Happy May 1st! Or första maj, in Swedish.
Today is a national holiday here. Why? I don't really know. This is a great example of not understanding different cultural traditions. There are a few Swedish holidays that just make no sense to me. Today is one of them.
May Day is a historically socialist holiday that is only celebrated in a few countries. My understanding is that traditionally, there have been socialist marches and protests for different causes in the city. This tradition is still somewhat alive, and one party (the Social Democrats, Socialdemokraterna) usually arranges a few marches. I don't know anyone who goes to them. Instead, people use this day off to go shopping and enjoy the weather, if it's nice.
In addition to all of that, the day before May 1st is a holiday called Valborgsmässoafton, or Valborg (VAHL-bore-ee) for short. The English translation is Walpurgis Night, but that is irrelevant since the holiday is only celebrated in Northern Europe. Valborg is a verystrange unique holiday that I don't really understand. I've asked many Swedes to explain it to me, but I get slightly different explanations each time. It has to do with witches and bonfires. I believe that you build the bonfires to scare away the witches. I'm not sure why the witches come around on April 30th each year, though.
So there are bonfires and big parties in parks all over the country. One city, Uppsala, takes these festivities very seriously. Uppsala is a moderately-sized city but it is home to one of the largest universities in Sweden, so there are tons of students everywhere. They start the day off with a champagne breakfast, and party all day. There is some kind of boat race on the river, where you have to build your own boats. And at one point all the students gather at the top of a hill and run down together. And throw their hats. Or something.
Yeah, I don't really get it.
But today is a holiday. Our schedule for this week looked like this:
Monday - Reading Day
Tuesday - Practical Exam
Wednesday - OFF
Thursday - Reading Day
Friday - Written Final
Um....what? As Dr. Evil would say, "Riiiiiiiight....."
Needless to say, I am not frolicking around outside today, I am inside, studying. I did go for a run this morning and saw what I can only assume is everyone who lives in my neighborhood enjoying the sunshine.
So, um, Happy May Day, I guess? I'm just going to keep studying.
Today is a national holiday here. Why? I don't really know. This is a great example of not understanding different cultural traditions. There are a few Swedish holidays that just make no sense to me. Today is one of them.
May Day is a historically socialist holiday that is only celebrated in a few countries. My understanding is that traditionally, there have been socialist marches and protests for different causes in the city. This tradition is still somewhat alive, and one party (the Social Democrats, Socialdemokraterna) usually arranges a few marches. I don't know anyone who goes to them. Instead, people use this day off to go shopping and enjoy the weather, if it's nice.
In addition to all of that, the day before May 1st is a holiday called Valborgsmässoafton, or Valborg (VAHL-bore-ee) for short. The English translation is Walpurgis Night, but that is irrelevant since the holiday is only celebrated in Northern Europe. Valborg is a very
So there are bonfires and big parties in parks all over the country. One city, Uppsala, takes these festivities very seriously. Uppsala is a moderately-sized city but it is home to one of the largest universities in Sweden, so there are tons of students everywhere. They start the day off with a champagne breakfast, and party all day. There is some kind of boat race on the river, where you have to build your own boats. And at one point all the students gather at the top of a hill and run down together. And throw their hats. Or something.
Yeah, I don't really get it.
But today is a holiday. Our schedule for this week looked like this:
Monday - Reading Day
Tuesday - Practical Exam
Wednesday - OFF
Thursday - Reading Day
Friday - Written Final
Um....what? As Dr. Evil would say, "Riiiiiiiight....."
Needless to say, I am not frolicking around outside today, I am inside, studying. I did go for a run this morning and saw what I can only assume is everyone who lives in my neighborhood enjoying the sunshine.
So, um, Happy May Day, I guess? I'm just going to keep studying.
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