Swedish traditions and holidays. Swedish cultural heritage Swedish culture

20.06.2023

The kingdom occupies the eastern and southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula and the islands of Öland and Gotland in the Baltic Sea. In the west it borders with Norway, in the northeast with Finland, in the east and south it is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea, separating from Denmark in the south.

The name of the country comes from the Scandinavian svear-rige - “state of the Svens”.

Official name: Kingdom of Sweden (Konungariket Sverige).

Capital:

The area of the land: 450.5 thousand sq. km

Total Population: 9.3 million people

Administrative division: Sweden is divided into 24 counties.

Form of government: A constitutional monarchy.

Head of State: King.

Population composition: 91% are Swedes, 3% are Finns, Sami, Norwegians, Danes, people from the former Yugoslavia, Greeks, Turks. For many centuries the country was ethnically very homogeneous, consisting of Swedes and Sami themselves.

Official language: Swedish, Finnish, Meänkieli and Sami are also spoken.

Religion: 87% are Lutheran, there are also Catholics, Orthodox, Baptists, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists.

Internet domain: .se

Mains voltage: ~230 V, 50 Hz

Country dialing code: +46

Country barcode: 730-739

Climate

Since the territory of Sweden has a significant extent in the submeridional direction, in the north of the country it is much colder and the growing season is shorter than in the south. The length of day and night varies accordingly. However, in general Sweden has a higher frequency of sunny and dry weather than many other countries in North-West Europe, especially in winter.

Despite the fact that 15% of the country is located beyond the Arctic Circle, and all of it is located north of 55° N, due to the influence of winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean, the climate is quite mild. Such climatic conditions are favorable for the development of forests, comfortable living for people and more productive agriculture than in continental regions located at the same latitudes. Throughout Sweden, winters are long and summers are short.

In Lund in the south of Sweden, the average temperature in January is 0.8 ° C, in July 16.4 ° C, and the average annual temperature is 7.2 ° C. In Karesuando in the north of the country the corresponding indicators are -14.5 ° C, 13.1 ° C and –2.8° C. Snow falls annually throughout Sweden, but snow cover in Skåne lasts only 47 days, while in Karesuando it lasts 170–190 days. Ice cover on lakes lasts on average 115 days in the south of the country, 150 days in the central regions and at least 200 days in the northern regions. Off the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, freeze-up begins around mid-November and lasts until the end of May. Fog is common in the northern Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia.

Average annual precipitation ranges from 460 mm on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea and the far north of the country to 710 mm on the west coast of southern Sweden. In the northern regions it is 460–510 mm, in the central regions – 560 mm, and in the southern regions – slightly more than 580 mm. The greatest amount of precipitation falls at the end of summer (in some places there is a second maximum in October), the least - from February to April. The number of days with stormy winds ranges from 20 per year on the west coast to 8–2 on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia.

Geography

Sweden is located in Northern Europe, in the eastern and southern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. In the west, Sweden borders on Norway, in the north-east on Finland, and on the east and south it is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. In the south, the straits Öresund, Kattegat and Skagerrak separate Sweden from Denmark. Sweden includes two large islands in the Baltic - Gotland and Öland.

The terrain of the country is elevated, the northwestern part of the country is mountainous (the highest point is Mount Kebnekaise, 2111 m) and is framed on the east by a vast plateau; in the south the terrain is flatter and abounds in rivers and lakes (there are almost 90 thousand reservoirs in the country). Most of the country is covered with forests; in the north, vast areas are occupied by the tundra zone of Swedish Lapland. The coastline is heavily indented and abounds with skerries and island groups. The area of the country is 450 thousand square meters. km.

Flora and fauna

Vegetable world

Based on the nature of natural vegetation in Sweden, there are five main areas confined to certain latitudinal zones:

1) alpine region, combining the northernmost and most elevated areas, with a predominance of colorful short grass and dwarf forms of shrubs;

2) an area of crooked birch forest, where squat trees with strongly curved trunks grow - mainly birch, less often aspen and rowan;

3) the northern region of coniferous forests (the largest in the country) - with a predominance of pine and spruce;

4) the southern region of coniferous forests (largely cleared); in the surviving massifs, oak, ash, elm, linden, maple and other broad-leaved species are mixed with coniferous species;

5) area of beech forests (almost not preserved); in these forests, along with beech, there are oak, alder and, in some places, pine.

In addition, azonal vegetation is widespread. Lush meadow vegetation grows around the lakes, and swamps with specific flora are common in some places. On the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea, halophytic communities (plants growing on saline soils) are common.

Animal world

In Sweden there are such forest inhabitants as elk, brown bear, wolverine, lynx, fox, marten, squirrel, and mountain hare. American mink and muskrat were brought from North America several decades ago for breeding in fur farms, but some individuals escaped and formed quite viable populations in nature, which quickly spread throughout the country (excluding some islands and the far north) and displaced a number of local animal species from their ecological niches. There are still wild reindeer in northern Sweden.

Ducks, geese, swans, gulls, terns and other birds nest along the shores of seas and lakes. The rivers are home to salmon, trout, perch, and in the north – grayling.

Attractions

The country is abundantly endowed with natural beauties and attractions - the green fields of the south of the country and the harsh tundra of Lapland, the green hills of the west and the wooded cliffs of Norrbotten, the picturesque islands and skerries of the south and the calm shores of the Gulf of Bothnia, a huge lake system and a lot of wild animals - all this attracts a huge amount to the country. number of tourists. And its rich history and beautiful cities will allow you to get acquainted with the unique culture of the country.

Banks and currency

Swedish krona. 1 crown is equal to 100 ore. In circulation there are banknotes in denominations of 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10 crowns and coins in 10, 5, 1 crown and 50 öre.

Banks are open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 to 15:00, and on Thursday from 9:30 to 17:30. Exchange offices at airports, train stations, and marinas are open seven days a week.

Currency exchange is carried out in banks, exchange offices and post offices.

Useful information for tourists

Regular store opening hours are from 10.00 to 18.00 on weekdays and from 10.00 to 15.00 on Saturdays. Many shops are also open on Sunday. Large department stores are open every day, but on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays they have shorter working hours. In July, the “industrial holidays” begin (until mid-August), when all enterprises are closed and institutions operate in a “saving” mode.

National holidays. Somewhere in the depths of every Swede's character lives a bear. Not a scary, shaggy brown beast, but a creature immersed in hibernation, constantly waiting for spring.

Meeting the onset of spring with somewhat exaggerated optimism, the Swedes consider the Easter holiday to be the first sign of its approach. Despite the sacred nature of the holiday and the bright image of spring, the Swedes made the Easter witch - an aunt of an unusually scary appearance and with a feisty face - a symbol of this period. According to legend, early in the morning she flies out with a black cat on her back, riding her broom, on which a teapot dangles, to meet the devil himself in a nice place called Bldkulla (Blue Mountain). Some say that on these aerial excursions she flies into nurseries to smack some of the little ones on the bottom with a broom before giving them papier-mâché eggs filled with marzipan sweets. After the adoption of the law on the inadmissibility of spanking children, Easter sweets are given to them for nothing.

Spring truly begins in Sweden after Walpurgis Night at the end of April 30th. On this day, thousands of students in white caps pour out into the streets and wander through them, singing an old school song about their glorious and carefree future. The song was clearly composed long before the queues at the labor exchange and for unemployment benefits appeared. And in the evening, at dusk, Swedes all over the country gather on the tops of hills and mounds, light huge bonfires there and crowd around them, encouraging each other with patriotic speeches.

Unlike other peoples of Western Europe, the Swedes celebrate the meeting of summer - the May Day - in June. As expected, colorful “May poles” are erected on this day. Their May holiday falls on the day of the summer solstice, or rather at night, since most of the entertainment takes place under the cover of darkness. This is a triumph of love, new life and flesh completely invigorated after the spring awakening. The famous aquavit is not only the spirit of this holiday, but the most popular of all methods of stimulation. The Swedes indulge in all the fun, dancing on the shore and piers to the squeal of violins and the neighing of accordions. In many countries, dancing is a vertical method of satisfying horizontal needs, but in Sweden it is only an aperitif.

In August, Swedes gather in a small circle during parties to eat crayfish caught in freshwater reservoirs. If the weather permits, dinner takes place outdoors, in the garden by candlelight or the light of garden lanterns. Previously, those gathered had fun catching small crayfish, flexible as Swedish tanks. Nowadays, Sweden imports most of the crayfish consumed in the country in frozen form. They are unceremoniously thrown into boiling water, in which they, like the lobsters, turn red. Their smell, which, if you are lucky, can be described as quite subtle, is almost not felt after hefty doses of aquavit flowing like a river, which exposes the olfactory receptors (as well as all others) to anesthesia.

But the most famous Swedish holiday is, of course, Santa Lucia. This day is dedicated to Saint Lucia, a bright blonde with hair decorated with candles. Every year, in the early morning of December 13, while it is still dark, she, along with her retinue of young hot Swedish boys and girls, dressed, like herself, in only panties and nightgowns, begins to walk in the cold and snow, without any fear of catching a cold. This cheerful company goes from house to house and wakes up residents with angelic songs, rewarding those who rise from sleep with hot coffee and gingerbread. This holiday is pagan in origin, and until the 18th century it was quite scandalous, until it was somehow combined with the Italian holiday of St. Lucia, which gave it religious respectability.

This virgin was known for her piety and chastity. And when her admirer told her how beautiful her eyes were, she tore them out and gave them to him on a silver tray. The legend goes on to say that her sight returned, and for this she was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to be burned. However, the heavens protected her, and the flames did not dare to touch her body. And then it was decided to behead her. Protected from the elements, she died at human hands.

Christmas in Sweden begins to be celebrated on Christmas Eve, December 24th. The fathers of Swedish families disappear for a while into the back rooms, and then appear before their households and children in the garb of Santa Claus and with a bag full of gifts. This method of distributing Christmas gifts is based on a deep penetration into child psychology: before giving a gift, the kids need to be properly scared. The dress-up trick serves this purpose. The little scoundrels must first be taught a lesson so that they understand that nothing in the world comes for free. And they remember it for the rest of their lives.

At Christmas, Swedes drink mulled wine or grog. The Swedish version of this type of drink is called glogg. The name imitates the sound made when swallowing. Some prefer an enhanced version of grog, the hidden energy of which is capable of launching a spaceship into orbit. The recipe for this drink is as follows. Take four bottles of cheap red wine, pour a couple of bottles of pure alcohol into this amount, add lemon and orange zest, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, raisins and almonds, turn off the light and set the whole mixture on fire. The burning grog is poured into glasses with a ladle, and with some skill this can be done without spilling liquid fire on the laps of the guests.

Swedes celebrate the New Year with gaiety worthy of decorating any funeral. At the very time when the rest of humanity is fooling around in jester's hats, the Swedes sit decorously in front of television screens and listen with bated breath to the solemn verses that the reader proclaims in the television studio. At the end of this ceremony, the room is filled with the sound of bells coming from a nearby church, which comes into counterpoint with the sounds of champagne bottles being opened. Exactly at midnight, the whole company gets up, raises their glasses of foaming wine, and with feeling and tears in their eyes, everyone present wishes each other a happy new year.

Country of Christian denominations. Most of the population are Lutherans and Protestants. There are no prohibitions on other religions.

Sweden has a Lutheran business ethic. As a rule, local residents are punctual, hardworking, and responsible. A tourist in the company of Swedes will be bored, since it is not customary here to tell strangers about yourself. Local residents are reserved and difficult to talk to.

Rules of conduct for tourists

When in Sweden for tourism purposes or on a business trip, you should follow the generally accepted rules:

A business meeting. If you plan to discuss work issues with a Swede, you should arrange a meeting in advance. Local residents do not tolerate fuss. They make plans in advance, plan business trips several days in advance, and find out the list of guests for receptions. Being late for a meeting by more than 3-5 minutes is unacceptable.
Communication. Swedes value the knowledge and experience of a business partner. You will be taken more seriously if you demonstrate proficiency in multiple languages (English and German).
Traffic Laws. Drunk driving is prohibited. While driving, you can only use low beam headlights; this rule does not depend on the time of day. All vehicle passengers must wear seat belts. This even applies to those sitting in the back seat (if possible).
Smoking. Smoking in public places and in transport is strictly prohibited. This can be done in restaurants, offices, shops, as well as in places specially designed for this purpose.
Business conversation. In Sweden, friendships play a significant role. You can continue discussing work matters over dinner or at the theater.
Behavior at a party. It is impolite to visit without an invitation. During lunch, it is not customary to drink until the host of the table makes a toast.
Maintaining order. When walking down the street, try not to throw trash on the road. For violation of cleanliness you face a significant fine.
Fishing. You can't fish everywhere. The lakes Vättern, Vänern, Elmaren and Mälaren are open for fishing. To visit other bodies of water, you must obtain special permission from a sports store or local information office.
Camping. When going out into nature, remember that you cannot cross the territory of nature reserves without permission, break branches or cut down trees, drive a car into the forest where there is no road, light a fire, or enter privately owned plots of land.
Cell phones. The use of mobile phones is prohibited in theaters, museums, and in places with signs depicting a crossed out phone.
Alcohol. Sweden has strict controls on alcoholic beverages. They can only be purchased in specialized “Systembolaget” stores from Monday to Thursday. Bringing alcohol with you to cafes or restaurants is strictly prohibited, as is drinking it on the street and in other public places.
Toilets. In Sweden, most toilets are paid. The average cost of using the booths is 5 CZK. They can be used free of charge in cafes and restaurants. The maintenance staff should be notified in advance as the door to the toilet may be closed.

Holidays

Official holidays and non-working days:

January 1 - New Year is celebrated;
January 5 - Epiphany;
End of March - Easter;
May 1 - Labor Day;
The beginning of May is Ascension Day;
Mid-May - Spiritual Day and Trinity;
June 6 - Swedish Independence Day is celebrated;
End of June - Midsummer;
November, first week - All Saints' Day;
December 24 - Christmas Eve is celebrated;
December 25-25 - Christmas.

In addition to official holidays, Sweden also regularly hosts numerous fairs, exhibitions and film festivals, many of which are very interesting for tourists.

Demography

The average life expectancy for men is 78.6 years, for women - 83.3 years. 90% of Sweden's population lives in communes of no more than 2,000 inhabitants. Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö are the most densely populated areas of the country.

Ethnic composition

In addition to the Swedes, more than 17 thousand Sami, more than 50 thousand native Finns, as well as more than 450 thousand ethnic Finns who immigrated to the country during the 20th century, as well as their descendants, live in Sweden. 91% are Swedish, 4% other Scandinavian nationalities and 5% immigrants.

Sweden, being a country of emigration back in the 20th century, has now become a country primarily of immigration. Modern Swedish society can rightfully be called multicultural, that is, socially heterogeneous, including representatives of various ethnic groups and cultures. Historically, Sweden has always been an ethnically homogeneous country, the majority of the population was Swedes and an ethnic minority - the Sami, who roamed the territory of Northern Europe in the 18th-19th centuries, and now live in the north of the country.

About 9.3 million people live in Sweden itself. The mid-19th century until the 1930s was a period of mass emigration, people leaving the country in search of prosperity due to poverty, religious persecution, lack of faith in a happy future, political restrictions, a sense of adventure and in the wake of the “gold rush” " During World War I, emigration slowed due to restrictions on immigration to the United States.

After World War II, Sweden becomes a country of immigration. Before the war, the country remained ethnically homogeneous; during the war, the bulk of immigrants were refugees; in the 1930s, Swedes returning from the United States immigrated to the country. From the 1930s to the present day, with the exception of a few years in the 1970s, immigration has exceeded emigration. In the 1950s and 60s, a large flow of immigrants poured into the country due to the growth of industry, the need for labor resources, as well as a large number of war refugees from Germany, Scandinavian neighbors, and the Baltic states. Many of them subsequently returned to their homeland, more remained, especially for immigrants from the Baltic states. In the post-war period, the country replenished its labor force with immigrants from other parts of Scandinavia, Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy and Turkey. Since the late 60s, regulated immigration has been introduced in Sweden.

In the 1980s, there was an influx of refugees seeking asylum across Western Europe from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Eritrea. By the end of the decade, refugees from Somalia, Kosovo and some former Eastern European states began to join the queue of asylum seekers. Thus, at the present stage of development, we can confidently call Sweden a country of immigration. About 15% of Sweden's population has either immigrated to the country or is growing up in immigrant families. Thanks to these new Swedes, the previously monolingual Swedish society with a homogeneous ethnic structure became a multicultural and international society. Today, every fifth citizen of the country is of foreign origin. To clearly see the increase in immigration processes in the country, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the population growth in 2007 by 75% (1.2 million foreigners lived in Sweden in 2007) consisted of an immigration influx into the country, and only 25% of the population increased due to the birth rate in the country. There has been a percentage increase in immigrants from Iraq, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland.

Under the influence of immigration flows, society itself changed, as well as the economic situation in the country, and it is worth recognizing that the impact of immigrants on the economy can be assessed as ambiguous, since it has both positive and negative consequences. Regarding social stability, there are also many problems in this area related to ethnic and cultural diversity and the integration of immigrants into Swedish society. It is important to take into account that the government is taking steps to improve the situation in the country, improving legislation, creating specialized structures dealing with this issue, and developing strategies for tolerance between ethnic and cultural groups within the state. The goal of the Swedish government is to achieve harmony, real political, cultural, social equality and equality among different groups of the population. This is why the policy of multiculturalism is being implemented, but its implementation is accompanied by a number of social problems, which leads to a revision of the state’s immigration policy, its goals and directions. In this regard, immigration legislation is changing, new bills are being adopted and amendments are being made to existing laws. The procedure for accepting immigrants into the country, obtaining refugee status, issuing residence permits, employment, etc. is changing. Most immigrants live in the agglomerations of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö.

Languages

The de facto language is Swedish, which belongs to the group of Germanic languages, related to the Norwegian and Danish languages, from which it differs slightly grammatically and lexically. There are strong differences in phonetics with the Danish language, which prevents free understanding. The country, however, does not have an official language - since Swedish is dominant, the question of recognizing it as official has never been raised.

The majority of the population speaks English quite well. Moreover, some television channels broadcast in English with subtitles in Swedish.

The languages of national minorities are Sami, Meänkieli, Finnish, Roma and Yiddish. The first three of these can be used in state and municipal offices, courts, kindergartens and nursing homes in parts of Norrbotten County.

Religion

The majority (79%) of believers (or 70% of the population) belong to the Church of Sweden - a Lutheran church separated from the state in 2000.

The number of Orthodox Christians is estimated at 94 thousand people (about 1% of the population). A significant part of them are Serbs, Greeks, Romanians, Russians, but there are also small communities of Orthodox Finns, Estonians, and Georgians. The number of Jehovah's Witnesses is 22,426 people of different nationalities.

Sweden is home to between 250 and 450 thousand Muslims who appeared as a result of immigration, and more than 18 thousand Jews. There are also Catholics and Baptists in the country. Some Sami profess animism.

Education in Sweden

The modern Swedish education system provides for uniform compulsory education, which children begin at age 7. More than 95% continue their education at the gymnasium, where they can choose theoretical or professional-practical lines of study. There are more than 30 higher education institutions in Sweden, of which about 1/3 are universities.

The oldest university in Sweden is Uppsala University, founded in 1477. Sweden is one of the countries in the world that has a large proportion of international students. According to the OECD, in 2010, graduate students from 80 countries were studying in Sweden, and 7.5% of students were foreign, a figure that has risen sharply over the years. Education in Sweden is free, and with a few exceptions this also applies to foreign students. 4.9% of GDP is allocated to education in Sweden - one of the highest rates among OECD countries.

However, since 2011, tuition fees have been introduced for international students, although there will be no tuition fees for those admitted in 2010.

The science

Main article: Science in Sweden

See also: Botany in Sweden, Zoology in Sweden and Geology and Mineralogy in Sweden

Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) - physician and naturalist, founder of the scientific classification of living organisms. Born on May 23, 1707 in Roshult in the province of Småland in the family of a village pastor.
Anders Jonas Angström (1814-1874) - Swedish astrophysicist, one of the founders of spectral analysis.
Carl Siegbahn (1886-1978) - physicist, founder of X-ray spectroscopy, Nobel Prize laureate.
Peter Artedi (1705-1735) - naturalist ichthyologist who made a major contribution to the taxonomy of fish and cataloging the largest ichthyological collections in Europe.
Erik Ivar Fredholm (1866-1927) - mathematician, one of the founders of the theory of integral equations.
Magnus Gösta Mittag-Leffler (1846-1927) - mathematician, founder of the journal Acta Mathematica, specialized in the theory of analytic functions.
Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) - Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor of dynamite, founder of the Nobel Prize.

Culture

Traditions

The origin of Swedish surnames has a distinctive and interesting history. The names given to children could be related to natural themes. In the 21st century, surnames in Sweden are regulated by a law from 1986, and the child is given the surname of the mother, not the father.

Holidays

Easter

One of the most popular holidays, in particular because spring turns into summer these days, and daffodils, white anemones and the first birch leaves give hope for warmer days.

Walpurgis Night

The celebration of Walpurgis Night marks the final arrival of spring (although the weather often tries to deny this), and this, of course, needs to be celebrated. All over Sweden on the evening of April 30, people gather in their thousands, light large bonfires and enjoy spring songs performed by choirs (usually male ones). Sweden is one of the most singing countries, and such an opportunity to perform is hard to miss. The origins of these fires are a bit mysterious. Perhaps in this way they scared away wild animals from the herds, which at that time were taken out to pasture; Perhaps they were doing this to scare away witches, or maybe they were just warming themselves up.

Summer Solstice Festival

Midsommar (Swedish) Midsommar), or the summer solstice holiday, falls at the end of June and is celebrated on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice. By this time, the sun's rays have already reached the northernmost corners of the country, and the sun no longer sets beyond the Arctic Circle. The celebration begins the night before, when girls should pick flowers of seven different types and put them under their pillows, and then they will dream about their betrothed. Decorate with the remaining flowers "maypole", wreaths are woven from them - both for people and for houses. Arraignment "maypole"- a signal for the start of traditional round dances accompanied by violin, accordion and guitar.

Night before Christmas

In Sweden, Santa Claus comes on December 24 - and already quite late in the day, according to the children, because before unwrapping the gifts, you need to devote a lot of time to communication and feasting. The Christmas buffet is a foodie's paradise. The main dish is Christmas ham, most often baked, with grilled sauce, which includes mustard and breadcrumbs. The traditional Christmas drink in Sweden is Julmust.

Saint Lucia's Day

Celebrated on December 13th. Traditionally, children prepare breakfast for their parents (homemade cookies and hot chocolate) and, dressed in finery (girls in white dresses, and boys in a stargazer costume), congratulate the older generation. Special songs are performed during “Lucia”. It is also customary that on this day schoolchildren visit their teachers in the morning.

Music

Classical, academic music

Swedish classical music reached its first peak in creativity Juhana Helmika Rumana- Swedish composer of the late Baroque, the first major composer in the history of Sweden, who also studied in London, including with Handel.

Swedish academic music reached an even greater flourishing in the era of Romanticism, when composers in their compositions paid attention to borrowing Swedish folk motifs, personified the sea, the North, Swedish traditions and holidays in music to give the music a specifically Swedish character. Many Swedish Romantic composers bear similarities to German and French composers of the era. This is also the flowering of sacred, church and organ music.

In Russia, Swedish academic music is known mainly as symphonic music, but in general it is little known and extremely rarely performed, which is mainly due to the shortage of sheet music by Swedish composers, whose works are rarely published in Russia and are mainly included in the sheet music collections of Scandinavian composers. There is the possibility of ordering sheet music online, but due, again, to the little known nature of this wide heritage of Swedish instrumental music, this possibility remains unaddressed.

Among the world's famous Swedish composers are:

Karl Michael Bellman (1740-1795)
Franz Berwald (1796-1868)
Otto Lindblad (1809-1864)
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger (1867-1942)
Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927)
Hugo Alven (1872-1960)
Allan Pettersson (1911-1980)

and others.

Composers-organists:

Otto Ohlson (1879-1964)
Elfriede Andree (1841-1929)

Opera singers:

Einar Anderson (1909-1989)
Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005)
Jussi Björling (1911-1960)
Malena Ernman (b. 1970)
Katharina Karneus

Pop music

The most famous musical groups (in the genre of popular music) in Sweden: ABBA, Roxette, Ace of Base, Army of Lovers, Robyn, Vacuum, Secret Service, The Cardigans, Covenant, Yaki-Da, Style, Basic Element. And also performers: E-Type, Pandora, September, Dr. Alban, Darin, Eric Saade, Bosson, Danny Saucedo, Arash, JJ Johansson, Basshunter, Lykke Li, Sally Shapiro, Shanghai, Velvet, Loreen, Charlotte Perelli, Carola , Molly Sanden.

A number of Swedish music projects with less emphasis on popular music have become quite famous in recent years. Such groups include Tim Sköld, The Ark, The Hives, Mando Diao, Sugarplum Fairy, The Sounds, Refused, Millencolin, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, iamamiwhoami, The Knife, Fever Ray, Sahara Hotnights, The Hellacopters, Timoteij, Anna Bergendahl, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Kent, Infinite Mass, Movits!, Timbuktu, Little Dragon, Bondage Fairies, Looptroop and Airbase (Jezper Söderlund), Alcazar.

Metal

Innovative guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen is one of the founders of neoclassical metal.

Europe is a legendary band playing in the style of Glam Metal.

Metal bands HammerFall, Sabaton, Evergrey, Pain are also very popular.

Sweden is widely known as the birthplace of many “heavy” and “dark” styles of metal music - melodic death metal (Arch Enemy, At the Gates, Dark Tranquility) and modern death metal (In Flames), doom metal (Candlemass, Draconian , Tiamat, Katatonia), progressive metal(Opeth, Pain of Salvation, Evergrey), symphonic metal(Therion), black metal (Marduk, Dark Funeral, Watain, Shining), depressive black metal(Silencer, Lifelover), pagan metal and viking metal (Bathory, Amon Amarth).

The most famous bands: Arch Enemy, Dark Funeral, Dark Tranquility, Silencer, Lifelover, Watain, Bathory, Edge of Sanity, Hypocrisy, Hammerfall, Deathstars, Dissection, Draconian, The Haunted, Katatonia, Marduk, Meshuggah, Naglfar, Opeth, Scar Symmetry , Soilwork, Tiamat, Vintersorg, Lake of Tears, In Flames, Sabaton, Sonic Syndicate, Dead by April, Lord Belial.

Progressive, folk, house

Among the progressive metal bands, the most famous are The Flower Kings, Kaipa and Pain of Salvation. In the 1960s, the Hootenanny Singers and Hep Stars were extremely popular in Sweden. The bands Garmarna and Hedningarna played in the style of Scandinavian folk rock in the 90s. Also internationally renowned is the a cappella group The Real Group.

Currently popular in electronic dance music are DJs and producers working in the house style and who are figuratively called the Swedish House Mafia. These are Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso Eric Prydz.

It is also worth noting such musicians as Avicii (Tim Berg), Alesso, StoneBridge, AN21, Sebjak and many others.

Post-rock

One of the most modern trends in Swedish (and progressive world) music is instrumental post-rock. The most famous groups: Ef, Jeniferever, Immanu el, Pg.lost.

Cinema

In the 20th century, Swedish culture was marked by the pioneering work of Moritz Stiller and Viktor Sjöström in the field of cinema. Actresses Greta Garbo, Tzara Leander, Ingrid Bergman and Anita Ekberg, actor Alexander Skarsgård, as well as actor, director, screenwriter and producer Dolph Lundgren made their careers abroad. Directors Ingmar Bergman and Boo Widerberg became laureates at prestigious film festivals. Recently, films by Lukas Moodysson have gained international recognition.

art

As in other Scandinavian countries, until the mid-19th century the visual arts lagged far behind central Europe. In Russia, Alexander Roslin, who worked for some time in St. Petersburg, became very famous. Then, mainly under the influence of French painting, Swedish painting developed and reached its peak by the beginning of the 20th century. The most recognizable Swedish artist and illustrator is Carl Larson, who has developed a unique style. Impressionism is represented by the paintings of Anders Zorn, famous for his depictions of nudes, Bruno Liljefors and landscapes of Prince Eugene. As in Scandinavia in general, symbolism is very well developed, the most prominent representative of which was Eugen Janson, who at the beginning of his creative activity painted characteristic dawn and sunset landscapes in blue tones. Ivar Arosenius depicted dimly lit interiors with human figures.

Literature

World famous Swedish authors include Carl Linnaeus, Emanuel Swedenborg, August Strindberg, Selma Lagerlöf, Wilhelm Muberg, Harry Martinson, Tumas Tranströmer and Astrid Lindgren. A. Strindberg (1849-1912) - a writer whose essentially realistic work absorbed the artistic achievements of modernism (historical dramas “Gustav Vasa”, “Eric XIV”, the novel “The Red Room”, collections of short stories, psychological novels “On the Spurs”, “Black Banners”, etc.); S. Lagerlöf (1858-1940), writer, best known for her children's book “The Wonderful Journey of Nils Holgersson through Sweden”; A. Lindgren (1907-2002) - author of stories about Malysh and Carlson and many other books for children imbued with humanism. The social detective novels of the contemporary Swedish writer Stieg Larsson (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who Played with Fire,” “The Girl Who Blew Up Castles in the Air”) became widely known.

Diplomats of the USSR and Russia in Sweden

Sweden has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on March 16, 1924). On December 19, 1991, the Kingdom of Sweden recognized the Russian Federation as a sovereign state, and diplomatic relations were established.

Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USSR and Russia to Sweden:

1926-1927 - Kollontai, Alexandra Mikhailovna 1971-1982 - Yakovlev, Mikhail Danilovich 1992-1997 - Grinevsky, Oleg Alekseevich 1997-2001 - Nikiforov, Alexey Leonidovich 2001-2005 - Sadchikov, Nikolai Ivanovich 2005-2009 - Kadakin, Alexander Mikhailovich 2009 - present. time - Neverov, Igor Svyatoslavovich

In its development, Swedish culture went through different stages and was influenced by various external and internal factors. First, being pagan, with the cult of the Asgardian gods, then Catholic, and during the years of the Reformation, accepting the ideas of Luther, the country nevertheless developed its own culture.

Swedish folk culture

The culture of any power, including Swedish culture– general concept. It includes - social movement, Lutheranism, Swedish self-confidence. All this determines the self-identification of the nation and the perception of Swedes by foreigners. Sweden- a country in which, since 1986, the baby is given the mother's surname. There was no serfdom in the kingdom and the peasantry, the largest part of the population, was always free and represented in the Riksdag. That very large variety that distinguishes culture country, due to the fact that in the Middle Ages the historical provinces were loosely connected with each other.

Religion of Sweden

In the kingdom, the Lutheran Church played a large role and was separated from the secular state only in 2000. Religion of Sweden quite tolerant of non-believers. There is a growing number of atheists, Muslims, Jews and even Orthodox Christians in the kingdom.

Economy of Sweden

With a GDP of $570 billion, although experiencing some decline, in 2014 it ranked 21st in the world.

Science in Sweden

Traditionally developed, it can be proud of such names as Carl Linnaeus, Anders Jonas Angström, Peter Artedi. The founder of the Nobel Prize, himself a very serious scientist, Alfred Nobel was also a Swede.

Swedish art

It has very deep historical roots and is quite modern. For example, the cinema of the kingdom is not only the classic Ingmar Bergman, but also Sussana Osten, Ricard Hubert, Carl Frederik Lukas Moodysson. The most famous in our country are the Swedish trilogy “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and the Swedish-Danish television series “The Bridge”.

Swedish cuisine

The use of melted lard instead of oil in cooking and its simplicity and satiety - that’s what makes it different.

Customs and traditions of Sweden

The Swedes are very conservative, so they are loved and respected in the kingdom. For example, Swedes traditionally drink little alcohol. Only 6 liters per year per person. In France 12 liters, in Russia 14 liters.

Sports in Sweden

He is very popular and famous -. The Swedish Sports Association has 22 thousand clubs and more than three million members, which is not bad for a country with a population of 9 million. Geography of Sweden more conducive to the development of various winter sports.