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The Old Country Newsletter – Happy New Year!
Your Weekly Newsletter from Sweden
Philip Hannes
December 27, 2024
Good morning!
It’s Friday, December 27.
Happy New Year! The Christmas ham is gone, the presents unwrapped, and the Gävle goat (which we featured in our last newsletter) has made it through another week unscathed! As we head into the final days of the year, everyone at The Old Country hopes you're enjoying the celebrations and looking ahead to a wonderful new year.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Hannes & Philip
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Your Weekly Swede-ish
Attribution: Simon Fernandez, CC BY 2.0
Cat Stevens, or Yusuf Islam, remains a beloved artist for many, including Swedish-Americans. Born Steven Demetre Georgiou in London to a Greek-Cypriot father and Swedish mother, Ingrid Wickman, his music blends warmth and introspection. Hits like "Wild World" and "Peace Train" from albums like Tea for the Tillerman defined a generation. In the late 70s, he converted to Islam and stepped away from music, returning years later as Yusuf Islam. While his Swedish heritage isn't widely known, it adds a fun dimension for Swedish-American fans. So next time you hear his music, remember the small but special Swedish connection to this iconic artist.
Statistics you didn’t ask for
We touched on this last week, but did you know that nearly half of Sweden's population tunes in to watch Donald Duck every Christmas Eve? Since 1959, "Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul" (Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas) has been a beloved tradition, airing at 3 PM on SVT1. Regularly drawing 3-4 million viewers (and a record 4.5 million in 2020!), this hour-long special is more than just a cartoon; it's a cultural phenomenon. So much so that emergency calls significantly decrease during the broadcast! This nostalgic ritual, shared by generations, highlights the power of tradition and the enduring charm of classic Disney animation. It's a must-see for Swedes, young and old.
Grandparents Can Now Take Parental Leave in Sweden
Attribution: sylviebliss, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Starting July 1, 2024, Sweden has updated its parental leave laws, allowing grandparents, or other close relatives, to take leave instead of the child's parents. This change allows parents to transfer up to 45 parental leave days each (or 90 days for single parents) to a designated individual.
"You're quicker to help out when you get paid," says Martina West, a 35-year-old from Avesta, wishing this law had been in place when her children were newborns.
Alexandra Wallin, department head for Children and Family at the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), explains that this provides greater flexibility, especially for single parents and blended families.
The law, passed in December, allows parents to transfer days to almost anyone, provided the recipient is eligible for parental benefits. Eligibility generally applies to those living or working in Sweden. Even pensioners can take parental leave, although their compensation will be based on their individual income, often at a basic level if they don't have a sickness benefit qualifying income (SGI). Ritva Kärkkäinen from Avesta expressed that she would have considered taking leave to care for her grandchildren under this new system.
In other news
🏒 Sweden wins the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships premiere against Slovakia. Sweden started weakly and Slovakia won the first period 1–0, but the junior crowns rallied and won in the end with a clear 5–2.
🕯 The 26th of December marks the 20th anniversary of the devastating tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean in 2004. Malin and Axel Sävstam lost their husband and father, Mats, and their two youngest children, Harald (12) and Elsa (9), in the 2004 tsunami that followed a powerful earthquake. The tragic event claimed over 225,000 lives, including 543 Swedes.
🐮 The Dexter, a small breed of cattle from Ireland, is becoming increasingly popular in Sweden, with the population nearly tenfold in the last ten years; these miniature cows, reaching only about 100 cm tall, are favored for their gentle nature and suitability for grazing smaller pastures, making them popular as hobby animals. The Wikman family, who own about 20 Dexter cows on their small farm in Dalarna, Sweden, note that more and more people are acquiring them for household use or to manage small areas of land.
Would you like to feel closer to Sweden? A perfect way to do that would be to have a look at Swedish broadcasts, either current or past. SVT Play is an online streaming service provided by Sveriges Television (SVT), the Swedish national public television broadcaster.
To watch it, one has to be in Sweden – or have access to a VPN provider that can connect to a remote server located in Sweden. Like NordVPN, which sponsors this segment of the newsletter.
By using NordVPN, you can access what SVT Play has to offer – including current news, documentaries about emigrants, live broadcasts from nature events, and much more – by simply connecting to a server in Sweden. Follow the link here to get 74 % off for your first two years and three months (!) of usage. By doing so, you also help support the distribution of this newsletter.
Three New Cable Breaks in the Baltic Sea – Finnish Police Board Vessel in Gulf of Finland
Attribution: Pudelek (Marcin Szala), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Not Swedish news exactly, but given recent events — the following is all over the news. After a new cable break on Christmas Day, Finnish police have boarded the vessel Eagle S. The tanker is suspected of damaging cables, leading to an investigation into suspected gross sabotage. "We believe an anchor caused the damage to the cables," stated Robin Lardot, head of the Central Criminal Police, at a press conference.
Finnish authorities boarded the oil tanker Eagle S overnight, taking control and escorting it to Finnish waters. The crew was ordered to present the ship’s anchor. Visual inspection revealed evidence suggesting an anchor had indeed damaged the cables.
"Russian Shadow Fleet"
Finnish customs have seized Eagle S’s cargo and suspect the vessel is part of the "Russian shadow fleet"—ships over 15 years old without known owners, used to circumvent sanctions.
Earlier on Thursday, Yle reported that the Eagle S was of interest in the investigation of the Estlink 2 cable break. Data from Marine Traffic shows the ship slowing down at the same time as the power supply was interrupted in the area.
Three More Cable Breaks
On Boxing Day, Estonia reported three additional cable breaks, in this case affecting communication cables. "The cause of the disruptions is currently unknown. Cable owners are carrying out repairs during which relevant authorities are also investigating the potential causes," wrote Laura Laaster, the government's spokesperson, in an email to SVT.
Security chief Jaako Wallenius explained that the telecom company Elisa discovered malfunctioning cables on Christmas Day evening between 6 and 7 PM and informed the authorities. "We naturally tried to find the cause and discovered that the physical cables were damaged. Even though the cables are strong, it is practically impossible to build a cable structure that could withstand the weight of a tanker," he told SVT.
At the Finnish police press conference, it was revealed that they suspect the Eagle S caused damage to both the Estlink 2 cable and the communication cables.
Word of the week
NYÅRSAFTON [NEEyorSAFFton]
Legacy Lanterns – shedding light on the stories of the past
Julotta 1955, Lundh, Gunnar
Christmas card from Julottan in Hedared
Julottan, the early morning service, often held at 6 am on Christmas Day symbolizes the shepherds' journey to witness the newborn Jesus, embodying themes of anticipation and reverence. In Sweden, the Julotta has been a cornerstone of Christmas celebrations for centuries, reminding people of Jesus' birth.
For many, attending the Julotta is not just a religious observance but also a cherished family tradition. The journey to the church, often in the stillness of a snowy morning, adds to the service's mystique. In some rural areas, the tradition of traveling to Julotta by horse-drawn sleighs, illuminated by torchlight, persists, offering a nostalgic glimpse into Sweden's past.
The service itself is marked by the singing of well-known Christmas hymns, readings from the book of Isaiah, and the sermon from the priest going through the year, its challenges and bright spots. The communal singing and shared experience foster a sense of unity and continuity, linking generations through shared faith and tradition.
Our writer Hannes himself was at the Julotta in his home village of Hedared, in Västra Götaland. The Julotta is celebrated here in the village's church from the 16th century. The church holds 30 people and as soon as you sit down, you are reminded that the narrow, slightly inclined benches were made for the relatively short people of this time.
The priest has brought out the drinking horn, which is important to the Hedared residents on this day.
Hedareds stavkyrka
According to the legend, a priest was supposed to ride to the Julotta in Hedared in the 13th century. At the steep Valsjö-mountains, a woman unexpectedly appears on the road with a magnificent drinking horn. It is one of the women of the mountain people (mountain troll) and she invites the priest to drink. The priest accepts the horn and pretends to take a few sips, but instead pours the contents over his shoulder. Wisely done, it turns out. A few drops fall on the horse's loin, and right where they hit, the hair is completely burned off. The priest gives the horse a thump and rides everything the cloth holds away from the spot. Behind him, the mountain woman's cry is heard. “Out with all our mountain people, even the one-legged ones! “The priest took our horn!”
The priest was chased through the dark winter landscape all the way to the village, but made it to the church gate with his life and the drinking horn intact. That's how it went, according to folk belief, when Hedared's church received its communion chalice, the horn is said to have been converted into one. The chalice in Hedared is made of gilded silver and dates to the 13th century. However, according to another legend it was originally made of pure gold, but some"gentlemen in Stockholm" wanted to see it, and when it returned it had been replaced.