Hello there residents of the USA, I hope you’re having a terrific day!
My name is Alexander Olofsson, I am fifteen years old and I live in a little town called Onsala, Sweden. In my spare time I love to listen to music, draw and be with my friends.
Well now that you know some of the facts about me it’s time for me to introduce my subject for this project; A list of the most stereotypical Swedish things, I will choose 10 stereotypical Swedish things and write small facts about everything on the list.
Enjoy!
Swedish meatballs
It’s the national dish in Sweden and personally it’s one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. The meatball have been around for ages, but the traditional Swedish meatball was created when the Swedish king Karl XII came home from his journey in the west, this all happened in the early 1700.
The traditional way of eating the Swedish meatball; with gravy, lingonberry-jam, mashed potatoes and sliced gherkins.
IKEA
IKEA is one of the most famous Swedish trademarks and since its creation in 1943 over 300 IKEAs has been build all over the world. IKEA is named after its creator Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd, who is currently the 11th most richest man alive! IKEA is well known for it simple but effective designs of furniture. IKEA buildings are usually shaped like an ordinary box; the box is blue and the letters IKEA yellow, which symbolize the colors of the Swedish flag.
Dala horse/Dalecarlian horse
A dala horse is a wooden horse that was first made over 400years ago. It was originally made as a toy for children, but has since become a symbol of Dalarna, Sweden. As almost everyone was a farmer those days, It was only natural that many of these toys were horses, because the horse was invaluable in those days—a trusty friend and worker who could pull great loads of timber from the forests during the winter months, and in the summer could be of just as much use on the farm. The traditional dala horse is painted in red, with details and harness in blue, green, yellow and white.
Polkagris (Candy canes)
The Polkagris is a traditional Swedish candy that was invented in 1859 in Gränna, Sweden. It’s traditionally red and white with a flavor of peppermint. The Polkagris was created by Amalia Eriksson, a widow of only 25 years old. Amalia tried her best to support and help her family, but it was hard to be a widow at this day and age. But Amaila succeeded, thanks to the new, popular type of candy cane that she had invented. Amaila kept the recipe to herself, the ingredients wasn’t revealed until the day that she passed away. Nowadays the Polkagris is a symbol of both Gränna and Sweden, and it have become one of the most loved and cherished candy in all of Sweden.
Midsummer (Holiday)
Midsummer is probably one of the most unique holidays we have in Sweden. The celebration takes place on the Friday between the dates 19 to 26 of June. Midsummer is celebrated by dancing Around a huge maypole, listening and singing traditional music, eating and drinking. The maypole is covered in greens and flowers, and people dance around it while they sing traditional Swedish songs. A lot of people also make crowns of wild springs and wildflowers.
Midsummer has a large number of traditional Swedish foods on its menu, but the drinking is what really comes to mind when you think of midsummer. It’s normal to sing “drinking songs” and finish them by taking a shot of snaps. (Snaps is a shot of a strong alcoholic beverage).
Midsummer is also said to be a night of magic, therefore many young people gather a bouquet of nine different flowers and lay it under their pillows, in hope of dreaming of their future life (I know it sounds ridiculous, and believe me, it is).
Here’s a link to a video that shows an (very) extreme version of how we celebrate midsummer:
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren was a Swedish author who is probably most famous for writing the books about Pippi long-stocking, Karlson-on-the-roof, and the Six Bullerby children. Astrid is a very famous writer; in fact she’s the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide. She has won many awards, she has theme park named after here and there is even a minor planet named after her.
Astrid, with the actress Inger nilsson that played Pippi long-stockings in the popular tv-show.
Jante lagen (The Jante law)
The Jante law is a bunch of rules that all sum up how Scandinavians attitude to success is. Sadly, most of us swedes also share this negative attitude against the fortunate and successful. The thing is that most of us think that you shouldn’t stand out to much, and also this attitude comes from the envy of someone doing a better job than yourself. The main message is: Don't think you're anyone special or that you're better than us.
Personally I think that this attitude is very typical in Sweden, many youngsters think this way; which makes me a bit embarrassed of being a swede.
Crayfish party
Crayfish partying is a well-known traditional eating and drinking celebration in Sweden. Crayfish parties are not held on a specific date, but it’s often celebrated in august due to the laws of fishing crayfish. Dining is traditionally outdoors and common party accessories are party hats, paper tablecloths and paper lanterns. Due to the eating of crayfish and the high amount of alcohol, the atmosphere is often very noisy at these parties.
It is culturally correct to suck the juice out of the crayfish before shelling it.
The word “Lagom”
Lagom is a Swedish word that stands out in one way, it has no direct English equivalent. It is often translated to these English words; enough, sufficient, adequate, just right, in moderation, in balance, optimal, suitable and average, although none of these are completely correct. The word is said to come from the Vikings, they used the word when they passed around a horn filled with mead, the word specified how much one should’ve drink so that everyone could have a fair share.
Snus
Snus or Swedish snuff is a moist powder of tobacco that is a variant of the dry snuff. The drug was created in Sweden in the 19th century and it’s consumed by placing it under the upper lip. Snus is a form of snuff that is used in a manner similar to American dipping tobacco, but typically does not result in the need for spitting. The sales of snus have been illegalized in the European Union, but due to some exceptions, it is still manufactured and consumed in both Norway and Sweden. In Sweden, snus is often used to get rid of the addiction to smoking. In fact it has helped Sweden to have the lowest smoking rates by males in the European Union. Females however, who are less likely to use snus, have an average smoking rate. Although it is less harmful for the lungs, in comparison with cigarettes, it is still a drug and has a negative effect on your body.
