Archive for 'Culture'
Flooring in Sweden Posted by Katja on Jun 20, 2012
Have you seen one of these around and wondered what are these things? Well in Swedish they are refererd to as en mattställning. You hang your rugs on them and hit them with en mattpiska, literally translated as a rug whip. Now you might wonder why there is such a need for these mattställningar…
Eye Contact and Shoeless Feet in Sweden Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jun 19, 2012
Learning Swedish, or any language really, also means learning a bit about the culture. Whether it is finding out more about the politics of a country or understanding the dinner habits, as you grow more comfortable with a language, it becomes more important to also grow comfortable with the culture. Or at least understand that…
Uppcon – Scandinavia’s largest anime and cosplay convention Posted by Stephen Maconi on Jun 15, 2012
Since 2002, fans of anime and cosplaying and other Japan-related topics have flocked to Uppsala, Sweden every year for Scandinavia’s largest Asia-related convention: Uppcon! It started off as a simple film screening at Slottsbiografen, a cinema located inside the Castle of Uppsala, where about 50 people attended the first year. Just three years later, the…
The tale of Rosenbom Posted by Katja on Jun 13, 2012
There is a local custom in Karlskrona of putting a five crown coin from the year of your birth on it into the hat of a statue called “Rosenbom” just before you graduate for future good luck. Rosenbom was a man who lived during the 1700 hundreds, he worked at the shipbuilding yard in Karlskrona…
Du gamla du fria – Sweden’s national anthem Posted by jennie on Jun 5, 2012
So – are you all geared up for a big Swedish celebration tomorrow? Sweden is preparing for the national day (Marcus gave us all the details here!) and apart from a day off work for everyone, there will be celebrations held all over the county – and outside! Flags will be waved, speeches will be…
Sveriges nationaldag – National Day of Sweden Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jun 4, 2012
On June 6th, Sweden will celebrate their national day. For many years, the day was celebrated as the Swedish Flag Day, but in 1983, the government decreed that it would be celebrated as Sveriges nationaldag. Since 2005, the holiday has been designated a public holiday and shows up as a red day on the calendar…
Loreen goes to the Eurovision Grand Final! Posted by Stephen Maconi on May 25, 2012
All of us in 30-degree (86 Fahrenheit) Sweden are very proud of our winner of Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s contest to choose its entry in the Europe-wide Eurovision Song Contest, and her continuous success with her song “Euphoria“. Last night, Loreen was voted by 50% jury and 50% televoting to go to the Grand Final, scheduled for…