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KALEIDOSCOPE
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SWEDEN - SVERIGE

KALEIDOSCOPE A BFA AWARDED FORUM © BFA June 2008

Small and Great National Emblem - Swedish flag

Conventional longform: Konungariket Sverige Area, total: 449 964 sq km Coastline: 3 218 km Population: 9 083 000 Population/sq km: 20 Capital/Population: Stockholm / 786 000 Lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m  Highest point: Kebnekaise 2 111 m Largest rivers: Muonio-Torneälv, Dalälven, Klarälven-Götaälv Largest lakes: Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Hjälmaren Natural resources: Zink, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium Pop. growth rate: 0.16 % Infant mortility rate: 3  (deaths / 1 000 live births) Life expectancy at birth (years): Male / Female 78 / 83

Ethnic groups: Swedes 83 %, Finns 2, Iranian 0.5 %, Others 14.5 % Religions: Evangelic lutheran 87 %, Others 13 % Languages: Swedish Literacy; % of pop. over 15 years: Male / Female 99.9 / 99.9Independence: June 6, 1523 National holiday:   June 6, Day of Swedish flag GNP/capita: USD 41 945 Currency: Swedish Krona (SEK) Mobile telephones: 9 087 000 Internetusers: 6 981 000 Railways: 11 528 km Highways: 424 947 km Source: CIA World Factbook 2008/03

 
Being a former citizen of Sweden I feel nostalgia to go back. I am proud for  having my forums awarded in March and June. March is month of Greece and June is the month of Sweden. I lived in Sweden 1965-1983. I left Sweden to work in Greece making use of my experience in adult and labour education I got from Sweden. I visited Sweden only once after that in 2001.

National Day of Sweden
June 6th

Swedish flag- Queen Sylvia and King Carl XVI Gustav
National Anthem - Du gamla Du fria

Celebration with the Royal Family

Every year, the King and Queen take part in a ceremony at Skansen, Stockholm’s open-air museum, where the yellow and- blue Swedish flag is run up the mast, and children in traditional peasant costume present the royal couple with bouquets of summer flowers.

Since 1916, June 6 has been celebrated as the Swedish Flag Day, but it was not until 1983 that it officially became the National Day. For a long time Sweden was probably one of very few countries in the world with no national day. Since 1916, June 6 has been celebrated as the Swedish Flag Day, but it was not until 1983 that it officially became the National Day. Nowadays, the custom of celebrating the national day has grown stronger and today almost every town has its own festivities with speeches, music and distribution of Swedish flags to private persons and associations. The biggest celebration takes place at Skansen, an open-air museum in Stockholm, where some 15000 people gather together with the Royal family.

History
The Vikings
Gustaf Waasa- Birth of Swedish National State
Sweden – Great Power Period
Sweden – 18^th – 20^th century 
Government
Parliamentary System – Decentralization
Monarchy
Education
School forms
Adult-Labour education

Sweden: The Land of the Midnight Sun

This picture reminds me much of Sweden

In Sweden, many customs are closely associated with the changing seasons
Photo: Anders Johansson/Ölands Turist
Click för a ride over Sweden 20 ninutes.

The Swedish Summer Solstic
Midsommar-,Majstång- och ungmöfester
Midsummer, May Pole and Maiden Party

At Midsummer, Swedes want to be outdoors, regardless of the weather.
Photo: Peter Westrup/Image Bank Sweden
Click above for midsummer traditional Swedish songs and dances

A traditional crayfish party

Due to the risk of over-fishing, restrictions on river crayfishing were introduced back in the early 20th century. The season was limited to a couple of months from August. Crayfish thus became an exclusive and much sought-after delicacy. The crayfish population has also been decimated on a number of occasions by a dreaded parasitic mould.

The crayfish is accompanied by cheese, bread, beer and of course: Schnapps.,br. Photo: Erika Lidén/Image Bank Sweden
Click above for participate the party

The Swedish Winter Solstic
Sankta Lucia

A nice Swedish Lucia celebration from Tenerife Canary Islands Spain
Click above

STOCKHOLM
Gamla Stan - Old Town

Click to watch a nice parade: Changing of the Swedish Guard filmed in Stockholm Sweden sorry about the jumps in the filming the guard was
getting angry as the crowd was swelling forwards.

SPORTS
The Real Enemies In Hockey
Heja Sverige, friskt humör ...
Det är det som susen gör ...
SWEDEN - FINLAND
THE ETERNAL HOCKEY ENEMIES

Finland feels like being World Champion if they win over Sweden
Sweden does of course everything not to lose.

Click Above- Hockey match Sweden-Finland


The giant in Jönköping
(Jätten I Jönköping)


 

Once upon a time when giants lived and ruled in Sweden, there was a giant called Vist who lived with his wife on the east side of Lake Vättern. One day they went to a family gathering on the other side of the lake. It was a jolly and exhilarating party with a lot of delicious food. When the giant Vist and his wife finally headed home Mrs Vist had gained so much weight that she doubted that she would be able to get across the lake in a single bound. Therefore, her considerate husband threw a turf of grass out into the lake so she could make it home without getting wet. And it's still there, the little flattened turf: Visingsö.

© Anne Lönnqvists

MUSIC
pop stars and fans

At the nice middle 60-ies there were two big Swedish Bands, HepStars and Tages.
Most of my friends were Tages.

Is so I want to remember them 
Click above - CADILAC by HepStars

I came to Sweden August 1965. Soon I was HEPSTARS fan. After listening to CADILAC, this beautyful song, by HepStars, which was great succee. I decided to by my first electric guitar, I pressed my mother very much and she got crazy on me. A Gibson guitar costed a monthly salary at that time, but she baught it to me. There were two things I loved at that time, playing football and play and listen to music. Learn about HepStars (official site)

click above

ABBA The ABBA story began in June 1966 when Björn Ulvaeus (born 1945) met Benny Andersson (born 1946) for the first time. Björn was a member of the Hootenanny Singers, a very popular folk music group, while Benny played keyboards in Sweden’s biggest pop group of the 1960s, The Hep Stars.

n Philoxenia Ning Community

Hello, Georgios, great forum!

Happy Sweden Flag and National Day!

Worldcitizen - Artist - Sculptor Laila!

Swedish speaking, Finnish, Danish, English!

Konst för Trädgård - New Art for Gardens

If somebody is not friend of Laila yet, invite her!

From Russia with love, Lydia