Many of us CLU students watched as hundreds of people filled Kingsmen park on April 1 and 2 for the Scandinavian Festival. The crowd was primarily made up of CLU students, families and other members of the community who all got to take part in this exciting and festive tradition! The Scandinavian Festival is put on almost every year to showcase the traditions and culture of the Scandinavian Countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and the Sami. The festival is filled with music, food, vendors, shops, activities, demonstrations and lectures highlighting specific aspects of the Scandinavian culture. Having grown up in a Swedish-American family, this festival truly put me in my element. It was exciting for me to experience some of my favorite childhood traditions on campus! I am very proud of my heritage and it is something I love sharing with people! Being far away from my family, it was great to have a bit of home with me that weekend. Here are some of the festival’s highlights through the lens of my Scandinavian heritage. Flags decorating The Spine!
The walkways along Kingsmen Park was decorated in the flags of each of the Scandinavian countries! It added lots of color to the path and was certainly eye-grabbing for people passing through! Somehow I managed to take a picture of my Swedish pancakes at this angle without them slipping off my plate! Skillz.
Most of us can agree that food is literally the best part of any festival. Food vendors were stationed everywhere in Kingsmen park with a wide variety of Scandinavian specialties! I was happy to find my favorite breakfast food, Swedish pancakes, being sold. The booth that was serving them was called “Mor Mor’s” which means grandma (on the mother’s side) in Swedish! For Swedes, there is nothing better than grandma’s cooking! The Swedish pancakes were served with lingonberry (a very sweet and popular berry found in Scandinavia) jam and whipped cream! There were also vendors selling Scandinavian pastries and breads, including vetebröd – my favorite sweet bread made with cinnamon and cardamom, æbelskivers, Swedish meatballs and potatoes, Icelandic fish and chips, lefse, Viking-style hot dogs, and much more! Photo I took for our instagram. Follow us @hccallutheran!!!
You could even find some American favorites such as Dippin’ dots! A perfect treat to cool you down on a very warm weekend.Cara Nilsen posing with some of her masterpieces!
There were lots of shops selling Scandinavian products such as Dalahästs (wooden horse decorated with colorful paint and intricate designs), home décor, Scandinavian music albums, household products and much more. I thought it was interesting to see people selling their own art! An artist, Cara Nilsen, had a booth selling her designs based off of Norwegian characters! She designs, paints and photo shops all her work herself! She even has her own adult coloring book! Check out her website! https://caranilsenart.squarespace.com/ Music could be heard all the time at the festival! It opened on Saturday morning with the national anthem of each Scandinavian country! There was a large variety of musical performances at the Scandinavian festival. From traditional folk music to a band playing ABBA tunes, there was performances for everyone. There was often dancers dressed in traditional Scandinavian costumes dancing to traditional folk songs from different regions in Scandinavia. The group of musicians playing these tunes is called a “Spelmanslag.” Spelmanslags can be made up of musicians playing instruments such as violins, basses, guitars, and traditional Scandinavian instruments such as Nyckelharpas and Hardingfeles. I played the violin in a Scandinavian music group back in Seattle and we were called a Spelmanslag too! Even cooler than #squadgoals!
We Scandinavians set that flower crown trend. At the Scandinavian festival you could make these crowns for $5 and choose from a variety of colorful flowers and ribbons to make them with. These crowns are typically made and worn on a Scandinavian holiday called Midsommar. That’s right – we beat you, Snapchat filters!! Another Midsommar tradition is to dance around a Maypole which is an activity that was held at this festival as well! You could also find traditional clothing, designs and instruments on display. There was an entire section of the festival devoted to displaying a village that resembles the ones Viking’s lived in. At each little hut, there was someone dressed in a Viking costume showcasing an aspect of the Viking lifestyle. I was taught how to play the Viking version of chess! The rules seem pretty intense but the game sounds like fun! I also made friends with my first ever Viking dog! Look at my new friend!!!!! Krumkake!
Not only was there lots of food at this festival, but there was also food demonstrations! An audience watched as Scandinavian treats were made before there eyes! The bakers gave tips and instructions on how to make some of the best Scandinavian specialties! Pictured above is a Krumkake sample that I got from watching the food demonstration on how to make them! Whether you are Scandinavian or not, the Scandinavian Festival is truly an enjoyable event for all ages! To find out more about this festival visit the website: http://scandinaviancenter.org/scandinavian_festival/
All photos provided by myself.