Posts from July 2010

Stockholm’s Pride Festival

Posted by Tibor No Comments
Jul 29 2010

Okay my dear gay friends and straight friends. Stockholm’s Pride Festival (Stockholms Pride) is the biggest Pride Festival in Northern Europe. No one really is astonished anymore about Pride in Sweden and that is one of the reasons why Pride has become more of an intercultural festival (and less of sub-culture festival) where people celebrating love, unity and they have lots of fun. (I know… it sounds like a rave party from Berlin). I have never been on the festival myself so I am maybe not the most authentic person to write about this event, but it would be absolutely interesting to go and experience it someday. I saw the parade once when I was on a work trip in Sthlm. The crowd was massive. The festival is open for everyone. I have just realized that they have sign language interpreters as well. (Did you guys know by the way that sign language is one of the official minority languages in Sweden?)

They have a lot of interesting programs and they also have seminars and workshops where they discuss sex and sexuality, new agendas or other ”sensitive taboo topics”. (If they are sensitive at all nowadays. It is hard to see for me at least… growing up with my family’s standards). First of all there are plenty of seminars where people discuss sexuality very openly. But do not think it is all about sex and sexuality. As one of the biggest cultural events in Sweden Stockholm’s Pride has a lot of live concerts with both Swedish and international artists at the Pride Park outside of the Maritime Museum in Sthlm and also club events all around the city. You can buy a day-ticket or a card so called festivalpass. It would allow you to visit many clubs, exhibitions and theaters as well in down town. Lots and lots and lots. “It takes a fool to remain sane” as one of Sweden´s own gay glam rock band The Ark sang once.

The Swedish politicians and artists like to back up the festival and you can see famous faces in the crowd or at parties or dancing in the streets each year. It is funny watching them on the evening news from my sofa. Oh I want to see our Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in drag. Ha-ha that would be awesome! And maybe it wouldn’t surprise anyone at all. As I recall some leading Swedish politicians kissing from last year. I think I saw Mona Sahlin (the leader of the Social Democratic Party) dancing in the caravan on TV last year but I am not sure Or did she kiss RFSL:s Ulrika Westerlund…?

If you want to find out more about the festival visit: http://www.stockholmpride.org/

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The golden rule of the thermometer

Posted by Katja 2 Comments
Jul 27 2010

Some of us like to swim and some of us don’t. I think every country has that in common. But what I’m not so sure about is if every country has the tradition of not going into the water if it is not above a certain temperature. So Swedes have this little thermometer which they stick in the water before they can even think of going in. Instead of actually sticking your foot in the water to see if it feels just right for you, people check their thermometers for the magic temperature of 22°C.

If you meet somebody on the docks or near some water where it would be possible to swim a conversation starter would be to comment on the temperature of the water. For example “Hur varmt är vattnet idag då?” in english “How warm is the water today?”.

A term used for people who don’t like to go swimming is badkruka, literally meaning swim-pot. In English we would probably call somebody a chicken.

Photo and copyright: VisitSweden

Konstigt?

Posted by Tibor 5 Comments
Jul 26 2010
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Following WWII almost the whole chemical arsenal of Germany was dumped into the Baltic Sea. After the World War dumping industrial waste into the sea was a good and environmental idea in all countries around the Baltic Sea. (So sorry but can´t see it how on Earth our politicians and experts could think that back then.) In 2006 3500 tons of mercury was found in barrels in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Sweden. And that enormous amount is just one of the many other cases when stupid people have caused trouble. So much more industrial detritus is lying around in the Baltic Sea. The mercury must have been dumped by a factory near Sundsvall in the late 50s or early 60s.

Think twice next time you throw your cigarettes, cans etc away. It can´t be that hard to find a waist bin even if you are tipsy. The situation is so bad today that we are urged to eat fish only few times a year from the Baltic Sea and the fishing of cod is strictly limited in different areas in different times (that is mainly because of the low amount of cod in the Baltic Sea).

The latest news I read a couple of days ago was at www.fiskeverket.se which is the Board of Fisheries in Sweden. In one of the articles they recommend for people who live around Vättern not to eat fish from the lake more than 2-3 times a year because the level of quicksilver is higher than normal in the fishes. The water is still drinkable since quicksilver absolves in small organic particles like plankton or plants that fish eat. It is easy Mathematics to do where it goes from the fish. The study shows that the risk group is women in earlier fertile age.

WWF Sweden has made this commercial to make people aware of the fact that each and every one of us has to be responsible for the environment we live in. (For example you don´t have to use fabric softener at all because it is really bad for the sea water, however there are some products nowadays that are environment friendly…still skeptic) That is why possibilities for recycling should be developed and available in every area. We have to find alternative solutions. We doesn´t necessarily have to cut out some things but we all have to agree on that dumping waste into the sea is a careless and stupid way to handle it. If you live around the Baltic Sea please do not hesitate to share your opinion on this topic or if you have heard about any scandalous environmental issue in your country that would affect us all in the area.

More Nudity in Sweden

Posted by Marcus Cederström 7 Comments
Jul 23 2010

TheLocal.se is a news site in Sweden that focuses on bringing Swedish news to people in English.  It is not always a bastion of investigative journalism, but it can be entertaining and gives a quick overview of the important things happening in Sweden.  It also gives a quick overview of the ridiculous things.

Considering my recent post on nudity and violence in Sweden, I felt it necessary, in the spirit of full disclosure, to point out that a new study has been conducted on nudity in Sweden.  More specifically, toplessness at beaches.

In a stunning article titled Swedish Women Vote to Keep Their Tops On, it seems that 99% of German women are in favor of topless sunbathing whereas only 84% of Swedish women are.  Clearly, the women of Sweden are flaunting their modesty rather than their nudity.  Or something like that.

I haven’t taken any sort of statistics course in about six or seven years, and don’t especially plan to, but 84% of people being in favor of something seems like a clear majority to me.  So the title of the article may be a bit misleading. Both to the women who are concerned about going topless, and to the men who are also concerned about women going topless.  But it does bring us back to those cultural norms.  While Americans might see the Swedes as immodest when it comes to nudity, Germans might view the Swedes as prudes.

I am fascinated by the cultural ideals of a country and how they vary.  Not just between countries that find themselves an ocean apart, but countries that have a long and sordid history together with centuries of close ties.  Like Germany and Sweden.

I am fascinated how stereotypes can take over an identity, like the Swedish stereotype of open sexuality and nudity, while other countries usually associated with a stoic and staid lifestyle, like Germany, can view themselves as more open in the discussion of nudity.

It’s why I travel. Not the nudity.  The different cultural discoveries.  Come on now.

The Swedish west coast, 10.18 pm

Posted by jennie 6 Comments
Jul 22 2010

 Sorry guys, I’ve been meaning to post something all evening, but I seem to be stuck here in my deck chair, fighting off the mosquitos,  listening to the sea, sipping on my Gevalia coffee and watching the most amazing sunset and sky. Do I need to say that I’m back in Sweden? And I’m loving every second of it. Jag är glad att vara hemma!

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