{"id":8462,"date":"2020-01-28T22:23:36","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T22:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=8462"},"modified":"2020-02-03T23:44:04","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T23:44:04","slug":"jokkmokks-winter-market-in-its-415th-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/jokkmokks-winter-market-in-its-415th-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Jokkmokk\u2019s Winter Market in its 415th Year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ski trails above Jokkmokk. Photo: C. Bowen<\/p><\/div>\n

Sitting just above the arctic circle in Northern Sweden, Jokkmokk is much more than just a quaint little town. It has a huge significance for the living history of the S\u00e1mi people, and each year, hosts a Winter Market that draws around 40,000 people. In this blog post, we’ll learn a bit about the history of the market and I’ll share my tips for a successful market visit!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, the S\u00e1mi are the indigenous people of Northern Scandinavia. The geographic area where most S\u00e1mi folks live is called S\u00e1pmi, and spans from northern Norway across Sweden, Finland, and into the Kola Peninsula of Russia. S\u00e1mi people are historically a nomadic culture, often associated with reindeer herding, and fishing communities on the coasts.\u00a0 For a more robust introduction of the S\u00e1mi, see <\/span>samer.se<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before modern times, people traveled from all over S\u00e1pmi to Jokkmokk for trade and companionship during dark winter months. This market is also linked to the Swedish states’s colonizing of the north in the 1600’s, when the government saw the gathering as a convenient place to begin taxing and imposing Christianity on the S\u00e1mi.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I mentioned in the intro, <\/span>J\u00e5hk\u00e5m\u00e5hke m\u00e1ran\u00e1na<\/span><\/i> \/ <\/span>Jokkmokks marknad <\/span><\/i>\/ Jokkmokk\u2019s Market is in its 415th year, and this year\u2019s theme is Arctic Design. The official market dates are Feb. 5-7 but events happen in the days leading up to the opening ceremony, held on Wednesday evening each year. The market itself hosts hundreds of vendors selling traditionally-traded items like reindeer skins, preserved foods, textiles, and handcrafts, but also more modern \u201cmust-have\u201d festival goods like candy, t-shirts with funny sayings, and \u201cas-seen-on-tv\u201d vendors. Venues host free and ticketed film screenings, concerts, theater performances, artists exhibitions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From <\/span>Jokkmokk Market\u2019s website<\/span><\/a>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVi ser fram emot tre intensiva dagar med ett stort utbud av b\u00e5de varor och evenemang. P\u00e5 marknaden finns det, precis som alltid, n\u00e5gonting f\u00f6r alla. M\u00e4nniskor och m\u00f6ten som ger dig minnen f\u00f6r livet.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We look forward to 3 intense days with a wide selection of both goods and events. In the market, as always, there is something for everyone. People and meetings that give you memories for life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I have been lucky enough to experience life in Jokkmokk, over a period of 5 weeks, once in 2009, and once in 2013 staying at <\/span>Samernas Utbildningcetrum,<\/span><\/i><\/a> the Center for S\u00e1mi Education. This is a fantastic place where young S\u00e1mi adults live on campus and take courses in reindeer husbandry, handcraft, cooking, language, history, among other subjects.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t