culture and customs of sweden

[...]... to the south and east on the Baltic and the Gulf of Bothnia The country also includes the ¨ large islands of Oland and Gotland (with its several surrounding islands) and archipelagos that extend up the west coast and north and east from Stockholm to Finland.1 The underlying bedrock of Sweden is several hundred million years old, and the soils that cover it are relatively thin Wind, water, and ice have... the landscape of the west begins as a narrow coastal plain and then becomes gently rolling as one travels from west to east On the southeast side of the peninsula the land again falls off toward the coast with the Baltic and ¨ the low-lying island of Oland There are also the south Swedish highlands ˚ that lie along the northwest border between Smaland and Vastergotland ¨ ¨ Much of the middle of the... in the length of days and nights and the varying seasonal qualities of daylight or the lack thereof are important aspects of life in Sweden The endless daylight (Midnight sun) of high summer, the darkness of winter, and the often quite eerie qualities of dawn and dusk that occur throughout the year are aspects of the physical environment Sweden shares with all high-latitude countries, and they have... literature, the theater, the arts, 8 CULTURE AND CUSTOMS OF SWEDEN consumer options, crime, and gender roles are just some of these Some aspects of the new Swedes and their impacts will be examined in subsequent chapters because no study of Sweden s customs and culture can ignore them A B RIEF H ISTORY It may seem a statement of the obvious, but one needs to remember that Sweden has not always existed In... theme of the standard history is that Swedish Vikings primarily went east, up the rivers of the eastern Baltic 12 CULTURE AND CUSTOMS OF SWEDEN into the heart of modern Russia via the Dnieper and Volga, on to the Caspian and Black Seas, and even beyond to Byzantium/Constantinople They traded with merchants from the Islamic empires of the Mideast and perhaps from India and China as well Finds in Sweden. .. iron foundries of the so-called Bergslagen of LAND, PEOPLE, AND A BRIEF HISTORY 7 central Sweden at about the same time The Swedish nobility has long contained families with roots all over Europe including many of the old German states, France, the Netherlands, Scotland, England, and Russia Since the end of World War II, Sweden has been in the midst of another very important period of in-migration,... sources of food and essential to travel and transport of goods and people for centuries Similarly, Sweden s forests have been and remain sources of timber, tar, wood for charcoal, paper pulp, and biomass, and they have provided homes for game and fur-bearing animals The makeup of Sweden s forests changes as one moves across the country In the south, deciduous trees predominate, including birch and oak... country is dominated by the central Sweden depression There open plains and parallel valleys define the landscape The northern two thirds of the country tilts upward, rising slowly from east to west toward the mountain spine (Kolen/Keel) that divides Norway and ¨ Sweden 4 CULTURE AND CUSTOMS OF SWEDEN Almost all of these landscapes have a special place in how the country and its people are defined Reinforcing... high-latitude countries, and they have played many roles in the 6 CULTURE AND CUSTOMS OF SWEDEN shaping of the country’s history, economy, customs, and culture Also, contrary to what some might believe, the lack of daylight in the winter can have its positive effects Swedes seem well adapted to these conditions and make the most of the snow, ice, and moderate temperatures to enjoy winter sports One good thing... leaving Scandinavia and tin and copper from which bronze was made and other goods including gold returning (Sweden s great copper resources in the central region around Falun were not known then.) The period’s wealth is evidenced mainly by its grave mounds: Some were made simply of turf, and some of a complex blending of wood, turf, and stone Literally thousands of these still exist from the period, and . w0 h0" alt="" Culture and Customs of Sweden Map of Sweden. (Courtesy of BookComp, Inc.) Culture and Customs of Sweden BYRON J. NORDSTROM Culture and Customs of Europe Copyright 2010 by Byron J knowledge of the con- temporary dynamics of a people and culture. Sustained narrative chapters cover the land, the people, and offer a brief history; they also discuss religion, social customs, . was time and again reminded of the pitfalls that are inherent in an undertaking of this kind and aware of the limitations in terms of accuracy and completeness I faced. At the core of these is