Straight-up Scandinavia: The quick guide to Swedish midsummer

by Anna Brones on

In a country where it’s dark for about nine months out of twelve, can you really blame the Swedes for making summer solstice one of the most important party days of the year? Midsummer marks the longest day of the year; in many places in Sweden, particularly the north, the sun doesn’t even seem to set. This makes for an ideal party scene, but enjoying it can take some learning. Here is your quick guide to understanding Swedish midsummer and how best to enjoy it.

What it is:
Midsummer festivities are held on the Friday between June 19th and 25th. Basically you are giving a Swedish skål (cheers) to the sun which on official summer solstice makes its longest appearance of the year.

What people do:
For the Swedes, Midsummer is one of the year’s most important celebrations, comparable to New Years and Christmas. Communities will hold traditional Midsummer events which include dancing around a maypole and singing Swedish songs, one of which is called Små Grodorna (Little Frogs) and entails everyone to dance around like a frog while singing the following loosely translated lyrics: “Little frogs are funny to look at/ They don’t have ears or tails.” Who ever said the Swedes didn’t have a sense of humor? Because you’re celebrating the sun, the Swedish countryside is the place to enjoy Midsummer. Most Swedes will choose a country-side location and join their friends in a long night of eating, drinking and merriment.

So about that eating… typical food:
The standard Midsummer dinner table takes the form of a smorgasbord and includes boiled potatoes, all kinds of sill (pickled herring), crispbread, cheeses and usually some other form of fish like salmon. This is all accompanied by a lot of schnapps or brännvin, traditional distilled liquors. If you didn’t like dancing and singing around the maypole, then get ready for the dinner table because each shot of brännvin usually comes with an accompanying chant or rhyme. For dessert you can plan on a lot of fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

What the wear:
For some larger community celebrations, people dress up in traditional Swedish costume. This can be seen in full effect at Stockholm’s open air museum, Skansen. Regular party-goers take the time to make flower garlands to wear in their hair, usually made from daisies and clover.

Most importantly…
If celebrating Swedish midsummer, be prepared to not go to bed. When the sun doesn’t go down, neither do you!

Glad Midsommar!

Buying a Swedish island… or just spending time on one

by Anna Brones on

Whenever I hear about rich individuals owning whole islands, I always wonder how one actually goes about buying such a piece of property. Do you just walk into your real estate agent and say, “you know, I’m really in the mood for an island, do you have any available?” Seems like an odd question.

If you are in the market for your very own island — and who wouldn’t want one? — the island of Hanö, off the Blekinge coast in the southeast of Sweden, is currently for sale. The idyllic island includes 6 kilometers of beach front and even a 19th century lighthouse. Although Hanö is protected under Natura 2000, an EU ecological network which protects the island and limits planning to the fishing village, whoever ends up buying the island will still obtain hunting rights to the many deer that wander it.

The island is being sold by the Swedish real estate firm Svensk Fastighetsförmedlingen, who is going so far as putting an ad for the island on national television station TV4. So how much does the island of Hanö actually cost? The real estate agency has not made a comment on the asking price, instead it will all depend on incoming bids, which need to be made by June 20th.

Even if you’re not in the market for an island, Blekinge is still a beautiful part of southern Sweden that definitely merits a visit. Last summer I spent some time island hopping in the region that has a similar, but much more rural and laid-back, feel as Stockholm’s archipelago. If your summer plans include a visit to Sweden, consider heading south for some traditional Swedish relaxing.

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Controversy over Scandinavian ban on sexist advertising

by Anna Brones on

Scandinavia is known for being liberal; universal health care, government funded secondary education and open immigration policies are the first things that come to mind when thinking about Denmark, Norway and Sweden. But when it comes to advertising, the Scandinavian countries are a little more at odds.

Sweden recently decided not to put a ban on sexist advertising, something that is strictly regulated in Denmark and Norway. Sexist content used to sell a product has been banned in Norway since 2003. “Naked people are wonderful, of course, but they have to be relevant to the product. You could have a naked person advertising shower gel or a cream, but not a woman in a bikini draped across a car,” said Sol Olving head of Norway’s Kreativt Forum.

In Sweden however, the government cited concerns that such a ban would conflict with freedom of speech and freedom of the press. “I don’t want to infringe on fundamental human freedoms and rights for a legislation the efficacy of which I question. This is not the way to win the fight for gender equity,” said Gender Equity Minister Nyamko Sabuni.

Basically if you want half-naked photos of Scandinavian hotties, better make your way to Stockholm and not Oslo.

Absolut Vodka causes a stir with Mexico ad

by Anna Brones on

Absolut Vodka is known round the world for its creative ad campaigns. With the most recent campaign however, the Swedish company managed to cause an uproar from U.S. consumers who threatened to boycott the vodka after seeing the “In An Absolut World” ad which depicted the Southwestern U.S. as a part of Mexico.

The ad only ran in Mexico, but when it was posted to a conservative blog, it began to spark a heated debate, feeding on the controversial issues of illegal immigration from Mexico to the U.S.

In response, Absolut pointed out that the ad was designed for a Mexican audience and intended to recall “a time which the population of Mexico might feel was more ideal.”

Swedes like to stick to their neutral roots, and Absolut ended up releasing an apology. “We are sorry if we offended anyone. . . As a global company, we recognize that people in different parts of the world may lend different perspectives or interpret our ads in a different way than was intended in that market. Obviously, this ad was run in Mexico, and not the US — that ad might have been very different,” stated Paula Eriksson, Vice President of Vin & Sprit. Can’t wait to see what the American version of the ad campaign might be.

Rat causes a 3-hour power outage in Stockholm

by Iva Skoch on

The year of the Rat has been going well so far. Rats have been getting more attention than ever. At least on Gadling. At least by me.

It warmed my heart to see that yet another rat got into the spotlight lately. On Saturday morning, a giant rat had apparently sneaked into a signal box in the Sheraton Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden and caused it to short-circuit. The rat was electrocuted and Stockholm’s central train station, as well as nearby hotels and shops, lost power for three hours.

I am sure Sheraton is thrilled about the rat publicity.

Photo: limonada, Flickr