The Vasa Race
On the first Sunday of March the
longest and toughest of all the world’s skiing competitions - the
Vasa race - takes place in
the northern part of the province of
Dalarna.
The origin of the Vasa race is a
political event which took place in the l6th century. A chronicle
runs in short as follows:
Now it so happened that Sweden was at
war with Denmark. The Danish king, Christian the Tyrant, and his army
had invaded the south of Sweden. In particular among the peasant
farmers of cen- tral Sweden and Dalarna feelings ran high against the
Danish king. A young nobleman, Gus- tav Vasa, determined to do his
utmost to free Sweden from its foreign yoke. Gustav addressed the
peasant farmers at Mora in Dalarna but the men would not give him any
promise to take up arms. Despairing of the faint-hearted attitude of
these men of Dalarna, Gustav Vasa decided to flee to Norway. Wearing
snow-shoes or perhaps on a pair of short broad skis, Gustav Vasa made
his way through the deep forests towards the Norwegian border.
Meanwhile, fresh news of the Danish king’s cruelty reached the men
of Dalarna and they had a change of heart. Quickly, a group of skiers
were ordered to try to persuade Gustav Vasa to turn back. They caught
up with him near the border and he listened to their plea and agreed
to return with them to Mora. In the course
of time he was recognized as the
liberator of Sweden and was proclaimed king. Four hundred years later
(1922) the first Vasa race was run in memory of Gustav Vasa, the
Libera- tor. The skiers were 119 in number. Today about 12000 skiers
participate in the Vasa race and a further 8500 skiers participate in
the ’Open track’ which takes place the days before the real Vasa
race.
Easter Sprigs and Strove Tuesday Buns
Through the centuries, we have had our
special way of hastening springs’ advance. In the market-places the
housewife buys a bunch of birch twigs with fluffy and gaily-coloured
chicken feathers. Taking home her Easter birch twigs (påskris), she
puts them into a vase and very soon - forced by the spring sunshine
and the cental heating of the house - the sprigs burst into tender
green.
Few people nowadays recall the origin
of this custom - or that it is connected with Good Fri- day - which
in Sweden is called ”Long Friday”. It is said that the sprigs
symbolized the scourging of Christ. In times past, people used to get
up early on Good Friday and start whipping each other with birch
twigs. - Luckily, this rough custom has died out.
But the custom of eating
”fettisdags-bullar”, or Shrove Tuesday buns, has not. Tuesdays in
Lent, and Shrove Tuesday in particular, are the right days on which
to
eat them. Shrove Tuesday buns are
sliced and filled with almond paste and whipped cream and
sprinkled with powdered sugar. They are
preferably served in soup plates of hot milk.
Easter Witches
The genuine Easter Witch should have a
copper kettle, as well as a broomstick and a black cat. The throngs
of little witches who nowadays appear about the streets on the
Saturday before Easter usually content themselves with a copper
kettle, and, of course, mothers’ old summer skirt, reaching right
down to the ground, a shawl, and an apron. The Easter witches are a
survival of an old belief. For it was once thought that witches flew
off to Blaakulla in order to celebrate Easter there. - Nowadays, they
just return home to mot- her and preparations for the Easter meal.
Last Day of April
Who cares if a chilly wind is blowing,
or if the earth is still cold and covered with snow. The day is the
last of April, and by tradition
the break between the cold and dark winter and the warm and light
summer.
In the dark evening grown-ups and
children gather around the huge bonfires. Choirs welcome spring, and
inspired speakers talk about brotherhood and the future. The first
outdoor dancing of the season takes place. And the eve- ning
culminates in a firework display.
In former days this celebration was
also something more than a rousing welcome to spring. Winter had
finally fled, and it was time to start the outdoor work and turn the
cattle out to pasture. Before doing this, it was important to
eliminate all dangers lurking in nature. Therefore the huge bonfires
were preferably placed on hills to be seen from far away, and by
shooting, banging on drums and pot-lids, blowing in horns, etc., a
deafening noise was made - all this to frighten away wild animals and
perhaps also evil powers.
First of May
Flags and banners, solemn speakers,
brass bands and the International, the day is the first of May and a
public holiday. And the demonstration parade is marching on.
The first of May is also something else
than pa- rades. It is the first day of spring - the day when the
young girl by tradition puts on her new spring coat for a stroll in
the sunshine - her heavy winter clothes having been carefully put in
plastic wrapping and hung up for the next winter.
Fermented Herring
The day a ghastly smell almost knocks
you down, you’ll know that your neighbour is having a party. And
the reason for the party is the cause of the smell.
The cause is small enough, being no
more than a young Baltic herring which has been salted and then
fermented. Sometimes so fermented that the flat round tins in which
it is sold bulge out beyond all the known laws of the Food Act. And
be careful when opening the tin, or fermenting fish will explode all
over you!
Once the ”surströmming” was easy
to avoid if you just stayed clear of Northern Sweden. But the little
fermented herring has found its way southwards, and now makes its
smelly presence felt in many parts of the country.
Wherever it is served, it is taken with
raw onions, almond potatoes, and the special northern thin bread,
though the true gormandizer eats it directly from the tin.
Of course, people will assure you that
the smell of ”surstroemming” no longer bothers you once the party
is in full swing. However, notice how the devotee not unusually
braces himself with a good stiff drink of ”schnaps” before coming
to close quarters with the main dish. The most pain- less way is to
grasp the fish by its tail and gulp it down, immediately followed by
a large bite of bread. You only prolong the agony by dissecting it
into small mouthfuls. If you manage three or four, it is something to
feel proud of. What you won’t manage is to get rid of the smell,
for it will cling stubbornly to your clothes for days. As to the
taste, there are only two ways - to loathe it, or love it.
Cray Fish
All night before the starting day of
the crayfish season, there is not a stream in Sweden where someone is
not hopefully laying down traps for this Swedish delicacy. These
traps are cages, covered with fishnet, and constructed for one-way
traffic. It is easy for the freshwater shellfish to get in,
impossible for them to get out.
As the clear August night passes on and
early dawn brightens the sky, the silhouettes of the ardent fishers
become more distinct. A scrabbling sound from claws against the metal
of the bucket can be heard where there is a successful fisher, the
small grey lobster-like creatures flounder awkwardly, clambering
about on top of one an- other.
Crayfish time! A paper tablecloth is
spread out on the table. Above it there are colourful paper lanterns
hanging and in the centre of the lights the red crayfish are heaped
up on a big dish. Around them clings the smell of dill. The best way
of getting at the delicate meat is to suck it, after opening the
shells. Your mouth becomes full of cold water seasoned with salt and
dill and something else - the something else is the crayfish.
Lucia
Early in the dark morning of the l3th
of Decem- ber she comes. Already before she is visible, the Lucia
song is heard at a distance, coming closer, and then she appears in a
long white robe and with a crown of candles on her head. She is
escorted by girls also in long white robes and by ”star boys”
with tall hats, and she brings with her a tray with coffee, Lucia
bread (”Lussekatter”), and ginger cookies.
Originally, Lucia came to Sweden from
Syracuse, where she was a saint in the days of the Chris- tian
persecutions. She appeared for the first time in Västergötland at
the beginning of the l9th century. Nowadays, she appears in the whole
of Sweden; in the family circle, at the office, at school, in the
hospitals and in a public parade through the town.
The Lucia day is the l3th of December,
because in the old times this day was thought to be the midwinter
solstice. And probably the ceremony of Lucia is preceded by some
primitive rituals performed by our forefathers on the darkest and
shortest day of the year to entice the sun to re- turn once more to
the earth.
The Christmas Sheaf
A Christmas sheaf for the birds is one
of the small things deriving from the old peasant-culture, which
makes Christmas so rich in traditions. The sheaf was a manifestation
of mens’ generosity during the Christmas festivities reaching as
far as the small birds. Sometimes the last sheaf of the harvest was
saved for this purpose. Also good or bad omens could be interpreted
from the feeding of the birds. If the birds appeared at once to eat,
the next year was to be meager and hard, but if they took their time
before approaching the sheaf, a good year would follow.
The Swedish Tomte
It’s afternoon on Christmas Eve, and
there is tense expectation in every home where there are children. At
last, there he comes - Santa Claus - red-clad, white-bearded and with
a heavy sack over his shoulder. To his question, whether there are
any good children, they all shout ’yes in uni- son, and Santa Claus
opens his sack and takes up the Christmas presents one by one.
Everyone gets his presents, and at the end there is a pile of
presents on the floor for Daddy - who happens to be out.
In spite of his imposing beard Santa
Claus, or ”Jultomten”, is not an old phenomenon of the Swedish
Christmas. But he has got a predecessor. In the world of folk beliefs
there existed a ”tomte” since time immemorial. He was dressed in
grey and was 45 inches high. He had supernatural powers and his
working time was the night. If well treated, he made himself useful
around the house. But if he was neglected or maltreated, he went away
from the house, and things would start to go wrong. On Christmas, it
was particularly important to be on a friendly footing with him,
because magic powers were then prevailing. This idea goes as far back
in the past as to the celebrations at Midwinter during heat- hen
times. And the proper thing to do at Christ- mas was to put out a
bowl of porridge for ”tom- ten”
