Why Buildings Are Red in Sweden and more!

Hell on earth, falukorv and little red cottages Ever travelled through the Swedish countryside? Or at least seen it on TV? Did you notice that the majority of all buildings – homes, barns, boathouses, every shed – are red? Red cottages with white corners and other white trimmings are as iconic for Sweden as Dalecarlian … Read more

jubel

World Champions Again!

2013 Ice Hockey World Championship This year’s Ice Hockey World Championships were held in Stockholm and Helsinki (arranged in cooperation by Sweden and Finland). Those of you who are interested in ice hockey have of course followed the reports from the games, many of you with despair and raised eyebrows. For you who didn’t keep … Read more

horgalaten

Dancing With The Devil

The hambo is a traditional dance with origin in the 19th century. It is a couple dance in ¾ time; the music has a strong accent on the first beat and a tempo that varies from moderate to fast (100 to 120 beats per minute). The hambo is a dance with a fixed pattern and … Read more

Dalecarlian_horse

And Now What?

SwedishFreak’s condensed Swedish history continues today with the sixth and final episode. The internationally most noticed incidents during the last 40 years in Sweden is undoubtedly the murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme, and the murder of Anna Lindh, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Officially, both incidents are explained as impulsive, random killings by misfit persons. … Read more

springflowers

Upcoming: Spring Release

Within the next two or three weeks, thousands and thousands of spectators will attend an age-old event which just recently started to become a public spectacle: the spring release of the cattle. Many of today’s children in the cities have never seen a cow and believe that milk in square cartons is produced in a … Read more

Sweden

The Swedish Climate

Between the Powers of East and West By the middle of April, spring has usually arrived in the southern half of Sweden, garnishing roadsides with yellow sun-like flowers of tussilago (coltsfoot, Tussilago Farfara), filling meadows and clearings with vitsippor (wood anemones, Anemone Nemorosa), and spotlike occurences of the increasingly rare blåsippor (blue anemones, Anemone Hepatica). … Read more

Adalen

Between Wars: Laying The Foundation For Folkhemmet

Entering The 20th Century SwedishFreak’s condensed Swedish history continues today with the fifth episode; all and all there will be six episodes. The 20th century started with two World Wars; Sweden managed to stay out of both, and has therefore been critized for cowardry. But in retrospect, with all facts on hand, maintaining Swedish neutrality … Read more

Lasagne

More horsing around

Thank God for the food! This pious exclamation comes from reverend Nils Lidskog of St. Clara parish in Stockholm’s downtown. He has just been told that the church is about to receive 5 tons of lasagne. Remember the European horse meat scandal a few weeks ago? The content of beef in frozen and canned food … Read more

Semla

Make A King From A Republican And End War Forever!

Make A King From A Republican And End War Forever! SwedishFreak’s condensed Swedish history continues today with the fourth episode; all and all there will be six episodes. During the 18th century, remarkable things happened in the royal court: one king was killed by a pastry, another was shot at the Opera, a third was … Read more