It’s been a while…it’s amazing how time gets away from you. I completely intended to blog over the last couple of months but it’s amazing how time just gets away from you. We had a great trip to New York for Thanksgiving, Niagara & even squeezed in a couple of days in Iceland (definitely my favourite country so far) on our way back home to Sweden.
Anyway, as with every year, 2014 was a year of ups and downs for us. All kinds of great things have happened: moving countries, running marathons, releasing 2 new EPS, starting new musical projects, making new connections…the list goes on. But we also had some sad losses this year, including the huge personal loss of my Grandpa.
I have become quite a thinker over the last few years…I ponder on life’s events a fair amount and as we approached the end of 2014, I began to think about how little we know at the start of a new year. This was the theme for my latest blog post over at Salt of the Sound which I would encourage you to take a peek at.
2015…Here we are! What will happen? We don’t fully know. Will it be a year of successes? Lessons? Or losses? They’ll probably all weave their way in there in some way, shape or form. But we need to be content with the not knowing…and trust that it is in good hands!
Gott Nytt År (Happy New Year) from Sweden! Let’s make 2015 count!
Anita x x x
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Central Park, New York City
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View from Rockerfeller Center, New York City
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Aboard the Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls, Canada
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Niagara Falls
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Enjoying Iceland
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Iceland in the Snow
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Iceland
PS: Photo credits go to my husband ©Ben Tatlow 2014. You can check out his Flickr page here
This year, I experienced my first complete Summer in Sweden (and luckily for me – it was a hot one!). The Swedes love the summer months, and after their long, dark winters, are known for embracing the summer sun in all its glory.
Midsummer is a big celebration in Sweden in June…but we missed most of this as we got the keys to our new flat 2 days before midsummer so you’ll have to wait until next year to hear my thoughts on this one…
The strangest thing I found about summer in Sweden is that everything closes down and everyone goes on holiday…I already knew this but the reality of it is bizarre. People take 4-5 weeks holiday and just leave the city. Cafes and restaurants close. The tubes run a very limited service. Things just stop. It’s actually quite nice…as long as you don’t need anything doing with any kind of urgency!
So what did we do during the long summer when the sun never seems to sleep? Well, alongside working; we fitted in some days at the beach, swimming in the lakes, joined some friends on their boat, enjoyed our new surroundings in Stockholm (including a few day trips out & about), took a staff trip to Tallinn, Estonia and this week, we said goodbye to the summer and welcomed the cooling autumn breeze with a trip to Yasuragi, a Japanese spa in Stockholm.
Now, I wait for all that autumn has to bring with anticipation – a season of change, creativity & expectation is upon us and I look forward to discovering what it holds in store…
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What is your favourite season? Are you longing for the fading summer or looking forward to cold winds of autumn & winter?
Last night (30th April), I experienced yet another Swedish tradition which I had no idea about. Valborg (pronounced Valbory) is essentially bonfire night with your local community & involves fireworks & even fire dancing!
A four & a half day weekend…
As Valborg fell on a Wednesday this year, people finished work at lunchtime & Thursday (May Day) is a bank holiday…& in true Swedish style, they see Friday as an in-between day (Klämdag – literally: s squeezed day), so they take the Friday off as well – what a good idea!
A bit of history about Valborg…
Dating back to the vikings, historically Valborg is derived from fertility celebrations that took place around the end of April, where the arrival of spring was celebrated with bonfires at night. Apparently, the fires were traditionally lit to scare off witches and evil spirits, as well as predators such as foxes before the livestock were let out to graze on May 1st. In the Middle Ages, the pagan Spring ritual became associated with Saint Walpurga who was declared a saint during this time of the year.
Valborg today…
Nowadays, however, I think that Swedes just relish any opportunity to celebrate the lighter evenings & enjoy Spring after a long winter. And I’m not going to say no to a free bonfire & fireworks…
One thing I am embracing, living here in Sweden cultural differences. Even weeks before Easter Sunday, the different cultural traditions have been apparent.
It is an extremely colourful time & these feathers are everywhere. (Errr…not really sure what their about but it brightens up the place up so we’ll go with it!)
Some places try to be classy and have colour schemes for their feathers – but I’m all about the multi-colouredness!
And when I say they are everywhere – I’m not kidding – they even decorate 20+ft trees like it’s Christmas – so in Sweden we seem to have Easter trees!
Swedes often use cardboard hollow eggs and fill them with chocolates! They come in all sizes & designs and you can even buy them in second hand stores.
And they even have their own Easter drink…’Påsk must’ (which tastes suspiciously like their Christmas speciality ‘Jul must’ – well, they didn’t fool me!)
Swedish Easter food traditions? Well, I might not share in some of their choices such as pickled herring, but I think I might be able to make my peace with cured salmon, spiced Schnapps & roast lamb.
For many Swedes, Easter is more about family celebration & holiday than it is about Jesus. In fact, similarly to Halloween, the children dress up as Easter witches and will visit their neighbours’ houses, presenting them with paintings and drawings in the hope of getting sweets in return.
While I love the bright colours that come with this Easter season here in Sweden, for me, Jesus is the centre of this Easter celebration & I am looking forward to sharing this season with our new family at Immanuel International Church.
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“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
– John 16:33
