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New Year celebrations in Sweden are a blend of the old and the new, with ancient pagan traditions hand in hand with more recent introductions from German traders or the Protestant church.
Since 1895 the New Year Swedes have crossed over into a new year to the sound of bells from the open air museum Skansen in Stockholm. Nowadays the event is broadcasted live on TV and a solemn poem (actually by Alfred Lord Tennyson – “Ring Out, Wild Bells” or “Nyårsklockan” in Swedish) is read to the nation.
The tradition of noisemaking and fireworks probably goes back to ancient times, when noise and fire were used to ward off evil spirits and invite good luck for the new year – the gunfire and shouting of old has given way to fireworks and cheering today. Swedes, like many other nations, make and break New Year’s resolutions (Nyårslöfte), though the Babylonians are thought to have been the originators of this tradition.
The transition point from old to new year was thought to be a magical time, a time for trying to predict the future. Swedes would put lead into water and interpret the shapes produced by the moulds, or toss shoes. A shoe landing with the toe pointing towards the door signified someone would leave, or perhaps even die, during the coming year.
New Year’s Day itself was a symbol for the year to come. It was considered unlucky to carry things out of the house (which signified casting happiness out of your home) and good weather was a positive omen for the coming year.
Whatever your plans for New Year, Nature Travels would like to wish a happy, successful and planet-friendly 2007, and the very best of luck with your New Year’s resolutions!
Best regards
The Nature Travels Team
Christmas time in Sweden is a time for families – and central to the celebrations is the traditional smörgåsbord with its ham and pickled herring. But in recent times an afternoon watching a compilation of Disney cartoons has also become an integral part of the Christmas festivities!
Swedes make a real effort for Christmas, and they are perhaps better placed than most to celebrate a traditional Christmas. Candles and lights are everywhere and make a cosy contrast to the darkness of winter, the traditional wood houses look lovely decked with freshly-fallen snow, and the fir trees stand majestically in the forest.
The day before Christmas Eve (which is the most important day for the Swedes), an expedition is mounted to find the perfect Christmas tree. City dwellers of course will need to buy theirs, but those who live in the country will fell their own with axes or saws.
Christmas presents may be placed under the tree or delivered on Christmas Eve by “Jultomten”, Santa Claus, who pays a visit to each neighbourhood sometime in the afternoon (timed carefully so as not to clash with the Disney show!). Houses are filled with red hyacinth plants and smell of pepparkakor, Swedish ginger biscuits. Small “tomtegubbar” (Christmas gnomes) may be dotted around the house, peeking from behind flowerpots and picture frames.
Christmas in Sweden is a wonderful time – a time to bask in the warmth of family life and make the most of the winter – after all, it will be spring before you know it!
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
…or, as they say in Sweden, “God Jul och Gott Nytt År”! (god-yool-ok-gott-neet-or)
Best regards
The Nature Travels Team
Beavers became extinct in Sweden in the late 19th century, largely as a result of exploitation through hunting. But following their reintroduction in 1922, the beaver has staged a comeback and populations are increasing.
The story of beaver reintroduction to Sweden is the story of one of the earliest reported successful attempts to bring a species back into its former territory. Once widespread throughout the continent, the European beaver population was decimated by the spread of agriculture, deforestation, grazing, and especially hunting.
Between 1922 and 1939 around 80 beavers were reintroduced to 19 sites in Sweden from Norway. In 1992, 70 years after the original reintroduction, the Swedish population was estimated at around 100,000.
Beaver Safari and Timber Rafting experience
Now, Nature Travels offers you the chance to see beavers in their natural habitat on our new Beaver Safari and Timber Rafting experience.
This experience combines unusual nature activities with accommodation in cabins by the Klarälven shore. On one day you get the chance to try our popular timber rafting experience, building a raft from nothing but logs and ropes and piloting it down the river for a day. In the evening of your third day you will go on a beaver safari and learn all about the life of the beaver! Klarälven is Sweden’s longest river and has a good population of beavers.
We promise you an unforgettable experience on the Klarälven river – whether it is searching the water for movement with baited breath in the gathering dusk or gliding peacefully along Huckleberry Finn style on a log raft made with your own hands.
Best regards
The Nature Travels Team
For more information on our Beaver Safari and Timber Rafting experience, see www.naturetravels.co.uk.
To read about projects to reintroduce beavers in Scotland, see here
To read about BBC naturalist Kate Humble’s search for beavers, see here
Right in the darkest depths of winter, Lucia arrives dressed in white with her entourage as a bearer of light and a reminder of brighter times ahead. Along with Midsummer, the Lucia celebrations on December 13th in Sweden are one of the foremost Swedish cultural traditions, a reminder of the days when life in the peasant communities of old was a struggle between the ancient forces of light and dark, cold and warmth.
The celebration is said to date from the 1700s, but the first modern procession took place in Stockholm in 1927. Many villages, companies, or groups will elect a Lucia, who leads a morning procession of candles and singing.
Lucia is a time for the making and eating of “Lussekatter”, saffron-flavoured buns shaped like sleeping cats, and every Swede knows the traditional Lucia song. You can watch and listen to a choir rendition of the Lucia song here.
A Happy Lucia from
The Nature Travels Team
Mountain station wins environmental award for innovative heating system
The mountain station in the Grövel Lake area of Dalarna used for a number of our cross-country and hiking experiences has received the prestigious Royal Accommodation Award for Sustainable Tourism 2006. The awards, organised by the European Network for Sustainable Tourism Development and the EU project TourBench, are given for “major achievements towards more sustainable development in the tourist industry, including highly innovative measures to minimize environmental impacts.”
The mountain station, situated in an area which is covered in snow for much of the year, received the award for its unique new geothermal heating system. The lodge was also recognised for its organic cooking and range of ecotourism activities.
The criteria for entry into the competition are very strict. The facilities must carry an environmental certification or have received an environmental award. Working practices must be ecologically sound and entrants must have exceptional systems in place for reducing their ecological footprint. The business must contribute to sustainable development within the local region, for example by making use of locally-produced products.
“We have been working actively with environmental issues and long-term sustainable tourism…for 20 years. This prize demonstrates that it is not only our guests who appreciate our work,” said Charlie Ekberg, manager of the mountain station.
To browse some of the experiences on offer at this award-winning mountain station, please see:
- Winter Weeks in the Mountains
- Single in the Winter Mountains
- Spa and Hike in the Summer Mountains
- Single in the Summer Mountains
Best regards
The Nature Travels Team
