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National Day June 8, 2003 This week sees the official start of summer in Sweden and the weather has been truly summery so far. We’ve had temperatures up around the mid to high twenties in some parts of the country and it’s very easy to forget those long, dark, cold, winter days when we thought that summer would never arrive. Of course, the grass is growing at a rate that would astound even Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk fame. Our two dogs, Sam and Wally, are in danger of getting lost in the jungle of our backyard, if I don’t fire up the trusty ride- on lawn mower and make some attempt to keep the growth under control at least once each week. The sixth of June is Sweden’s national day, and in a curious contrast to the displays of nationalism associated with the Swedish tennis supporters, national day is a somewhat lower key celebration than in many other countries. National Day is a normal working day, although most towns have parades, speeches and music, and in some cities a special welcome is extended to those people who have managed to become Swedish citizens during the past year. It is strange for me, after experiencing the massive celebrations in Australia on Australia Day, to see how casually the Swedes treat their National Day. Maybe the reason for this apparent lack of interest is that the highlight of the summer, Midsummer’s Day is just around the corner towards the end of June, and that has a very special significance in the Swedish psyche. In a country, which for half the year is subject to extremes of cold, it is no surprise that Midsummer is celebrated as a major holiday with more gusto than the National Day. National Day is also a Flag Day, when Swedish flags are supposed to be flown on public buildings, on buses and on private houses. There are strict rules governing the flying of flags in Sweden. For example, flags are only to be flown during the hours of daylight, which means that some zealous officials must be up until midnight to lower the flag as darkness falls during summer, and of course up at around 4:30am to raise the flags. Flag days also include New Year’s Day, the King’s birthday (on 30 April) and on Queen Silvia’s name day. However, many private houses will fly a flag on someone’s birthday and, as with many countries, flags are flown at half-mast when someone dies. Unlike some countries, the Swedish royal family is regarded kindly by most of the country, probably as they have no real political power but a good sense of humour. Although lacking in power, they do however have a symbolic and historical significance as they are from the house of Bernadotte, which has held the Swedish crown since the nineteenth century. King Carl XVI Gustaf and his Queen Silvia have three children, Victoria, Carl Philip and Madeleine, with Victoria standing next in line for the throne after the present King. Mention of Victoria reminds me of an example of the Swedish royal sense of humour. A party was held last year to celebrate Crown Princess Victoria’s birthday. It was an all-star celebration, with various Swedish artists performing in an outdoor concert in the presence of the royal family. One of the artists appearing was the magician, Joe Labero, a very popular performer in Sweden. Joe managed to persuade Victoria to come up on stage to “assist” him with some of his magic. At one point in the proceedings, Joe began to do some card tricks and, with Victoria seated on a chair on stage, started dealing out cards to Victoria. As the cards began to fall into her hand, Victoria suddenly looked at a picture card. “Oh look”, she said, “here’s a picture of Pappa!” And as the next card came down, “And here’s Mamma, too!” Hälsningar till nästa vecka, ------------ About the author: Robin Alan Bell is an Englishman by birth, but migrated to Australia back in '72. Married and divorced there. Spent the last 3 years living by myself on a remote farm in rural New South Wales with no mains electricity, water etc. All power, heating was from natural resources (solar, wind, wood). "Met" a Swedish girl on the internet, came to Sweden for a holiday, loved the place (and the girl), moved to Sweden permanently Christmas 2001 and married the girl in Easter 2002. Living happily ever after... Email Robin Alan Bell: sosoft@ozemail.com.au Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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