A Valborg Day Bonfire: The Traditional Swedish Welcoming of Spring

While I was in Sweden, I got to experience Valborg Day, the traditional Swedish welcoming of spring. This day occurs on April 30th and is a time of festivity, food, music, friends, nature, and huge bonfires. In fact, it seems for most Swedes, the whole day is one giant excuse to drink and light a huge fire.

In old times, the bonfires were used to scare away predators before the farm animals were let out to graze at the start of spring. Now, the day has become a holiday where Swedes, long attached to nature and the changing seasons, celebrate the end of winter with a big party. Many Swedes head out into the country to party with their friends. Celebrations often start with a breakfast including champagne and strawberries in a park.

Most towns have celebrations featuring traditional music, dancing, and a bonfire. The biggest celebration occurs in the university town of Uppsala, where over 100,000 people come to celebrate Valborg. Uppsala also features students rafting on the Fyrisån River through the town center with homemade, themed, decorated rafts, which usually break and collapse by the end of the race. Needless to say, this is a giant celebration and especially good for those looking to party.

I didn’t go to Uppsala, though. I went to the more traditional Valborg celebration in Skansen. Skansen is an area in Stockholm with a traditional village, zoo, garden, and hiking trails. During Valborg, they have traditional dancing, music, vendors, and of course, a big bonfire. I enjoyed the music and dancing even though I didn’t understand what they were saying. Before the bonfire is lit, there was a very long speech about the coming spring, the holiday’s history, and how the bonfire helps chase away evil spirits. The Swedes seemed as bored as I was, and when the bonfire lighting began, the crowd erupted with joy. After all, the fire was pretty amazing:

The music is a Swedish folk song by Yvonne Roome. If you want to see more of my travel videos, check out my YouTube page.

Get My Complete Guide for Budget Travelers!

For more in-depth coverage of Stockholm, my 80-page guidebook is perfect for budget travelers like you! It cuts out the fluff found in other guides and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You’ll find suggested itineraries and budgets; ways to save money; popular and off-the-beaten-path things to see and do; non-touristy restaurants, markets, and bars; and much more! Click here to learn more and purchase the book.

And Then, I Didn’t Move to Stockholm…

Posted: 08/13/2012 | August 13th, 2012

Remember how I’ve been talking about moving to Sweden since the beginning of the year? Remember when I moved to Stockholm last month? Even though it was only going to be for a few months, I was very excited to relocate to Sweden. I mean, it’s beautiful, it’s clean, the people are nice (and beautiful), the quality of life is great, and did I mention the people here are beautiful? Plus, I was looking forward to learning Swedish, having my own kitchen, and joining a gym.

Well, as you can probably guess from the title of this blog post, I’m not moving to Stockholm anymore.

What happened?

I became the latest victim of Sweden’s crappy housing system. In Sweden, they don’t build apartments to meet demand, so there are always more people who want a place than places exist. This is especially true in Stockholm since most people want to live here. For Swedes, if you want to rent a place, you have to get on a list. There’s also a minimum number of points you need, which determines your place on the list. Or the type of place you can get.

I’m not really sure.

It’s all very confusing. I have no idea how Swedes “get” points. I just know that miracles are usually involved. One of my friends had her sister rent an apartment for her because her sister had “points.” One of the girls who works at my hostel just put herself and her fiancé on this list. They’ll be first in line to get the next available place 15 years from now. It’s so bad, people will put their newborns on the list so they can have an apartment by the time they become adults.

Why is it this way? No idea. Even the Swedes complain about it, and they seem to be at a loss to explain the system to me. “It’s just the way it is,” they say. The right-leaning, more market-based party doesn’t want to change the laws any time soon either. Add the fact that Stockholm doesn’t build new places to meet demand, and you have a recipe for a city with no housing. Sure, this keeps the city old and historic, but it’s a pain the ass. I don’t understand why they don’t throw up some high-rises on the outskirts of town where people might not notice so much.

This housing crunch leads to a huge secondary market, where the owner rents their place out to others at a much higher price. Sometimes the renter then turns around and rents it to someone else for even more money!

So that’s the first problem I’m facing.

The second is that I’m only here until November, and most apartments want a longer commitment than that. (Or they only want a month, and I have no desire to be on the constant hunt for a new apartment every month.) Third, I’m not Swedish, and I think that hurts too, though I can’t prove it.

Over the last month, I’ve found a few places, but they were either too short-term or too expensive, or the owners fell through.

One of the reasons I wanted to move to Stockholm is because I want to settle down, have some roots, build a routine, go to the gym, and do all that other “normal” stuff people do. But after a month here, I find myself in stasis. I’m not moving forward, and without a firm place to live, I don’t want to put money into a gym or Swedish classes.

And with time wasting away, I decided that it’s better to just move on. It’s disappointing, but I can’t sit around forever. Some of my Swedish friends spend months looking for an apartment before they find one. I don’t have that luxury. While it would have been nice to be here, I take comfort in the fact that I tried. I didn’t take the easy road and stay in New York. I took a chance. When you break out of your comfort zone, that’s always a success — no matter what the outcome.

I have no regrets.

On September 2, I’m flying to Portugal for a few weeks before going to Spain. I have two conferences in September: one in Portugal, another in Spain. After that, I’ll head to southern France and then Copenhagen. I have a flight booked to the United States on October 10. I haven’t decided if I’ll be on it or if I’ll change the dates, but for now, I’m going to do a little traveling.

I’m looking forward to putting down some roots, but it looks like that’s just going to have to wait a bit longer. On the flip side, it looks like I’m heading home sooner than expected.

And I’m really OK with that.

Get the In-Depth Budget Guide to Stockholm!

For more in-depth coverage of Stockholm, my 80 page guidebook is perfect for budget travelers like you! It cuts out the fluff found in other guides and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. You’ll find suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to save money, on and off the beaten path things to see and do, non-touristy restaurants, markets, and bars, and much more!! Click here to learn more and get started.

Book Your Trip to Sweden: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight to Sweden by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Book Your Accommodation
My favorite places to stay in Stockholm are City Backpackers and Skanstulls Hostel. To book another hostel in Sweden, use Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

Want More Information on Sweden?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Sweden for even more planning tips!

The Swedish Birthday Party

As I sat in my tuxedo, taking another sip of Swedish schnapps, I turned to the girl next to me and whispered:

“Why are there so many speeches?”

“At birthday parties like this, it’s common in Swedish culture for people to get up and say nice things,” she said. She paused, looking as the speaker regaled us with stories about the birthday boy, and then leaned into my ear again: “It happens so much that when my parents threw a 65th birthday party, they specifically said ‘no speeches’ because they were tired of hearing the same thing and just wanted to drink.”

Annika, sporting de rigueur Swedish features –  blonde hair, blue eyes, and eyebrows that would make Cara Delevingne jealous – was giving me an intro to Swedish birthday celebrations. Just when the night’s speeches seemed to draw to a conclusion, another person stood up to talk about Erik, the night’s honored guest.

Like me, Erik loves any excuse to throw a swanky party, and, as 30 is a big deal in his family, used it to throw a black tie affair that could compete with a museum gala. Though his birthday is in January, he planned the celebration for July, because, as he so accurately put it, “Who wants to be outside in Sweden in January?!”

The event was held in Stockholm’s Djurgården. Djurgården is one of the largest islands in the city, home to Gröna Lund amusement park, the Vasa Museum, the ABBA Museum, and Skansen (an open-air museum of pre-industrial Swedish life). But, more than its museums, this island is famed for its plethora of running trails and gardens. When the weather is warm and the sun shines, Swedes can be found swarming all over this green oasis.

As I stepped out of my Uber on the far end of Djurgården and followed a tiny stone path, I came to Rosendals Trädgård, a greenhouse-like restaurant where dinner would be held. The city seemed a world away in this farm-like setting with rustic buildings and an orchard. Jaunting down another path, I turned into the orchard, where I saw dozens of other people in tuxedos, ball gowns, and suits. It felt more like a wedding than a birthday party. There, with the sun bright overhead and the wind carrying the smell of flowers, we drank, introduced ourselves to each other, and swapped stories about Erik.

Following the Swedish tradition of sitting single guests next to members of the opposite sex, I found myself paired with the afore mentioned Annika, my Swedish cultural liaison for the evening.

In the U.S., birthday parties don’t frequently feature multiple speeches. There’s a toast, and maybe someone says something nice, but a parade of speeches is often reserved for bigger events — weddings, retirements, engagements, and anniversaries. A 30th birthday typically doesn’t fall into the endless speech category.

As the night progressed, there were drinking songs sung, toasts proffered, bottles of wine consumed, language tips given, and dances danced. The horrible schnapps got easier to drink with each toast, and the meal – made of all local ingredients — became a blur of dishes designed to keep us somewhat sober.

In the Swedish summer, when the sun has barely set a midnight, the constant light beckoned us to stay out longer. So when it started to rise again at 2am and the staff shooed us out the door, we moved the party to a friend’s house before finally stumbling to our respective homes around 6am.

Swedes are often thought of as a cold people — and there is some truth to that. An outwardly stoic culture, Swedes often joke about how they will go out of their way to avoid talking to their neighbors. Striking up conversations with strangers is seen as equally odd.

But underneath that hard exterior, you’ll find a people that are deeply loyal and loving of their friends and family.

Attending Erik’s party reminded me how a simple thing like a birthday party can be a window into a culture. When you witness first-hand how people come together to celebrate, you often see how that culture values relationships.

For example, years ago, I attended a birthday party in Cambodia. It was a free-flowing event that focused so much on the food and the shared meal that it made me really appreciate just how central food was to that culture and how meals were used as a way to strengthen bonds between people.

This night, though, as I watched Erik’s brother recite a poem and his friends sing his favorite drinking songs, I discovered the unreserved side of Swedes. Here, everyone talked about how wonderful my friend was — not to grow his ego but to show their love and appreciation for him and for having him in their lives.

And, as I saw the smile on everyone’s faces and the joy in Erik’s eyes, I thought maybe this was a birthday tradition worth spreading around the world.

P.S. – If you’re going to Stockholm, I just updated my budget guidebook to the city based off my last month stay there! You’ll find suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to save money, on and off the beaten path things to see and do, non-touristy restaurants, bars, and much more!! Click here to learn more.

All photos by Erik’s brother Karl!