| |
Back
SWEDEN
Peace, Ice and Reindeer Stories
By Jheri St. James
Mention of the Swedish people is first recorded by Roman
historian Tacitus in the 1st century A.D. In the 9th and
10th centuries A.D., Vikings from Sweden known as Varangians
pioneered trade routes through Russia as far as the Black
Sea. Throughout the Middle Ages, the history of the Swedes
was tied to that of Norway and Denmark. The Danes were driven
out of Sweden in 1523. In the 17th century, Gustavus II (Gustavus
Adolphus) made Sweden a leading European power, but the rise
of Russia in the 18th century checked Swedish ambitions.
In 1809, the monarchy became constitutional; a new constitution
took effect in 1975.
Sweden took no part in World War I or World War II. The Social
democrats have been the predominant political party through
much of Sweden’s 20th century history, architects of
the country’s social welfare system and its policy
of neutrality. Swedish domestic politics have been free of
violence, the sole exception being the assassination of Prime
Minister Olof Palme in 1986. (Ten years later, a leader of
a South African hit squad accused a former Rhodesian soldier
of Palme’s murder—Palme had been a tireless critic
of South Africa’s apartheid policies.)
Sweden is a kingdom in northern Europe occupying most of
the eastern and southern portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
Along with Norway, Sweden forms what looks like one parenthesis
around Finland and eastern Russia. It is bounded on the east
and south by the Baltic Sea; and on the southwest by the
Oresund, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, the narrows linking the
Baltic with the North Sea. At its northernmost, it lies within
the Arctic Circle and includes part of Lapland. The official
language is Swedish, and 87 percent of the population is
Lutheran. The capital city is Stockholm. Life expectancy
at birth in Sweden is 80 years, one of the highest in the
world.
The
CIA Factbook says, “Aided by peace and neutrality for
the whole 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard
of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and
extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution
system, excellent internal and external communications, and
a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower and iron ore constitute
the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign
trade. The government’s commitment to fiscal discipline
resulted in a substantial budgetary surplus in 2001, which
was cut by more than half in 2002, due to the global economic
slowdown, declining revenue, and increased spending. The
Swedish central bank (the Riksbank) focuses on price stability
with its inflation target of 2%. Growth remained sluggish
in 2003, but picked up in 2004. Presumably because of generous
sick time benefits, Swedish workers report in sick more often
than other Europeans. On 14 September 2003, Swedish voters
turned down entry into the euro monetary system, concerned
about the impact on its democracy and sovereignty.
It
would appear that Sweden’s commitment to internal stability
and peaceful living leaves time for fabulous architecture/art
projects. In addition to the snow sculptures shown above,
imagine a hotel built from scratch every year--a new design,
new suites, a brand new reception. The internationally famous
Ice Hotel, situated on the shores of the Torne River, in
the old village of Jukkasjärvi in Swedish Lapland is
just such a hotel. Ten thousand tons of crystal clear ice
from the ice manufacturing plant, the Torne River, and 30,000
tons of pure snow generously supplied by Mother Nature are
needed to build the Ice Hotel every year. Each winter, builders
chop blocks of ice needed for next year’s hotel and
keep them stored during the short summer months. Then when
the time is right, the hotel is constructed anew. At the
end of the season, the remains of the construction are taken
to the river Torne to become part of nature again. The hotel
sleeps over 100 guests, and every bedroom has its own unique
theme. Covering more than 30,000 square feet, the Ice Hotel
includes an ice chapel, the hotel itself, an ice art exhibition
hall, a cinema and last but not least, the world famous “Absolut
Ice Bar.”
The
long cold winter nights lend themselves nicely to another
popular art in Sweden, writing. The best-known members of
Sweden’s artistic community have been writers, chiefly
the influential dramatist and author August Strindberg and
the widely translated children’s writer Astrid Lindgren,
creator of Pippi Longstocking. The Gustavian balladry of
Carl Michael Bellman, rarely heard outside Scandinavia, speaks
directly to the Swedish soul. And Vilhelm Moberg, a representative
of 20th century proletarian literature, won international
acclaim with The Immigrants and The Emigrants.
Sweden’s most famous filmmaker is undoubtedly Ingmar Berman,
maker of deep, moody avant-garde films.
Walpurgis Night (30 April) is a pagan festival justly celebrating the end of
winter with bonfires and fireworks. May Day (1 May) is observed by marches and
labor movement events. The Midsummer celebration at summer solstice is Sweden’s
most enthusiastically celebrated festival. Pagan rites such as maypole dancing
mingle with public holiday tie-loosening and liberal helpings of schnapps. Another
festival, the Lucia Festival on 13 December has become very popular over the
last 60 years. As well as commemorating the martyrdom of a pious Sicilian girl,
Lucia celebrates the coming of Christmas with processions of robed youngsters,
plenty of glogg (a hot alcoholic fruit punch) for the grownups and singing. Christmas
trees are decorated with straw animals and stars, cookie baking begins, and Santa
Claus makes his final assessments of children’s behavior. Santa obviously
favors Swedish kids as he delivers presents in person rather than just tossing
them down the chimney. New Year’s Eve in Sweden often features fireworks,
and Easter in Sweden incorporates the pagan belief that witches hang out with
the devil in hell for the duration. Kids dressed up as witches door-knock houses
in the their neighborhood, scamming lollipops in exchange for drawings.
Thank
you to our soil collector in Sweden, Hakan Schaling. There
was something about reindeer in his story, but at this writing
he is on vacation for another month or so and unavailable
to share his story with us. We at Common Ground 191 will
await his details with great interest and add them as they
arrive. In the meantime in Sweden, we are left with three
mysteries: How has Sweden succeeded at peace for a century;
whose idea was the Ice Hotel; and who is Hakan Schaling and
what is his reindeer story?
Top | Back
|
|
|
