Swedish Press Nov 2025-Jan 2026 Vol 96-04

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November 2025-January 2026 Vol 96:04 $14.95

Swedes at Sea 04 2025

Across the Atlantic with S/Y Celeste of Solent | The Whale Whisperer

And Let SWEA SAN FRANCISCO’S

CHRISTMAS FAIR DECEMBER 6, 2025 9AM - 3PM

VICTORY

! t s e R e h T l l Te

ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL 1111 GOUGH ST. SAN FRANCISCO Lucia performances Activities for kids Swedish food, drinks and shopping

bit.ly/sweaSFjul

250 Years of Shipbuilding

in Greater Philadelphia

On view through January 4, 2026

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 2

Curated by:

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.

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CONTENTS [November 2025-January 2026[ 4 Letters to the Editor 5 From the Publisher’s Desk Headline News 6 How Swedish Candy Conquered the U.S.

History 22 Searching for Utopia in Bishop Hill Film Review 25 Egghead Republic

Swedish Press Connects 8 Upplev julmarknaden i San Francisco

Culture 26 Tomte Tales: Legends of Winter

Heritage 9 An Insider’s Look at Swedish Culture: Skellefteå mer än bara Northvolt Feature 10 The Solace of the Sea 16 The Whale Whisperer 18 Woman, Take the Helm 20 Why Swedish Innovation Embraces Failure: The Lessons of the Vasa Ship

Photo courtesy of American Swedish Institute.

In the Loop 28 Calendar and Events 29 Ads and Info 30 Pastorn har ordet 31 Friends of the Press 2025

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PRINTED IN CANADA NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE: DEC 10, 2025

Cover image: S/Y Celeste of Solent. Photo: Tina Tarre Monfrino

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 3

Letters to the Editor Navigare vivere est

N

Av Maria Thorsson är jag var barn hade jag en favoritmugg som jag alltid ville dricka ur. Oavsett om det var saft, vatten, läsk, varm mjölk eller något annat så skulle det vara denna mugg. Muggen var vit med ett blått ankare och ovanför ankaret stod den latinska frasen ”Navigare vivere est”, ”Att segla är att leva”. Uttrycket är en variant på ”Navigare necesse est, vivere non est necesse”, ”att segla är nödvändigt, att leva är inte nödvändigt”. Dessa ord tillskrivs den romerske fältherren och politikern Pompejus som var ansvarig för att transportera spannmål från Afrika till Rom. När de skulle segla iväg med spannmålslasten blåste det upp till storm. Kaptenerna tvekade att ge sig ut, men Pompejus beordrade dem att kasta loss trots det hårda vädret. Spannmålslasten var så viktig att den var värd att riskera livet för. ”Navigare necesse est, vivere non est necesse”.

Jag växte upp med havet, segling

Maria, 8 år gammal, ombord familjens båt.

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 4

och sjöfart. Sedan jag kan minnas hade vi segelbåt och jag fick tidigt lära mig att ta ut kurs och läsa sjökort. Så fort jag kunde simma 200 meter fick jag börja segla optimistjolle. Jag älskade det!

Hemma hos mormor och morfar var det fullt med modeller av skutor som morfar byggde. Han var pensionerad sjökapten från Brantevik och många av skutorna hade hans far eller farfar varit kapten eller skeppare på.

Jag fick hjälpa honom att bygga ibland.

Samtidigt berättade han om sin far som rundade Kap Horn några gånger. Han berättade vad de olika seglen hette, vad signalflaggorna betydde eller något annat som han tyckte var viktigt att kunna. Jag älskade det!

Hemma hos farmor hängde det många tavlor med marina motiv. Det var min farfar som målat dessa. Farfar var också sjökapten, från Skillinge, precis som sin far och farfar. Hemma hos farmor fanns även många spännande saker från Afrika. Min farfar seglade på Afrika och med sig hem tog han inte bara lasten som var beställd utan även spännande okända saker från en då ganska okänd kontinent. I alla fall om man bodde i ett fiskeläge på Österlen.

Hemma hos farmor saknades farfar.

Han omkom tidigt till sjöss och jag fick aldrig träffa honom.

Under 1800-talet hade Brantevik, detta lilla fiskeläge på Österlen, Sveriges största handelsflotta och grannen Skillinge var betydande både inom fiske och sjöfart. För människorna i dessa samhällen gällde ”Navigare necesse est”, att segla var nödvändigt, det var detta man levde av. Och alla som kommer härifrån har någon i släkten som inte kom hem, alla sörjer

någon som havet tog. Samtidigt finns här en kärlek till havet som är svår att beskriva.

För mig gäller ”Navigare vivere est”. Jag behöver inte gå till sjöss för att ha råd med mat på bordet. Jag kan segla för att det är något jag älskar att göra och jag kan stanna i hamn om det blåser storm. Men jag har fått med mig en kärlek till havet som gör att jag ständigt dras till det. Och ute till havs känner jag mig som mest levande. S Summary in English: Maria Thorsson is a longtime pastor with the Church of Sweden Abroad (SKUT). She is currently stationed in Spain. In this text, she writes about her lifelong love of sailing and the sea. Both her grandfathers were master mariners, and Maria recounts how seafaring shaped their lives as well as the lives of most inhabitants of Österlen.

Maria Thorsson på båtbesök i Ystad hamn.

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from the Publisher’s Desk

The Sea – Shaper of Swedish Identity Individual Sponsors

2025

Brandon Benson

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Carina Spencer

Irene E Johnson Donald H. Benson Judith Olson Monica Hill Jan Fellenius Marianne Skarborn Marianne Mannerheim Cecilia Thorén Usher Stuart Mork Lars Helstrom Margareta Davison Gunilla Lawrie Caroline Marklund Pehr Eliasson Inga Vestrup Gunnar Eriksson Patricia Charlson Thurstone Family Martha A. Johnson Thomas L. Martin

Thank you for your support!

W

ith thousands of kilometers of coastline, countless islands, and two great seas on its borders, Sweden has always been a nation shaped by water. The sea has been a lifeline, a highway, and at times a threat, leaving a profound imprint on Swedish culture and national identity.

From the Viking Age, when Scandinavian seafarers ventured across the North Atlantic, to the 17th century, when Sweden’s navy was among Europe’s strongest, maritime life has been central to Sweden’s history. The Baltic Sea connected the kingdom to trade networks and foreign influence, while fishing and shipbuilding sustained local communities. Yet the ocean also symbolized danger — storms, shipwrecks, and isolation were part of everyday experience for coastal Swedes.

This duality — the sea as a source of both freedom and peril — is echoed in Sweden’s musical traditions. Ancient folk songs often tell stories of sailors, migration, and longing, while modern troubadours gave the maritime tradition new life. No one did this more famously than Evert Taube, whose songs of sailors, harbors, and distant ports remain deeply woven into the national canon. Other singer-songwriters, from Cornelis Vreeswijk to contemporary pop and folk artists, have carried forward this tradition, using the sea as a metaphor for both adventure and melancholy.

Swedish writers and artists have also drawn inspiration from the water. Nobel laureate Harry Martinson, once a sailor himself, infused his poetry and novels with maritime imagery, while painters like Anders Zorn and Carl Wilhelmson captured the everyday rhythms of coastal life. And the sea appears as both backdrop and protagonist in Swedish art — a mirror of human struggle, resilience, and longing.

Over time, the maritime experience became part of how Swedes came to understand themselves: resourceful, outward-looking, yet deeply tied to their landscapes and waterscapes. The summer idyll of the archipelago, immortalized in countless paintings, songs, and films, remains a cornerstone of Swedish identity, offering a gentler invocation of the sea as a place of rest and renewal.

Sweden’s maritime culture is a living tradition that continues to shape our national identity. In this issue, we’ll explore the irresistible longing of Swedes and Scandinavians to brave the open sea.

Trevlig läsning!

Kajsa

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Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 5

[Headline News]

How Swedish Candy Conquered the U.S. Swedish pick ‘n mix candy has gone from being a niche novelty item in boutique shops to a viral sensation.

By Kajsa Norman

I

t all started on TikTok in early 2024 when a handful of videos showing people buying and tasting Swedish pick ‘n mix candy went massively viral. Six months later, there were more than 120 million “Swedish candy reviews” on TikTok. Gen-Z and millennial audiences could not get enough of the bold textures, “real sugar” recipes and vegan/cleanlabel options characteristic of Swedish candy. Companies such as Sweetish immediately saw surges in on-line demand and long queues to their stores.

“It has been demanding, daunting and fun,” says Tyler Graybeal, owner of Sweetish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Last year, the company experienced a 230 percent increase in sales.

This year they had surpassed those numbers by the half year mark.

“We were eight employees before Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 6

Nordic Berries from Sweetish's new line of gummies. Photo: Mackenzie Brennan

this all started. Now we’re a core team of 25 along with a dozen temporary employees,” says Tyler. “We have two shifts going with people working nights in the warehouse just to keep up with demand.”

So what makes Swedish candy so special?

“The texture, flavors and shapes are different,” says Tyler.

Many Swedish gummies and foam candies use different recipes and sugars, giving a different chew and taste than mainstream U.S. gummies.

There is also a wider range of gelatinfree/vegan products, which appeal to younger consumers.

However, the sudden popularity created real supply stress. Several Swedish suppliers reported being unable to keep up with international orders during 2024, and some brands temporarily reduced assortments to

cope with production limits.

American-based specialty stores that were importing multiple tons every few weeks to meet local demand now had to scramble to restock.

Eighteen months later, it has become clear that the Swedish candy boom was more than a passing fad.

Customers are still flocking to the Sweetish stores in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and online orders continue to stream in. For Sweetish, about 50 percent of the business now comes from fulfilling wholesale requests.

“This year has become more about business to business sales for us,” says Tyler. “There are more and more candy stores popping up across the U.S., and we are supplying about half of them.”

While Tyler had long predicted that Americans would fall in love with Swedish candy, he didn’t expect it to

happen this fast. “The jump we saw in a year was more than we could have hoped for in five years,” he says. “And it hasn’t slowed down.”

Some producers have shifted or added production capacity (including manufacturing outside the EU) to meet U.S. demand. But while Tyler is of course excited about the growing demand for Swedish candy in the U.S. market, he sees challenges with that approach.

“American candy often uses corn syrup and artificial dyes, while Swedish candy is usually made with real sugar and more natural colors from fruits and plants,” he says.

In Europe, early consumer demand for “clean label” foods pressured regulators and manufacturers to invest in natural alternatives. But while the EU currently accepts most natural extracts with a history of safe consumption, color additives remain one of the most tightly regulated categories in U.S. food law. In the U.S., large food companies historically preferred synthetics as they are cheaper, more stable, and easier to standardize across massive supply chains. Thus, moving manufacturing to North America, often means substituting some of the original ingredients to meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. This means that the real sugars and natural dyes that have been part of the appeal of Swedish candy, may not be present in the versions manufactured in North America.

In September 2025, Orkla (owner of the BUBS brand) launched BUBS in the U.S. and set up local production partnerships with Mount Franklin Foods in Mexico to serve the North American market. Their products are now available in mass market stores like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Target.

“If a Swedish candy brand is mass produced by a big American food company in Mexico, using partly different ingredients, is it still Swedish candy?” wonders Tyler. “In my opinion it’s getting a little muddy, and it devalues the product. Our customers want the pick ‘n mix style BUBS because they are bigger and more natural than what’s now made in Mexico.”

Tyler is eager to do his part to broaden the market and ensure Swedish treats reach American customers, but without compromising on quality.

“We sell our Swedish candy signature mixes to large retail chains like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, but everything we supply is imported from Europe,” says Tyler.

Over the last year, the company has also launched its own line of sweets.

“It has been a goal since the beginning to have our own flavors and options,” says Tyler.

As he dreams up new possible flavor combinations, Sweetish’s European manufacturer produces samples for him to test.

“Sometimes it involves actually going out and getting two different fruits

and trying if it’s even possible to get a concentrate of something,” says Tyler, adding that this is his favorite part of the job.

The line currently consists of six unique flavors of Sweetish signature gummies, and eight types of SkandyPop lollipops. Flavors include elderflower, cloudberry, and lingonberry lollipops, while the gummies taste of Nordic berries, lingonberry or blueberry-lemonade, to name a few.

Sweetish has also formed a partnership with Candyking, a Swedish company (founded in 1984) that specializes in pick ‘n mix concepts: supplying retail stores with candy assortments, displays, logistics and often full store-solutions so that consumers can choose candies by weight.

“Candyking is the lead supplier of loose candy in Europe with over 500 varieties of candy. They are great at curating the best pick ‘n mix selections. And now they are distributed by us in the U.S.,” says Tyler.

Sweetish has begun offering Candyking walls to a wide variety of American venues such as grocery stores, gas stations, and movie theatres across all 50 states.

“We do all the support and supply.

Stores pay for the wall via filling it with Swedish candy,” Tyler explains.

Soon it will be easier than ever to go out and pick your lördagsgodis (Saturday sweets), just like you would in Sweden, at a pick ‘n mix wall near you.

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 7

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Swedish Press Connects

Upplev julmarknaden i San Francisco Av Kajsa Norman

Det går mot advent och runt om i Nordamerika är planeringen i full gång inför SWEAs julmarknader. I San Francisco finns en av de största.

Å

r 1979 hade Agneta Nilsson en idé om att samla sina svenska väninnor kring en julmarknad i Los Angeles. Det blev starten på SWEA (Swedish Women’s Educational Association). Andra avdelningar poppade snart upp på den amerikanska västkusten och julmarknaderna blev tidigt viktiga inslag. Här kunde man sprida svensk kultur bland såväl svenskar som utomstående och samtidigt dra in pengar till verksamheten. År 1982 bildades SWEA San Francisco och redan 1984 höll man sin första julmarknad i Hall of Flowers i Golden Gate Park. ”Det var väldigt enkelt från början, men det drog folk och alla var intresserade av att fortsätta,” säger Gun Bolin, som varit engagerad i SWEA SF:s julmarknadskommitté i många år.

Sedan dess har marknaden successivt vuxit och välkomnar nu strax under 3000 besökare varje år. Sedan millennieskiftet håller man till i Saint Mary’s Cathedral i centrala San Francisco. ”Så fort portarna slås upp klockan 9 skyndar besökare direkt till Vita Ren-bordet där man hittar secondhandfynd,” berättar Emilia Sandolf, ledamot i SWEA SF och engagerad i julmarknaden.

Vita Ren-bordet är en svensk variant på det engelska begreppet White Elephant Sale, en sorts loppmarknad där begagnade föremål säljs billigt till förmån för ett lokalt ändamål.

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 8

”I vårt fall rör det sig ofta om saker skänkta av Sweor som reser hem , som storstädat hemma eller som gått bort,” förklarar Gun. ”Sakerna behöver inte ha någon julanknytning, men alltid en svenskanknytning.”

Julmarknaden bjuder även på musik framförd av lokala spelmän, julpyssel för barnen och ett stort utbud av godsaker som hör julen till: glögg, pepparkakor och lussekatter.

Ett nytt inslag är ett bord uteslutande tillägnat svenskt godis som Emilia var med och startade förra året. Svenskt godis har ju blivit väldigt trendigt i USA och Emilia intygar att det populära godisbordet kommer att finnas på plats igen detta år.

Förutom godsaker säljer man förstås också vanlig svensk julmat – ansjovis, sill, julost och annat som passar på julbordet. Är man hungrig på plats kan man bland annat ta sig en köttbullsmacka med rödbetssallad, en laxsmörgås eller en räkmacka. ”För några år sedan var det en enda dam som satt och skalade merparten av 650 ägg till räkmackorna. Hennes tummar var inte glada efteråt,” minns Gun som då basade över all smörgåstillverkning. Hon uppskattar att det numera går åt 500 räkmackor, 250 köttbullsmackor och ett par hundra med annat pålägg varje år.

SWEAs huvudsakliga syfte är att sprida svensk kultur och för många besökare är Luciatåget julmarknadens stora höjdpunkt. Numera hålls två föreställningar uppe i själva katedralen som rymmer uppemot 1000 åskådare och oftast är fullsatt. ”Ett sjuttiotal personer brukar delta i Luciatåget,” säger Gun. ”Det är en blandning av barn och vuxna, tonåringar och au pairer.” ”Ett år kom en busslast med japanska turister på besök just när Lucia-

Foto: Emilia Sandolf

tåget var på ingång. De stod storögda och tittade på hela föreställningen.

Jag får fortfarande gåshud av minnet,” säger julmarknadsveteranen Camilla Podowski.

Att organisera en så stor julmarknad kräver förstås mycket jobb.

Alla i SWEA San Franciscos styrelse bidrar och en julmarknadskommitté på cirka fem personer arbetar en stor del av året med marknaden. Till detta tillkommer över 300 volontärer varje år. Två tredjedelar av dem är ickeSweor, ofta partners och vänner.

Många hjälper till år efter år och för dem har arbetet med julmarknaden blivit en naturlig del av julfirandet.

SWEAs julmarknad i San Francisco bidrar till att skapa gemenskap och julstämning bland såväl Sweor som utomstående besökare. Marknaden hålls alltid den första lördagen i december. I år är det den 6 december, klockan 9.00-15.00. Välkomna!

S

Summary in English: Swedish Women’s Educational Association, SWEA, is the largest non-profit organization promoting Sweden outside of Sweden. Visit SWEA SF’s Christmas Fair in St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco, on December 6 (9 am-3 pm) to indulge in Swedish Christmas traditions and celebrate Lucia.

H ERITAG E

An Insider’s Look at Swedish Culture Skellefteå – mer än bara Northvolt

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Av Svea Gossner et var inte en ren slump att mina vägar bar mig till Skellefteå. Visserligen hade jag länge tänkt höra av mig till batteriföretaget Northvolt, Europas första storskaliga batterifabrik med tusentals anställda från hela världen, och erbjuda min expertis med att knäcka svenska kulturkoder, men jag hade aldrig riktigt fått tummarna loss. Nej, anledningen var faktiskt att 15-åriga dottern lyckades kvala in i SM i friidrott och mästerskapet skulle äga rum i norra exotiska Sverige i landskapet Västerbotten. Jag som företagare tänkte att jag skulle kunna slå två flugor i en smäll och äntligen besöka Visit Skellefteå för att få se hur de jobbar med att marknadsföra stan och bo på berömda trähotellet The Wood Hotel som är en av världens högsta träbyggnader och dessutom har ett utomhus-spa på våning 20 med fantastisk utsikt över stad, vattendrag, berg och skog.

Trots att det bara var början av mars, var det redan någon plusgrad och bara lite snö, men ändå så pass mycket att man inte blev besviken när man hade åkt hela vägen från Malmö för att få lite vinter. Orolig att halka i centrum av Skellefteå behövde man heller inte vara då staden har värmeslingor som gör att det aldrig blir is eller snö i city.

Visit Skellefteå tog mig till Welcome House som är öppet för alla nyinflyttade i Skellefteå för att få tips och råd om Sverige och svensk kultur då Northvolt de senaste åren tagit emot många experter från hela världen.

Svea med guider från Visit Skellefteå.

Likaså anordnas det många aktiviteter i staden året om, exempelvis luciafirande och filmkvällar, där alla är välkomna att deltaga. Inte undra på att många nyinflyttade ville stanna kvar i Skellefteå efter Northvolts konkurs i mars 2025.

Storvarsel följde men i augusti 2025 meddelades att det amerikanska företaget Lyten ska köpa upp kvarvarande delar av Northvolt i Sverige och Skellefteå andas återigen framtidstro.

Personalen på Visit Skellefteå föreslog en skidtur i längdspåren på berget innan jag checkade in på The Wood Hotels spa och det var jag inte sen att tacka ja till då mina pjäxor fanns med i mitt lilla handbagage ( jag är alltid redo för lite skidåkning). Det var perfekta spår för mig som skåning och jag bröt varken ben eller armar trots några branta backar. Ibland kan jag inte låta bli att känna mig lite avundsjuk på att det är så lättillgängligt med vintersport i norra Sverige att man till exempel på sin lunch kan åka längdskidor, vilken dröm!

Perfekt avslut på dagen var The Wood Hotels spa där jag mötte turister från bland annat Mexiko som valde att tillbringa en av sina endast

tre nätter i Skandinavien på The Wood Hotel i Skellefteå där i stort sett all interiör är av trä. Detta hotell verkar nästan mer känt utomlands än i Sverige tänkte jag och hoppades att de inte hade blandat ihop hotellet med Treehotel som ligger i Boden och som för mig är mer känt.

Hur gick det då för dottern i inomhus-SM i friidrott? Hon och hennes lag bodde faktiskt i baracker som tidigare bebotts av Northvolts anställda och hon fick för första gången bo helt själv vilket bara det var en upplevelse! Det blev ingen medalj, men hon var nöjd ändå över en oförglömlig upplevelse i Skellefteå. För min del blev pricken över i:et att jag på väg till mästerskapet vandrade förbi Sveriges äldsta träbro, Lejonströmsbron från 1737, med samma färg som Golden Gate Bridge i San Francisco. Skellefteå har alltså så mycket mer att erbjuda än bara batteritillverkning – varmt välkomnande, skidåkning, en historisk träbro och ett trähotell som kan locka vilken turist som helst från Mexiko eller Skåne! S

Lejonströmsbron från 1737. Foton: Privata

Summary in English: Svea travelled to Skellefteå to watch her daughter compete in the Swedish track and field championships. She also visited Welcome House, a center where newcomers to Sweden can learn about Swedish culture and traditions.

Footnote: Yvonne “Svea” Gossner är en f.d universitetsadjunkt och Swedish influencer, numera ägare av Learn Swedish Culture AB. www.learnswedishculture.com

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 9

The Solace of the Sea To sail across the Atlantic Ocean is a dream that many share. Aboard the Swedish 65-foot racer S/Y Celeste of Solent, that dream is attainable for sailors and landsmen alike.

By Kajsa Norman

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hy is almost every robust healthy boy with a robust healthy soul in him, at some time or other crazy to go to sea?” asks Herman Melville at the start of Moby Dick. In other words, what is it about the ocean that attracts so many of us?

It’s the question that I’m hoping to answer as I prepare to sail from Guadeloupe in the French West Indies to the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 10

with nine complete strangers.

In Moby Dick, Melville is quick to point out that far from all adventurers drawn to the ocean are sailors. In fact, many of them are what he calls “landsmen”, “of week days pent up in lath and plaster—tied to counters, nailed to benches, clinched to desks.”

As I arrive in Pointe-à-Pitre to meet the other crew members of the S/Y Celeste of Solent, I realize this is true for us as well. While there are

a few experienced sailors, many of us are white-collar workers longing to escape our cubicles and everyday routines. Representing all parts of Sweden, Finland and beyond, a couple sail for a living, most sail for recreation, and one or two are brand new, experiencing the open ocean for the first time. Aboard the Swedish 65-foot racer/cruiser Celeste of Solent, all are welcome and expected to contribute according to ability.

“On Celeste there are no passengers, everybody participates and when you reach the other side you’ve truly sailed across the Atlantic,” says 58-year-old skipper Svante Jacobsson from Gothenburg, who is one of Celeste’s 13 co-owners.

It’s a unique, non-hierarchical concept that is very Swedish. “There is no staff serving anybody else. It’s meant to feel like a group of friends taking a trip together with everybody doing their fair share,” Svante explains. * It’s late in the evening on April 8, when we cast off from Marina Bas-duFort in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe and motor east into the dark Caribbean night. Once we’ve left the inner harbour and can hoist the sails, we begin working shifts in teams of three.

Each team sails for three hours, then has six hours off, before sailing for another three hours. During our six hours off, we are meant to rest and enjoy, but also cook, do dishes, and keep the boat tidy.

My first shift is midnight to three a.m. I’m lucky in that the moon is nearly full, lighting up the otherwise pitch black Caribbean night.

“Pick a cloud or a star and aim for it,” coaches my teammate Kalle, as I’m struggling to get used to being at the helm of the 28-ton sailboat.

Kalle Norrman is a 57-year-old project leader from Malmö. He started sailing at the age of five and has been sailing ever since. Like the rest of us, he is here in pursuit of a life-long dream of sailing across the Atlantic, with the added challenge of crossing it from west to east, which typically involves tougher conditions compared to the reverse where you sail through warmer weather with the trade winds

Kalle Norrman at the helm, next to Kajsa Norman. Hannaleena Väisänen seated in front. Photos: Private.

at your back.

For the first few days, most of us focus on gaining our sea legs and battling nausea as we slowly adapt to life aboard. The boat moves and tilts more than I had expected and at a 45 degree angle all tasks feel like a combination of a balancing act and a workout. It’s a challenge to go to the bathroom, retrieve anything from one’s bag, and get in and out of bed. I wish I had organized my belongings better before coming onboard as looking for things results in both nausea and bruises.

I wonder if this is similar to what astronauts feel, having to learn to do everyday things an entirely new way in a universe where the usual rules for gravity and balance don’t apply.

Grabbing on to things to pull oneself from one point to the next below deck, learning to chop vegetables or boil pasta when the world is all skewed.

I sleep in an upper bunk; the angle of which can be adjusted with a rope depending on the tilt of the boat. I adjust it as best as I can, and hope that my knots will hold. I also put up the Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 11

protective side cloth and soon find myself lying more on it than on the actual bunk as the ship rolls with the waves.

“Crossing the Atlantic is a mental challenge even for experienced sailors,” says 34-year-old First Mate Oskar Ahlm. “Most people who join have sailed shorter distances close to shore.

On the Atlantic there is no way to opt out. Once you’re onboard, you’re staying onboard. You’re committed. You have to deal with the choppy seas, the constant tilt, the sea sickness, the lack of communication with loved ones, and the degeneration of hygiene that happens after weeks at sea with no access to a shower. It’s a mental game.”

After a few days I begin to understand what he means. Most people can handle rough seas and a tilted world for a few hours, but for days and weeks on end with no clear idea of how long it will last is a different story. And to embark on a journey like this with nine strangers, knowing that there will be no personal space, nowhere to hide or go for a walk if you have a meltdown or someone gets on your nerves. So why do it? For the challenge of course, but also for the plethora of new experiences that await.

The first week we make great time, benefiting from a steady westerly wind. Once people have gained their sea legs and adjusted to the tight living quarters and the rhythm of the work shifts, more existential queries surface. Being on a digital detox, completely cut off from loved ones and the rest of the world causes stress in some and a sense of relief in others. So does the realization that we are entirely at the mercy of the wind and the elements around us.

“I struggle to relax and feel constantly wound up,” says Magnus Ahl, Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 12

a 62-year-old Business Controller from Visseltofta in Skåne. “Here it’s impossible to maintain control. When I’m not at the helm, I have zero control over what happens,” he says, and continues: “For me, this is a once in a lifetime experience which will stay with me for a long time, and which will take time to process. I know I will only be able to share this memory with people who have lived it themselves.

It’s impossible to grasp if you haven’t been there. When we reach the other side, I will be incredibly proud of myself.”

In contrast, Pelle Edwall, a 69-year-old restaurant owner from Gothenburg, finds he can truly relax for the first time in a long time.

“The first few days I was a bit restless, but that’s over now. Now I’m enjoying each moment and I’m in no rush to arrive,” he says.

Pelle has sailed since he was 5 years old and started sailing competitively at the age of 12. ”When I was 25 years old, I bought a sailboat together with a friend. We spent a year fixing it up with the intent of crossing the Atlantic. When we were almost done, I asked my boss for leave and he said no. If I wanted to go, I would have to quit my job. I didn’t dare to, so I had to watch my friend leave without me,” he recalls. “I have waited 45 years for this.” * Crossing the Atlantic is not without its risks as you spend the bulk of the journey out of reach from any external assistance. One day, we spot a sailboat with a broken mast floating aimlessly on the horizon. It doesn’t respond to us over the radio so we approach to find it abandoned. It’s named “Blue Waters” and its from New Bern, North

Carolina. The lifeboat has not been launched and there is no sign of life.

Could it be a lone sailor who has fallen overboard or run out of water? We report it to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) and are relieved to learn that the captain of the abandoned vessel was rescued about a year ago. His boat has been floating aimlessly ever since. While the story had a happy ending, the eerie sight of the wrecked ship still dampens the mood as we’re reminded of our vulnerability.

Around us, for days in any direction, there is nothing but sea. Below us, the depths – the vast majority of which is unchartered; a mysterious ecosystem of which we know less than we do of the moon. As I reflect on our situation, I’m grateful for having made safety a priority when choosing a vessel for the crossing. Celeste of Solent is commercially approved for ocean traffic with passengers and recommended by the World Cruising Club, organizers of World ARC. “You won’t find a safer boat,” says Svante. “We have three watertight compartments in the bow and one in the aft. We could crash into a container and still not sink.”

I try not to think of the Titanic. * On our eighth day at sea, the wind dies completely and suddenly the world is flat again. According to our instruments, we’re about halfway across the Atlantic. The ocean is a shade of deep blue velvet I’ve never seen before. It is silent and nearly still. It’s an immense relief to be able to move without bracing or holding on to things, and as I feel my body relax, I realize how exhausting the past week has been.

Our ship is motionless like a tiny island and it’s finally possible to swim

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 13

They must have been here all along, but with the wind and waves stirring the water, it’s hard to distinguish the distant blow of a whale from the countless whitecaps of waves. Without the wind, however, there are signs of life everywhere.

After sunset, a starry sky envelopes the boat, extending from horizon to horizon, reflecting perfectly in the still water. With stars not just above us, but beside us and reflected beneath us in the water, we stand in awe on the deck as we glide like astronauts through space. Suddenly, the Lyrid meteor shower streaks across the sky, leaving behind a trail of cosmic dust glowing brightly in the atmosphere. Caused by space debris from the comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, the Lyrid meteor shower is the oldest meteor shower recorded continuously throughout history, dating back more than 2,700 years. It is visible every April and where better to watch it than from the middle of the Atlantic where one gets a horizon to horizon view unimpeded by even one bulb of light pollution. in the stunning azures we’ve admired from afar. The instrument panel shows a depth of 5,000 meters below us. I dive in and feel like a speck in the universe – floating through space, surrounded by infinity. Before climbing onboard again, I wash my hair for the first time since we departed. The salty sea makes everything soft and new.

Then, lying perfectly still on deck, I allow the heat of the sun to dry me. I feel clean, refreshed, almost born again.

As I look out over the gently heaving, unfathomable mass of water, I’m overcome with the sensation that the sea itself is a creature – a living, breathing organism not just full of life, but in and of itself… alive. It’s impossiSwedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 14

ble to see and feel her this way and not be awed. “Why did the old Persians hold the sea holy?” asks Melville in Moby Dick. “Why did the Greeks give it a separate deity…?” The image we see in the ocean “is the image of the ungraspable phantom of life”.

Suddenly the surface breaks some 40 ft from the ship as a majestic finback whale comes to check us out.

Not long after, two humpback whales approach, gracefully gliding through the water.

Soon after we start the engine, pods of Atlantic spotted dolphins come to play at our bow, racing the ship and jumping from side to side in perfect sync. All these sea creatures!

* The following day, there is still no wind. While it’s a relief to stand upright, what felt like a blessing yesterday soon becomes an increasing source of anxiety. The “doldrums” is a nautical term that refers to the belt around the Earth where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters. It is also an expression for a spell of listlessness or despondency, inactivity, stagnation, or slump. As we sit around and wait for wind, I begin to understand the root of the word. Being surrounded by seemingly infinite ocean and being unable to move is psychologically overwhelming. We don’t have enough diesel to travel by

engine all the way to the Azores, and there is absolutely nothing we can do to affect how long the wait will be. It’s an exercise in patience and in accepting that which one cannot control.

When the wind finally returns, we hoist the spinnaker in an attempt to outrun the high pressure zone that still surrounds us. It’s a bright red, ultra-light sail that is great for racing. Steering with it up is a bit trickier than the sails we’ve used before as the consequences of an unintentional jibe can be more severe. It’s nerve wracking at first, but exhilarating once one gets the hang of it.

During the night shifts, we take turns steering and keeping lookout for ships and wildlife. One night, I’m sitting at the bow of the ship when suddenly glowing dolphins, lit up by the electric hue of bioluminescence, begin to swim next to the ship. Scientifically speaking, bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is caused by blooms of the algae Lingulodinium Polyedra. Spiritually speaking, it is both mesmerizing and awe-inspiring.

At night, when the phytoplankton are moved by waves or creatures in the water, the blooms begin to glow in vivid, neon hues. Dancing shadows of light beneath the surface, the dolphins look like ghosts of the ocean.

before seeing it,” he said before we set sail. Could this be it? I rush up on deck just as the light is returning. Soon, the rising sun begins to paint the horizon a glowing gold and I see the island of Faial in the distance. My cheeks are wet with tears I didn’t feel coming.

We’ve made it.

I don’t know how or when it happened, but at some point, this voyage across the Atlantic became a spiritual journey, a pilgrimage of sorts. I think about Magnus’ regret at not being able to convey this experience to anyone who hasn’t lived it, and I realize that writing about it will be a challenge.

There isn’t any one day or any series of moments I can portray that do it justice. When added together, each nautical mile traveled, each hour at the helm, each moment of distress, and each moment of awe, add up to a spiritual journey of discovery and personal transformation that is bigger than the sum of its parts. As Melville put it, “there is, one knows not what sweet mystery about this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath...”

After thirteen days and ten hours at sea, I set foot on land again. We’ve sailed 2,320 nautical miles, and the waves will continue to roll within me for a long time. Besides a few cold beers and a burger at the famous sailor’s hub, Peter’s Café, we have no idea what awaits us in Horta harbor.

And frankly, we don’t care. The ocean still moves in us, and I know now it will forever remain an integral part of me – as my place of worship, my sanctuary, my final destination. * Interested in sailing with S/Y Celeste of Solent? Visit: https://sailingroundtheworld.com/ to learn more.

* One morning, I wake up just before dawn. The air feels different somehow and there’s a faint smell of soil. First Mate Oskar has warned me that it’s not until you’ve spent a longer period of time away from land that you are able to notice the distinct smell of earth.

“It’s a unique smell that is hard to describe, but one senses land well Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 15

The Whale Whisperer “Come listen!” exclaims Hannaleena Väisänen and extends a set of headphones. I put them on and hear what sounds like a whining puppy or perhaps a baby. “That’s a humpback whale,” she says.

By Kajsa Norman

H

annaleena Väisänen is a whale researcher, crossing the Atlantic for the second time with S/Y Celeste of Solent to collect data on whale migration patterns.

Two days into our journey from Guadeloupe to the Azores, across the south-western part of the North Atlantic, we’ve mainly spotted flying fish as they break the surface and skim Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 16

Sperm Whale. Photo: Hannaleena Väisänen.

along magically, before disappearing again beneath the waves. But we know there is a whole other world of life below us, and what we cannot yet see, we can at least hear, thanks to Hannaleena’s hydrophone, a special instrument used to register what’s going on beneath the surface. When the weather allows and we keep our speed below 9 knots, we tow it behind us. The hydrophone records sound

and can also be used to indicate from which direction the whale vocalizations are coming, and hence where the whales are.

“There is a lot of information about whales in areas that are easily accessible, but not much is known about what goes on out here,” says Hannaleena and points at the seemingly infinite ocean that surrounds us.

There are 80-90 known whale species,

but information about many of them is based on strandings with few, or no live sightings. In addition, many whale species are divided into different vocal clans with diverse dialects and ways of communicating that distinguish them from one another. There is, in other words, much left to learn.

While originally from Pieksämäki in Finland, Hannaleena now lives in Vesterålen in northern Norway, where she has worked as a whale watching guide and skipper on a rib boat for the past six years. She recently started her own whale watching company called Njord Adventures and conducts whale surveys for the Marine Research Institute of Norway. On this journey, she hopes to detect previously unknown whale hot spots, collect data about migration patterns, and to contribute to abundance estimates.

Carrying out research in these remote areas usually involves bigger, fuel-driven ships. However, sailboats are not only cost-effective but also environmentally friendly and much more conducive to obtaining good audio as they are almost completely silent, so Hannaleena encourages more sailboats to follow Celeste of Solent’s example and offer spots to researchers.

She explains that whales, dolphins, and porpoises are all types of whales.

They are subdivided into baleen whales and toothed whales. Dolphins, porpoises and sperm whales belong to the toothed whale group which relies on echo location capabilities to communicate and to hunt as they travel to depths where there is no light at all.

The hydrophone works particularly well for sperm whales, as their echolocation clicks are very loud – up to 235 decibels. That is the loudest noise any mammal in the world can make.

Hannaleena Väisänen listening to whales on her hydrophone. Photo: Kajsa Norman.

By continuously gathering GPS and sound data, it is thus possible to detect the number of sperm whales present in a given area.

“Listening to sperm whales you can even hear when they hunt because they emit a rapid sequence of clicks, a so-called feeding buzz, used to stun their prey,” says Hannaleena.

“So far, most sperm whale studies have focused on the females because they live in pods in warmer, more accessible waters,” says Hannaleena.

“The males are more solitary and tend to live further north so less is known about them.”

However, this is slowly beginning to change. In 2020, the University of Tromsø began tagging male sperm whales in their area to examine where they go to mate (there are no female sperm whales in northern Norway).

The local media referred to these journeys as whale “sex ferier” (sexcations). Jokes about the research aside, some interesting discoveries have already been made as it turns out the travel routes of the male sperm whales were much wider than anticipated.

The Azores are home to many female sperm whales and their calves, but research showed that the male sperm whales of northern Norway would travel all the way to Brazil to mate.

Some even stopped and turned around abruptly in the middle of the Atlantic, suggesting that there may be pods of females residing there as well.

“Due to the way the echolocation clicks of sperm whales are produced, it is possible to measure the size of individual sperm whales,” says Hannaleena.

As adult male sperm whales measure over 12 meters in length, it is thus possible to determine how many adult males are present in a given area and thereby to locate the breeding grounds for sperm whales in the North Atlantic.

According to Hannaleena, sperm whales have the largest brain in the world, and they dive deeper (2,000 m) and for longer than most other mammals.

Our conversation is interrupted by a new sound in the headphones. It sounds like a human whistling.

“Those are dolphins. They communicate using clicks and whistles, while humpbacks are known for their singing,” explains Hannaleena and concludes: “Nothing beats lying on the deck of a boat in the middle of the Atlantic, watching the stars and listening to the songs of the whales.”

Humpback whale. Photo: Hannaleena Väisänen.

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 17

Woman, Take the Helm!

Linda Lindenau has sailed across the Atlantic three times with all-female crews. Her life’s mission is to empower women to take charge at sea.

By Noelle Norman

I

n 2004, when Linda Lindenau set out on a sailing trip with her children and a female friend, she wasn’t expecting their presence at the helm to raise eyebrows.

But conversing with other sailors in marinas along the way, she was repeatedly asked: “Are you only women and children on board? Then who’s steering the boat?”

It would have been laughable if it hadn’t been so revealing. “My son was 15 at the time,” Lindenau recalls. “Afterward he said to me, ‘I wish I’d just said: Nobody, we just let it drift.’”

That moment brought Lindenau’s attention to the fact that in the marinas, it was always men at the helm.

“One might see a woman or two on the boat,” she says, “but when it came to docking, it was always done by men.”

For Lindenau, this was the spark that ignited a mission. A lifelong feminist who had once worked on gender equality issues at Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare, she saw a clear need: women didn’t only need to learn how to sail but they needed to learn how to take charge. In 2007, she published her book Ta rodret, kvinna!

(Woman, Take the Helm!), and soon thereafter she began leading sailing courses for women in Stockholm’s archipelago as well as in the Mediterranean Sea. By 2010, she was doing it for a living.

While Lindenau encourages women to sail alone or in female-only Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 18

Lindenau’s boat Peristera, a Benetau Oceanis 473. Photo: Courtesy of ARC/World Cruising Club.

crews, she notes that independence isn’t necessarily about excluding men — it’s about having options and confidence.

“If a woman wants to sail with her male partner, that’s wonderful,” she says, “but she needs to be able to do it on her own too. It’s about understanding what you’re doing and why, being able to fix things if needed, and having a say onboard.”

Too often, women don’t get that opportunity. In many families, the son is taught to sail while the equally interested daughter is overlooked. In couples, if the man wants a boat, they buy one. If the woman is interested, they often don’t. In most families that own a boat, both partners contribute financially to it — but only the man feels comfortable taking it out on the

water with friends, while she often hesitates to sail without him.

Lindenau observes how traditional dynamics often trigger subconscious habits built since childhood: “When you sail with both genders, people tend to fall back into their traditional roles. The men often take over, and the women step back. Then it’s not really fun — it doesn’t become a collaborative experience that helps anyone grow.”

Lindenau exemplifies with an anecdote of a trip with three couples, where two of the men insisted on hoisting all the sails despite very strong winds.

The women whispered amongst each other that there was too much sail, and the man at the helm agreed, but no one said anything aloud until Lindenau, as the skipper onboard, instructed them

to shorten the sails.

“Later that night, we talked about it,” Lindenau says. “Four out of six of us – the majority – thought we had used too much sail. But there was this silent loyalty to the male judgment, and the women didn’t want to criticize their partners.”

On her all-women trips, things are different. Tasks are rotated, and everyone gets the chance to manage every part of the boat — but on their own terms.

“When it’s your turn to handle the sails, you’re the only one doing it — unless you ask for help, of course.

But no one should come over and say, ‘Hey, you should be doing it like this.’

You should get the chance to think for yourself, reflect, experiment — and learn at your own pace.” That, she

Linda Lindenau

68-year-old Linda Lindenau has crossed the Atlantic three times with all-female crews, sailed to Antarctica, and circumnavigated the globe. She enjoys witnessing how the landscape and people change in appearance as she

Linda Lindenau at the helm of Peristera.

Photo: Private.

believes, builds true confidence.

Learning from a partner can be tricky, notes Lindenau. “There’s often impatience, frustration. He knows so much more, and he’s so quick to tell her what to do, so she never really understands why she’s supposed to do what he says - she just follows orders.”

Some of the most gratifying feedback Lindenau receives is from women who, after sailing with her, return home with a new perspective.

“Suddenly she can say, ‘Actually, I think it works better this way.’ That changes her position on board — she becomes less deferential, more independent. She can think critically and stop simply following orders she may not fully understand — or being pushed aside to sunbathe or do the dishes. It’s not about undermining

anyone — it’s about having enough knowledge to contribute equally.”

Lindenau’s philosophy is simple: no one is born a sailor. “There are no genes that make one gender more suited to sailing. Men just tend to get more practice from a young age.”

Lindenau encourages her students to take turns docking, steering, making decisions —even if it’s uncomfortable at first. “It's tempting to make excuses, but you have to decide, even if it’s windy today, it’s still my turn to dock.”

Once you do, the world is your oyster.

travels — especially along coastlines, where the transitions unfold gradually, unlike the abrupt shift you experience when stepping off a plane.

Her past adventures include dodging crocodiles in Australia, repairing her boat on the fly in unexpected places, and navigating the unfiltered realities of working ports – in sharp contrast to the polished postcard scenes that most tourists witness.

“Boats break down constantly,” she says. Her initial disappointment at having to replace planned sightseeing days with repair days during her sailing trip around the world, soon turned into appreciation for the cultural experience.

“In South Africa, I watched mechanics work to bridge racial divides, to create a system that allowed both black and white workers to function well together. In Indonesia, white workers didn’t seem interested in acknowledging the Indonesian mechanics or engineers as

more than support staff.”

“Tourist attractions tend to look pretty similar around the world, but going to these industrial areas, in search of someone with a welding torch in their backyard, gave me a richer appreciation. That’s where I felt I saw the place, and I realized I was gaining greater insight into these societies than I ever would have by visiting a waterfall.”

The most transformative moment of having circumnavigated the globe was returning to her starting point from the opposite direction and realizing, in a tangible way, that the Earth is round.

“Of course, I knew it was,” she laughs, “but I discovered there was another level of understanding that came from having physically encompassed the planet with my own body.”

Learn more about Linda Lindenau or book a trip with her (all abilities welcome) on her website tarodret.nu.

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 19

Why Swedish Innovation Embraces Failure: The Lessons of the Vasa Ship

T

his year, and for multiple years in a row, Sweden ranked 2nd on the Global Innovation Index. But how is it that Sweden – modest in size, population, and geopolitical standing – consistently punches so far above its weight in fields as diverse as green tech, telecommunications, music streaming, and industrial design?

Just a short walk from Stockholm’s most expensive real estate, the masts of the world’s best-preserved 17thcentury ship rise up through her museum’s rooftop and loom over the island of Djurgården like a ghost from the past. The Vasa, once a stark symbol of Sweden’s imperial ambition, famously sank just 1,300 meters into her maiden voyage. Her capsizing into the Baltic waves is ascribed to a fatal design flaw: too many heavy cannons on an upper deck that was too narrow to bear their weight. The event claimed dozens of lives and rendered what was meant to be the country’s most prominent showpiece of martial theatre into a humiliating debacle.

And yet, here she stands today— elevated, preserved, studied, and celebrated.

The Vasa Museum is not just a museum about a ship. It is a museum about failure. And in that failure lies one of the great secrets behind Sweden’s long-standing position at the top of the world’s innovation rankings. So what sets Swedish innovation apart?

The answer, it seems, lies not only in Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 20

By Noelle Norman

what Swedes build, but in how they think about what breaks.

In most cultures, failure is something to be hidden. Political leaders obfuscate responsibility, corporations spin public relations narratives, and individuals often fear the professional consequences of admitting mistakes.

When things go wrong, attention is diverted away from root causes through scapegoating or so-called damage control. The result? Little is learned.

The same mistakes are repeated over and over again.

But Sweden operates differently.

Here, failure is not a taboo—it’s an opportunity to learn.

The Vasa Museum is a physical manifestation of this mindset. Rather than burying the embarrassment by letting the boat stay and rot on the seafloor, Sweden spent decades recovering, restoring, and displaying the ship. Great pains were taken to raise her from the seafloor in 1961 — 333 years after she sank—and today she stands not as a monument to folly, but as an open book of lessons. She is also, incidentally, one of Sweden’s most visited tourist attractions, with about 1.5 million visitors every year.

This act of elevating failure—literally and culturally—sends a clear message: Risk is necessary. Mistakes are inevitable. What matters most is what we do with them.

Today, no one in Sweden builds a top-heavy boat. Not because the lesson was quietly absorbed into

some dusty government archive, but because the failure was made visible, debated, understood, and remembered.

Sweden’s innovation culture, beyond the symbolism of the Vasa, is grounded in leadership values that promote shared decision-making, trust, and an affinity for learning through being allowed to make mistakes. Here, companies and institutions emphasize flat hierarchies and collective input. Team members are expected to speak up, weigh in, and share responsibility for outcomes.

A prominent example of this is Spotify, the world’s largest and most popular audio streaming subscription service, with over 678 million users. Founded in 2008, Spotify has revolutionized the music, podcast, and audiobook-industry. Moreover, the company has been praised for its agile development and innovation framework using “squads”: autonomous, interdepartmental teams of up to eight people with full ownership of the complete developmental cycle – spanning from brainstorming the concept, to execution, to continuous optimization. The squads are entrusted to choose their own tools, manage their own processes, and even ignore central tech recommendations if they believe it best. By allowing smaller groups of people to work together with permission to fail, things move quicker and innovation thrives.

This decentralized decision-making,

rooted in Swedish values of equality and trust, has been key to Spotify’s ability to adapt and innovate rapidly in a highly competitive market: “We want to make mistakes faster than anyone else,” says Spotify’s founder Daniel Ek. The company relies on hiring smart people to make smart decisions in order to build a self-reliant workforce. As former Spotify Chief Human Resources Officer Katarina Berg said: “You can’t spend a lot of time hiring grown-ups and then treat them like children.”

This approach does two things: it distributes risk and normalizes learning. When everyone has a voice in shaping a project, failure does not fall on a single scapegoat. Instead, it becomes a shared challenge—one that can be analyzed and used to refine future strategies. In this environment, taking calculated risks feels safer, which in turn sets the stage for groundbreaking ideas.

Part of Sweden’s innovation edge also comes from patience. The country invests heavily in education, research, and long-term infrastructure—not just for immediate returns, but to build a foundation for future breakthroughs. State support for startups, clean energy, and scientific research is strong, and failures in these fields are tolerated—sometimes even encouraged—because they are part of the journey toward progress.

This resilience comes from a deeply embedded cultural understanding that good things take time—

Royal ship “Vasa” on the way into Beckholm’s dry dock, 14 May 1961.

Photo: Public Domain/commons.wikimedia.org

and that setbacks are not derailments but redirections.

In an era of political shorttermism and corporate risk aversion, Sweden’s approach offers a valuable lesson. Across much of the democratic world, election cycles dominate decision-making, pushing leaders to chase quick wins that play well in the news cycle rather than invest in long-term solutions. Governance increasingly resembles crisis management, with policies shaped by polling, headlines, and social media outrage—rather than sustained vision or structural reform. Innovation does not flourish in environments where failure is feared, punished, or quietly buried. It flourishes where failure is acknowledged, examined, and openly shared—where institutions are strong enough to confront mistakes, and

cultures are open enough to learn from them. Sweden’s emphasis on transparency and accountability reflects a longer-term mindset, one that prioritizes systemic resilience over short-term political gain—and in doing so, creates more fertile ground for innovation to take root.

There’s a quiet courage in Sweden’s cultural relationship to failure.

The willingness to display the Vasa in all her flawed glory is not just a historical curiosity—it’s a mindset. It reflects a national confidence rooted not in perfection, but in the process of progress. It says: We are not afraid to try. We are not afraid to fail. And we will always be brave enough to learn.

In a world that often confuses strength with infallibility, Sweden reminds us that our greatest leaps forward often begin with a stumble.

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 21

Searching for Utopia in Bishop Hill It has been 200 years since the first ship of Norwegian emigrants set sail across the Atlantic in search of a better life.

Ironically, the father of Norwegian emigration ended up in a Swedish colony. Here’s the story of Cleng Peerson’s strange sojourn in Bishop Hill, Illinois.

By Lori Ann Reinhall

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 22

Replica of the original ship Restauration.

Photo: Jonas Haarr Friestad ©Posten Bring/RestaurationVenneforening

K

nown as the father of Norwegian emigration, Cleng Peerson led the first organized emigration from Norway to the United States aboard the sloop Restauration, which departed from Stavanger, Norway on July 4, 1825. With him were 52 emigrants (in the end, 53, with a baby born at sea), most of whom were Norwegian Quakers or Haugeans, members of a Lutheran sect which derived its name from Hans Nielsen Hauge.

Peerson’s reasons for leaving Norway have never been entirely clear. He was neither a Quaker nor a Haugean, but we know he held a dislike and distrust for the official Norwegian state church, which persecuted religious dissenters. Throughout his life, he held himself up as a defender of religious freedom.

After three months at sea, the ship arrived in New York City on Oct. 9, 1825. The first destination in North America was New York’s Kendall County on the shores of Lake Ontario.

But it turned out to be far from the “promised land” the Sloopers had hoped to find. The land was so densely forested and difficult to cultivate that they called it “Det svarte Nord” — the black North. These first years in the New World were filled with hardship.

Then in 1833, Peerson led an expedition to the Fox River Valley near LaSalle, Illinois, where he is remembered today as the founder of a

[History] permanent colony of Norwegians there. Nearby, the town of Norway stands as a living memory of his legacy. The Norwegian Settlers’ Memorial was dedicated there in 1934.

In 1847, Peerson moved to the Swedish immigrant colony in Bishop Hill, Illinois, where a new and rather bizarre chapter of his life began. The Bishop Hill Colony in Henry County along the South Edwards River, had been founded in 1846 by the pietist religious leader Erik Jansson and a group of followers from the Swedish province of Uppland. They named their new home after Jansson’s birthplace, Biskopskulla, or Bishop’s Hill.

The Swedish colonists Cleng Peerson, self-portrait, date unknown, public domain. at Bishop Hill were läsare, devotional readers of the Bible, searching for religious freedom to about 1,500. They included skilled from the suppression of the Swedcraftspeople, and the colony became ish Church. They believed in the a major regional center for comsupremacy of the holy scripture and merce, producing furniture, wagons, would assemble to read the Bible on fine linens, and farm products. Soon their own without the guidance of an there was a flour mill, two sawmills, a ordained priest. According to Jansthree-story frame church, and other son, this community would become buildings, many of which are still the “New Jerusalem,” and their beliefs intact today. would soon spread across the world.

But work in the colony was But life in Jansson’s “New Jerurigorous and regimented. It was not salem” was harsh. Lacking adequate uncommon to see hundreds of people shelter and food, the Swedish settlers working together in the fields or large slept in cold and damp mud dugouts, groups of laborers engaged in other and many of the colonists died during tasks from sunup to sundown. the first winter. Nonetheless, permaMost importantly, there was no nent buildings were erected beginprivate ownership of property in ning in 1847, and the colony began to Bishop Hill. It could be described as prosper. a communal utopia, led by Jansson, New immigrants arrived from who was looked up to as a prophet.

Sweden, increasing the population It is not hard to understand why

this way of life at Bishop Hill was attractive to the Norwegian adventurer and idealist Peerson, who was searching for his own American dream.

But utopias can quickly turn into dystopias, and Bishop Hill would prove to be no exception, especially for Cleng Peerson. Charismatic leaders like the self-proclaimed prophet and priest Erik Jansson — or Jim Jones — can become dangerous demagogues and tyrants, with devastating consequences for their followers.

Contrary to what he was looking for, Peerson soon learned that there was little freedom at Bishop Hill — and this extended into the most intimate aspects of domestic life.

Because of a shortage of labor, celibacy was mandated by Jansson in the Bishop Hill colony to keep the women working. Married couples who had immigrated there from Sweden were not allowed to cohabitate, with separate quarters for men and women, and no new marriages were permitted to take place.

However, by the time Peerson landed in Bishop Hill in 1847, Jansson had reversed his views on marriage, and mass weddings were taking place in the colony. Peerson would not escape Jansson’s edict to be married and was ordered to take a bride. His wife in Norway, from whom he had been separated since 1821, had died a few years earlier. He was now free to wed another Swedish woman at the colony, Maria Charlotta Dahlgren, who had come to the colony in 1846, seeking religious freedom. She was 26 Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 23

years younger than Peerson. It was not a union built on love, and it would end bitterly.

At the same time, life in the colony became more arduous and controlled.

A cholera epidemic struck in 1849, and it is believed that his wife died in the epidemic or shortly thereafter.

Peerson, however, escaped, seeking refuge among friends in the Fox River colony. He is reported to have said that he left the Bishop Hill colony “robbed of all I possessed and sick in body and mind.”

The Bishop Hill colony was now in rapid decline. Its leader, Erik Jansson, was murdered in 1850 by John Root, his cousin’s husband. A seven-member board of trustees was elected to make decisions for the community. But economic problems and internal dissension caused the collapse of communal life, and the property was divided among the settlers in 1861. Many of them left, and the remainder became members of other churches.

Meanwhile, Peerson regained his health at the Fox Hill settlement he had founded. While it had grown and prospered, he did not stay for long.

Shortly after returning, the ever restless Norwegian immigrant headed to Texas. In 1854, the Texas State Legislature granted him 320 acres of land west of Clifton, in Bosque County, where the Cleng Peerson farm still stands today, open to the public.

Peerson seems to have found contentment in Texas, or maybe he had just grown old and tired. He lived there until his death in 1865, at age 82.

He was buried in the cemetery by Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Cranfills Gap. On his gravestone, it reads: “The pioneer of Norse Emigration to America, landed in America 1821.” This, of course, is an exaggeration. NonetheSwedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 24

The Old Colony Church is a simple wooden structure. The basement and first floor each contain 10 rooms, once used as single-room apartments. The second floor consists of the sanctuary, complete with original pews. Photo: Lori Ann Reinhall.

less, King Olav V made a stop there in 1982 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the famous Norwegian immigrant turned Texan.

As for Bishop Hill, over the years, the little community has gone through ups and downs, but today, it is a thriving tourist destination, a recreated Swedish town, full of history and charm. In 1984, the site was declared a National Historic Landmark, and there is much to explore and enjoy there.

The village is home to the Vasa National Archives and preserves and displays records and artifacts related to the Vasa Order of America, a valuable resource of historians and genealogists.

But Bishop Hill is not only about the past; it’s a living community.

Like their Swedish ancestors, its 113 residents—give or take a few— still farm the surrounding countryside, cut firewood for the winter,

plant broom corn in the spring, and celebrate the changing of the seasons with organized festivals throughout the year.

Many of the same crafts and trades that supported the early colonists are still a source of livelihood for people today. In the shops, there are pottery and brooms crafted in the tradition of the early settlers and still in use in Bishop Hill homes today.

Other new offerings have been added for tourists. You can eat Swedish meatballs and select from an assortment of souvenirs imported from Sweden.

Each year, tens of thousands of visitors come to Bishop Hill from across the US and Scandinavia.

While today it seems more like a utopia than it was in the time of Cleng Peerson, it is well worth a visit for Scandinavian Americans, especially as we reflect on the 200 years of Norwegian immigration in 2025. You can learn more at visitbishophill.com.

[Film Review] Egghead Republic Reviewed by Alice Shih

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wedish film Egghead Republic celebrated its World Premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Directors Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja have collaborated to inspire viewers to re-examine their way of life.

Aniara (2018), their first joint feature film (which went on to win four Swedish Oscars including best director), put forward a question, “What if the navigation system of a spaceship malfunctioned, leaving you aimlessly in space with dwindling food supply. How would you react?” The directorial duo’s second collaboration presents another alternate reality.

Inspired by the novel of the same name Die Gelehrtenrepublik, written

by Arno Schimidt in 1957, Egghead Republic also deals with human behaviour in extreme or absurd circumstances.

Kågerman’s art background comes from documentary filmmaking, while storyteller Lilja is a passionate roleplaying gamer. Together, they are able to create “relatable fantasies”. This time, the scenario is a post-cold war wasteland. An atomic bomb exploding over Soviet Kazakhstan has created a vast, uninhabitable, radioactive area, reminiscent of Chernobyl. A fearless resident, who is a reclusive artist with sound knowledge of science, chooses to reside here to pursue his arts. Rumour has it that mutation has changed the ecology of the area entirely and there are even sightings of Centaur. Our protagonist Sonja, played by Ella Rae Rappaport, is a 22-year-old curious intern of a gonzo magazine. Without a record of accomplishment, she is mysteriously picked by the artist to visit the

compound together with the publication’s larger than life front man, played

by Tyler Labine.

Full of enthusiasm, Sonja takes on the assignment hoping her report of the experience will become her golden ticket into the journalistic world.

Her journey is off to a fairy tale beginning, but scepticism soon creeps in as she notices one deception after another. Is the mythic creature she meets real or is it only an illusion?

Danger lurks both in the shape of environmental poisoning and questionable medical treatments.

Hugo Lilja and Pella Kågerman. Photo: Courtesy of TIFF. Progressively, her viewers. Humour and absurdity come experience turns into a nightmare. together not only to uncover a shadowy Canadian actor Tyler Labine’s agenda, but also to raise questions brilliant portrayal of the media mogul about reality and the perception of reminds us of the infamous VICE media, when they would stop at nothing to truth. In this world of fake news and feed their readers outrageous contents. polarized Key Opinion Leaders, who manipulate words in support of their He is ready to achieve his ambition by own version of reality, can journalism hook or by crook, but unbeknownst still function as a gatekeeper to report to him, this paves the way to his own the “truth”? downfall.

The directors state, “Sonja’s jourKågerman actually worked for Vice ney circles a question that has followed in the early 2000s, and experienced us our entire careers: What does it these practices first-hand. She skilfully mean to speak the truth in a time when integrated her own journey to embelno one trusts reality? In this post-truth lish the original Egghead Republic era, where everything is up for grabs, story from 1957.

This dark satire blends sci-fi, greed, does truth even exist? Truth can be more poisonous than lies, and identity egotism and coming-of-age into a is just another role to play.” hilarious surreal experience for the Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 25

Holiday graphic Eva Melhuish

Tomte Tales: Legends of Winter The Tomte (also called nisse in Norway and Denmark) is one of Scandinavia’s most enduring folkloric figures. At first, however, he was far removed from the jolly red-suited Santa Claus we recognize today.

By Darby Johnson

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ooted in pre-Christian belief, the Tomte was thought to be a small, bearded household spirit who guarded the farmstead and its people. He was both a protector and disciplinarian: helpful to hard-working families but quick to punish laziness or disrespect.

In the centuries before Christianity reached Scandinavia, household spirits like the Tomte embodied the connection between humans and the land.

With the spread of Christianity, these spirits were never fully abandoned but rather blended into seasonal customs surrounding Christmas. The Tomte became tied to Yuletide traditions, his stern watchfulness softening into Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 26

benevolence.

At the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, recent holiday exhibitions have explored the fascinating evolution of the Tomte through history, revealing how religious traditions, folklore, and various cultural influences have shaped this enduring figure.

Although this cultural icon has become an essential fixture of holiday celebrations, there is often little awareness of his multicultural roots.

Originally developed and presented last year as Tomteparaden — the Tomte Through the Ages at SvenHarrys Konstmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden, ASI collaborated with SvenHarrys team and curator Dr. Tommy Kuusela, PhD in History of Religions,

and a renowned folklorist specializing in Old Norse religion and Scandinavian folklore, to bring much of the original exhibition to Minnesota.

“When you think of the winter holidays in Sweden, it is hard not to think about tomte. The many Scandinavians who emigrated to Minnesota — including members of my own family — contributed to both preserving older holiday traditions while also transforming them into something that is both American and SwedishAmerican. One such important person is of course Haddon Sundblom, the creator of the iconic Santa Claus for Coca-Cola, whose parents came from Sweden and Åland,” says Dr. Kuusela.

The Tomteparaden exhibition

[Culture] addressed some tomte-related queries such as:

goats remain a cherished decoration, especially in Sweden.

Why do we leave porridge out for Tomte?

In Sweden, one of the oldest and most beloved traditions is leaving out a bowl of julgröt (Christmas porridge) for the Tomte on Christmas Eve. This gesture acknowledged his protection of the household throughout the year.

To forget the porridge was dangerous; folklore tells of tomtar turning spiteful, knotting horses’ manes or ruining harvests if they felt slighted.

How did Santa get his reindeer?

The image of Santa with reindeer was popularized in 19th-century America, most famously in the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (“’Twas the Night Before Christmas”). Yet the idea draws on Arctic and Nordic imagery.

Reindeer were central to Sámi culture in northern Scandinavia, and they offered a natural winter counterpart to Santa’s sleigh. Over time, this northern symbolism blended seamlessly into the modern Christmas mythology.

Photos courtesy of American Swedish Institute.

What is the significance of straw goats?

Another ancient symbol tied to Nordic winter rituals is the julbock (straw goat). Its roots lie in pre-Christian fertility rites, where goats were associated with Thor, the Norse god who rode in a chariot drawn by two goats. Later, the julbock became a gift-bringer in its own right, sometimes even taking the Tomte’s role before Santa fully emerged in Scandinavia. Today, straw

Where does Santa live?

Traditionally, Scandinavian folklore placed the Tomte close to home — right in the barn or stable. But in the globalized version of Santa Claus, his home migrated northward. In Finland, he is said to live in Korvatunturi, in Finnish Lapland; in North America, the story shifted him to the North Pole. Both settings emphasize mystery, remoteness, and a connection to the frozen north.

The modern Santa Claus is thus a tapestry woven from many threads: the Scandinavian Tomte, the julbock, Christian St. Nicholas traditions, and the imagery of reindeer and snow from the far north. While in the United States he became a symbol of cheer and consumer culture, in Scandinavia he still retains some of his older layers of folklore — receiving porridge on Christmas Eve, sharing space with straw goats, and embodying the household protector’s watchful eye.

The Tomte reminds us that behind today’s global Santa Claus lies a long history of myth, religion, and culture — proof of how traditions evolve while still preserving echoes of their ancient

past.

Readers interested in learning more about Tomte’s life from his perspective can visit ASI’s Turnblad Mansion this winter to see the second tomte exhibition Tomte Tales: Legends of Winter (on November 8 through January 25).

This year, the adventure begins with Tomte’s origins, from his love of porridge to the many ways he has appeared in Scandinavian stories and legends. Visitors also learn how he traveled across the ocean with immigrants who carried traditions to America.

Scenes unfold with Tomte preparing for a woodland celebration, finding light in the dark winter with Lucia, and even navigating a blizzard alongside Krampus and Julbock before reaching the North Pole. Interactive elements invite visitors to join in — crafting headpieces, playing with woodland animals, or writing a letter to Tomte himself — making the story both cultural and hands-on.

Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 27

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A guide to fun and interesting Swedish events outside Sweden

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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 Sign up for the events on website.

See the website for our Swedish Language classes. Free Tuesday: Nov 11, Dec 9 Ongoing through Nov 30 – Exhibition: Home + Away – Photographs by Allen Wheatcroft Dec 12-Jan 11, 2026 – Exhibition: Bonader Nov 1 – Sat 6pm: Aspire! Gala Nov 16 – Sun 1pm: Scandinavian Jam Nov 17 – Mon 6pm: Holiday Craft & Candle Making Nov 21 – Fri 7pm: Got Glögg?

Dec 5-7 – Julmarknad – Fri 4-7pm: Preview Sale; Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 11am-4pm Dec 13 – Sat: Lucia DETROIT Swedish Club of Southeast Michigan 22398 Ruth St, Farmington Hills, MI 48336 Tel: 248-478-2563 | www.swedishclub.net We have monthly meetings and meals at 1pm on Sundays. For those of you who are interested in "brushing-up" on your Swedish language skills, language classes are provided at the Club.

MINNEAPOLIS American Swedish Institute 2600 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407 Tel: 612-871 4907 | www.asimn.org Nov 8-Jan 26, 2026 – Exhibition: Tomte Tales: Legends of winter Nov 1 – Sat 6-8pm: Chef´s Dinner Nov 6, Dec 4 – Thu 6-8pm: ASI Open Nordic Jam Nov 29 – Sat 11am-12pm: Julglädje: Family Holiday Concert Dec 5-7 – Fri-Sun: Julmarknad: Tickets on Sale now PHILADELPHIA American Swedish Historical Museum 1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145 | Tel: 215-389 1776 | info@americanswedish.org | www.americanswedish.org Ongoing through Jan 4, 2026 – Exhibition: And Let Victory Tell the Rest: 250 Years of Shipbuilding in Greater 8

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Philadelphia Dec 5 – Fri 6pm: Julbord Dec 6 & 7 – Sat & Sun 10am-4pm: Lucia & Christmas Market PORTLAND Nordic Northwest Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Rd., Portland, OR 97223 | Tel: 503-977 0275 www.nordicnorthwest.org All events please register on website.

Nov 7 & 8 – Fri 4-8pm & Sat 9am-2pm: Nordic Vintage & Treasure Sale Dec 13 & 14 – Sat 10am-5pm & Sun 10am-4pm: ScanFair SEATTLE Swedish Cultural Center 1920 Dexter Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 Tel: 206-283 1090 | www.swedishclubnw.org info@swedishculturalcenter.org Thursdays – 5-10pm: The Bar is Open 1st Friday – of the month, 10am-12pm: Maker's Morning Fridays at the Club – 5pm: Happy Hour/6:30pm: Dinner in the dining room Nov 1 & 2 – Sat 10am-5pm & Sun 8am-2pm: Tomte Holiday Market Dec 14 – Sun 2:30-6pm: Lucia Celebration National Nordic Museum 2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107 Tel: 206-789 5707 | nordic@nordicmuseum.org www.nordicmuseum.org.

Various events – in-person or online.

Please visit our website for updates.

Nov 15-Mar 8, 2026 – Exhibition: New Nordic: Cuisine, Aesthetics and Place Nov 21-23 – Fri-Sun: Julfest: A Nordic Holiday Celebration WASHINGTON, DC Embassy of Sweden 2900 K Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20007 Tel: 202-467 2600 | www.swedenabroad.se ambassaden.washington@gov.se Visiting and telephone hours: Mon-Fri 9am4pm (closed for lunch 12-1pm)

General inquiries: ambassaden.ottawa@gov.se Work and Residence Permit Inquiries: sweden.ottawa.permits@gov.se Visiting hours: Mon-Fri 9am-12 noon.

Phone hours are: Mon-Fri 10am-12 noon TORONTO Swedish Lutheran Church 1847 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON, M4G 3E4 toronto@svenskakyrkan.se Tel: 416 486-0466 Please visit www.svenskakyrkan.se/toronto Mobil präst i Nordamerika: Maria Scharffenberg; e-mail: maria.scharffenberg@svenskakyrkan.se

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VANCOUVER Scandinavian Community Centre 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 Tel: 604-294 2777 | info@scancentre.org www.scancentre.org Please visit our website for more info and to see our events.

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Swedish Cultural Society Scandinavian Centre, 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 swedishculturalsociety.ca@gmail.com www.swedishculturalsociety.com WINNIPEG Swedish Cultural Assoc of Manitoba Scandinavian Cultural Centre 764 Erin St, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 2W4 Tel: 204-774 8047 www.scandinaviancentre.ca Event registration and RSVP by email at: svenskclub17@gmail.com Swedish language classes, movie nights, and book club, all ongoing on ZOOM. Nov 7 – Fri: Swedish Lunch Nov 23 – Sun: Christmas Market & Café Nov 30 – Sun 10:30am-1pm: Swedish Brunch Dec 5 – Fri: Swedish Lunch Dec 14 – Sun 1pm: Lucia

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[Ads] and Info Swedish Press Classified BC Organizations Scandinavian Business Club Monthly meetings feature business speakers. Guests and new members welcome. Call SBC: 604-484-8238.

Visit us at www.sbcbc.ca Scandinavian Community Centre Scandinavian Community Centre Beautiful setting for weddings, parties, birthdays, meetings and seminars. 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC info@scancentre.org Tel: 604-294-2777 www.scancentre.org Svenska Kulturföreningen Ordförande Monica Olofsson 604-828-5665. Kassör är Kristin Josefsson, 604-537-0557 www.swedishculturalsociety.com.

Email: swedishculturalsociety.ca @gmail.com Swedish Canadian Village Beautiful Assisted Living Residence & Senior Subsidized Apartment Buildings Located in Burnaby, BC. Tel: 604-420 1124; www.swedishcanadian.ca.

Email: info@swedishcanadian.ca

Swedish Heritage in BC 1812 Duthie Ave. Burnaby BC. Laila Axén Tel: 604-526 7464.

Visit us at www.swedishheritageinbc.org.

E-mail: swedishheritagebc@gmail.com Washington Organizations Nordic Museum has moved to a beautiful, brand-new building!

In Seattle, 2655 N.W. Market St., Ballard; 206-789 5707.

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Free Swedish Books Treasure trove of books in Swedish! Yours for shipping and handling, Contact Randy Nelson at katsynelson@gmail.com for list of available publications.

Swedish Press Classified Ad Rate is as low as 2 dollars per word (minimum $25/ad or $100 annually). Send your ad to: info@swedishpress.com

Swedish Club 1920 Dexter Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109; Tel: 206-283 1090. Open Wednesday evenings for supper and games, Friday for lunch and dinner. Pancake breakfasts on first Sundays of the month. Rental venue for meeting, parties, etc. www.swedishclubnw.org

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Pastorn har ordet

Ett Skepp Kommer Lastat Kyrkan som ett skepp

Av Maria Scharffenberg, mobilpräst i Nordamerika

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bland säger vi lite skämtsamt att Svenska kyrkan är ett skepp som flyter på ett hav av kaffe då mängden kaffe som dricks på våra samlingar är imponerande. Svenskar är trots allt ett av de mest kaffedrickande folken i världen.

Men varifrån kommer liknelsen av kyrkan som ett skepp? Det är en bild som vi möter redan i urkyrkan, både som en räddning, till exempel Noaks ark, eller som en plats för samling och undervisning, till exempel när Jesus sitter i båten och undervisar för att det är så många som samlats och han måste stiga i en båt för att synas och höras (Matt. 13) Bilden av kyrkan som ett skepp genomsyrar såväl arkitektur som språk. En klassisk kyrka består till sin konstruktion av en stor lång byggnad, med dörren i ena kortändan och altaret i den andra. Mittenkonstruktionen av detta kallas på latin för ”Nav”, vilket betyder ”Skepp”. På svenska benämner man det också ofta för ”Mittskepp” och sidorna, som kan avdelas med hjälp av pelare eller kolonner, kallas följaktligen för ”Sidoskepp”. Ibland kan man se kyrkor som uppifrån sett är korsformade. Den delen kallas då för ”Tvärskepp”. Kyrkobyggnaden i sig blir där en bild av säkerhet – ett ställe dit man vänder sig när livet stormar och som ger trygghet och vägledning på såväl livets som på den andliga resan. Men det är också en bild av gemenskap, att vi tillsammans måste hjälpas åt för att få allt att flyta.

Svenska kyrkan i utlandet började också sin resa på haven. Vi har alltid följt svenskarna ut i världen och det började redan på 1600-talet med Swedish Press | Nov 2025-Jan 2026 | 30

Fresk som visar den gamla Peterskyrkan i Rom med dess fem skepp. Foto: Public Domain.

Fartygspräster. Sedan fortsatte det när Sverige fick ambassader och sändebud på olika håll, främst i Europa. Det bildades församlingar och präster skickades ut för att leda församlingarna, i till exempel Berlin, Paris, Oslo, Köpenhamn och London.

Under de år då svensk sjöfart blomstrade, följdes sjömännen av hemförsamlingarnas böner och omtanke.

Syföreningar bildades för att förse sjömännen med kläder, julklappar och annat viktigt. Kyrkor eller sjömanshem som båtarnas besättningar kunde besöka när båtarna låg i hamn inrättades. Det var som att komma hem, fastän man var långt borta från Sverige.

Präster och personal fanns som stöd och hjälp och många är de båtar som fått besök med hälsningar från hemma och möjligheter till samtal.

När tiderna förändrades och sjöfarten minskade flyttade Sjömanskyrkan i land och bytte namn till

Svenska kyrkan i Utlandet. Syftet är fortfarande detsamma, att vara en trygg hamn, en plats som är hemma, även fast vi är långt borta. Men nu är det inte sjömännen som står i fokus, utan utlandssvenskar som kanske levt största delen av sitt liv i ett annat land men fortfarande känner sig som svenskar. Det är au pairerna och studenterna som prövar sina vingar.

Turisterna som kan behöva stöd och hjälp. Det är barn och barnbarn till dem som en gång flyttade ut men som vill behålla kontakten.

Oavsett vem eller vilka som söker upp oss, var vi än är, förblir kyrkan ett tryggt skepp och en säker hamn.

Självklart med en nybryggd kopp kaffe nära till hands. S

Summary in English: Maria Scharffenberg is pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Toronto and mobile pastor for North America. Here she elaborates on the ship as a symbol for the church – one of the oldest and richest metaphors in Christianity.

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