she is planning my Lucia, and as I will hopefully plan my daughter’s Lucia someday. I can’t help but feel connected to this tradition. It

is an essential lead-up to Christmas; the holiday wouldn’t be the same if there was no Lucia.

In the beginning, as a seven-yearold, you’re excited. Your mother has totally hyped it up, she has made you try on a fake plastic Lucia-krona and told you how great you look. She makes you practice singing in the car. The mid-point is where some girls leave the procession because things change, they don’t have time or they simply don’t want to. If your mother is anything like mine, it doesn’t matter what you think (and she’s right in the end); you’re going, and that’s all there is to it. The last years leading up to your debut as Lucia are easy and fun. You’re nearly seven again. You get to see your friends that you only see in December.

The crowning experience is, of course, your appearance as Lucia – your day, your moment to stand in front many, many people and proclaim yourself the Queen of Light. And you will always be her and she will always be a part of you.

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Swedish Press | Dec 2018/Jan 2019 30

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