10 Things Not to Say to a Swedish-American

Scandinavian cultures are, unfortunately, not as well-integrated into American society as other, more common heritages found in the United States. Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians are among the happiest people in the world, so there's little modern emigration to the United States' "promised land."

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, the top five sending nations for 2012's inflow of legal residents are Mexico, China, India, Philippines, and the Dominican Republic. We're more fluent on these cultures because newly immigrated foreigners are more common in our neighborhoods.

But this highlights the ignorance we have on other world cultures. When I talk to people about my Swedish heritage, they're unfamiliarity with my culture causes them to draw on tired clichés. Take my advice, and broaden your horizons beyond these 10 things you shouldn't say to a Swedish-American:

1. "The Swedish Chef is my favorite Muppet!" Yes, I love the Muppets, too. Really, I believe that Fozzie and I are kindred spirits. But likening my connection to the fatherland with a farcical portrayal that mocks the language and people's phonology might not be the kindest thing. 
2. "You must, like, live at IKEA." Being in Salt Lake City, Utah, there aren't a lot of Swedish vendors around. IKEA is one of the few. But Swedes are more than cheap DYI furniture, and do, in fact, value quality and ethically made products. 
3. "Do you eat anything else besides Swedish meatballs, Swedish fish, and Swedish pancakes?" More things that I love. In fact, while writing this list, I was concurrently dining on köttbullar och potatis, or meatballs and potatoes. (Wednesday is Swedish night at my house). Swedish cuisine includes some of the most delicious meals and pastries you could imagine, but are relatively unknown to us Americans. And as part of this journey, we'll explore a few of those. 
4. "You must be a Viking!" While Sweden was certainly a part of the Viking glory of the olden days, that era ended in the 11th century. Were my predecessors seafaring Vikings? Most likely. But as 900 years spanned between the final days of Vikingdom and my family's sojourn across the Atlantic, that's like calling the British staple Yorkshire Pudding a "Scandinavian delicacy." 
5. Feeding on the Viking theme…"Do you wear a helmet with horns and metal bras?" No joke, this was asked by an incredibly intelligent individual with complete seriousness. No and no. 
6. "Ahhh, like Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls!" Blimey. 
7. "You're all pagans, aren't you?" Nope, paganism, for the most part, ended during the Viking era when Europe underwent a mass Christianization. Sweden, and Scandinavia as a whole, became predominantly Lutheran, the Church of Sweden being the nation's official sect of Lutheranism. But no, I am not now, nor have I ever been, pagan. 
8. "But you're not blond?" That's right, not all Swedes are blond haired, blue eyed cuties. Sweden has embraced multiculturalism, which means Swedish beaches aren't a sea of blondness.
9. "I'm practically Swedish; I drive a Volvo." Great! Support Swedish commerce! Enjoy those great safety features! But no, driving a Volvo makes you no more Swedish than my eating borscht makes me Ukrainian. 
10. "I love your music! And by music, I mean Abba." Did you know that Sweden is the world's top exporter of chart music in relation to GDP? That's right, they've given popular music more than just Abba and Mama Mia. 

What comes to your mind when you think about Swedish culture? 

Name and Title for Sweden's Newest Princess

Sweden's Princess Madeleine gave birth last Thursday to a healthy baby girl. Royal words of congratulations have been pouring in. And this sap has been eating tons of Princess Cake to celebrate. Now the unnamed princess, the second grandchild of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, is given a name and a title, which are as follows:

Her Royal Highness Princess Leonore Lilian Maria, the Duchess of Gotland.

HRH Princess Leonore, the Duchess of Gotland

Princess Leonore is a member of the House of Bernadotte, Sweden's royal family. She is 5th in line to the throne, following Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Estelle, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine.

The Royal Parents:
Mr. Christopher O'Neill and HRH Princess Madeleine

The announcement of names, style, and title were proclaimed by the king to his cabinet, which Marshall of the Real Svante Lindqvist then announced to the media. Also a part of the public announcement were Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Speaker Per Westerberg, and Mistress of the Robes Alice Trolle-Wachtmeister, who are Sweden's highest ranking non-royal officials.

Madeleine is the second daughter and third child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. She is married to Anglo-American Christopher O'Neill, a businessman. Madeleine and Christopher reside in New York City, where Madeleine works for World Childhood Foundation, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Queen Silvia.

Cultural 'Jante Law' Emphasizes Unity and Harmony

Self-gratification, bragging, and egotism aren't terms commonly used to describe the Swedish people. The Law of Jante (pronounced yawn-tee), debuted in Aksel Sandemose's 20th century novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks, sets a pattern of group behaviors that de-emphasize individual success and achievement while emphasizing contributing to the common and collective good.

Jante Law was absent in my millennial upbringing, as it was for most of my demographic. Elementary school taught us to love being unique and individual, honing our differences. My high school's theme during my freshman year was "Rise Above Mediocrity." College, graduate school, and my years in the professional workforce have illustrated the necessity of being the shining number one. But that's American culture, Sweden is different. 

Law of Jante consists of ten principles:

1. You're not to think you are special;
2. You're not to think you are as good as we; 
3. You're not to think you are smarter than we;
4. You're not to convince yourself that you are better than we are;
5. You're not to think you know more than we know;
6. You're not to think you are more important than we are;
7. You're not to think you are good at anything;
8. You're not to laugh at us;
9. You're not to think anyone cares about you;
10. You're not to think you can teach us anything;

While some might argue that these commandments are harsh, they're often referred to as "Jante's Sheild," which protects the Swedish people. By focusing on the us and we, individuals are a part of something bigger than you and I. Community needs, peace and harmony, uniformity, and social stability are considered greater than individual concerns. 

Perhaps not the American way, but it's done Sweden well. They were ranked the fourth happiest country in 2013 by Forbes, and is first in entrepreneurship and opportunity (the United States ranked the 11th in happiness and 24th in economy).

What are your thoughts? Would you welcome Jante Law into your life? 

Royal Wishes for New Swedish Princess

A weekend of celebration has gone by in honor of Sweden's newest little princess, the unnamed daughter of Princess Madeline and Chris O'Neill, who was born last Thursday (February 20, 2014). For one, I ate plenty of Prinsesstårta (Swedish Princess Cake…we'll learn how to make this cake on this blog…). 

The Kungahuset (Swedish Royal House) published royal congratulatory messages for their newest member. Here's what the Bernadottes (i.e. of the Swedish house of Bernadotte) had to say:

"We know today both happiness and warm thanks; our joy is great! We wish Princess Madeleine and Christopher peace and rest as they take advantage of this unique time with their little daughter."
- King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia (royal grandparents, parents of Madeleine)

"We are all very excited that Madeleine and Christopher have become parents. We look forward to seeing our newest little girl, especially Estelle, who is very curious about her new cousin. We wish them good luck!"

- Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Carl Philip (aunt and uncle, brother and sister of Madeleine)

Sweden's Future Queen Celebrates Second Birthday

Sweden's Princess Estelle celebrated her second birthday today. Second in line to the throne, Princess Estelle is the daughter of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, and the eldest grandchild of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

Grattis, Prinsessen Estelle!

Princess Estelle blows out the candles of her birthday cake while parents Prince Daniel
and Crown Princess Victoria look on. 

Holidays to Celebrate!

Just like everyone else, the Swedes love a good reason to celebrate, and their calendar is chock full of holidays, observances, and celebrations. Here are a few of the 2014 holidays that we'll be examining as we learn to be Swedish.

January 5 - Twelfth Night

January 28 - King Carl XVI Gustaf's Name Name

March 4 - Fat Tuesday (aka Shrove Tuesday)

March 5 - Ash Wednesday

March 25 - Waffle Day

April 1 - April Fools' Day

April 18 - Good Friday

April 20 - Easter

April 30 - Walpurgis Night

May 1 - May Day

May 25 - Mother's Day

May 29 - Ascension Day

June 6 - National Day

June 8 - Whit Sunday

June 20 - Midsummer Eve

June 21 - Midsummer Day

October 4 - Cinnamon Bun Day

October 31 - Halloween 

November 1 - All Saints' Day

November 6 - Gustavus Adolphus Day

November 9 - Father's Day

December 10 - Alfred Nobel Day

December 13 - St. Lucia Day

December 24 - Christmas Eve

December 25 - Christmas Day

December 26 - Boxing Day

December 31 - New Year's Eve

I know what you're thinking - we celebrate most of these days here in the US. True, but did you know Swedish children dress up as witches at Easter and that National Day is nothing like the American's Forth of July? And did you see that there are days dedicated to eating PASTRY!? We'll examine each holiday's culturally specific spin that make these observance classically Swedish. 

Are you ready? Fat Tuesday is coming up pretty soon...

News! Swedish Royal Birth

Breaking Swedish News…

HRH Princess Madeleine of Sweden gave birth to a daughter this evening at 10:41 EST, as announced by the royal court's marshal, Svante Lindqvist. The princess, who is also the Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, and husband Christopher O'Neill live in New York City, where she works for the World Childhood Foundation.

15 Facts About Sweden You Should Know

Starting off my public journey in learning to be a Swede, here are 15 quick facts about Sweden that you should know.

1. Officially known as "The Kingdom of Sweden;"
2. National anthem is "Du Gamla, Du Fria," (Thou Ancient, Thou Free);
3. Stockholm is the nation's capital and largest city;
4. Most Swedes belong to the Church of Sweden, a sect of the Lutheran faith;
5. Home of the Nobel Prize, celebrated on December 10th (Nobel Day), whose laureates are honored for their work in physics, medicine, chemistry, physiology, literature, and peace;
6. Swedes are waste conscious - only 1% of household waste ends up at a landfill and 95% of aluminum are recycled;
7. Sweden boasts the highest English proficiency in Europe;
8. Swedish parents are entitled to a generous 480 day parental leave;
9. The nation has a total of 95,700 lakes;
10. Sweden has won more than 600 Olympic gold medals: 475 from Summer Games and 135 from Winter Games;
11. Each year during Lent and Easter seasons, Swedes consume more than 40 million semla (marzipan and cream filled cardamom buns) each year;
12. Spanking and similar behaviors have been banned since 1979;
13. Sweden has a modern monarchy, led by King Carl XVI Gustaf, who has reigned since 1973;
14. In addition to a sovereign, Sweden has an elected prime minister, currently Fredrik Reinfeldt;
15. Considered one of the most child-friendly nations, children's rights continue to be one of the top concerns of government initiatives and nonprofit organizations;

Välkommen

Hi, my name is Matthew, and I'm a Swede. 

Välkommen!

No, I don't live in Sweden, nor was I born there. I'm a third generation Anglo-Swedish American yuppy. I don't speak Swedish, and I haven't yet visited the fatherland. I grew up with meatballs, lingonberries, potato sausage, and ostkaka. And I think it's time for me to learn what it means to be Swedish. 

Welcome to my journey into Swedish heritage. I've dubbed 2014 as my "learn what it means to be Swedish" year, and I've decided to share this learning experience with everyone around me. I invite you to join me as I discover my nordic culture.

I also invite you to share your thoughts and experiences, make suggestions and recommendations, and generally be a part of this experience. 

Hej då!

Matthew