Sweden

Sweden, a country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in northern Europe. The name Sweden was derived from the Svear, or Suiones, a people mentioned as early as 98 CE by the Roman author Tacitus. The country’s ancient name was Svithiod. Stockholm has been the permanent capital since 1523.

The flag of Sweden consists of a yellow or gold Nordic crosson a field of light blue. The Nordic cross design traditionally represents Christianity.

The krona is the official currency of Sweden.Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it but, especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value. In English, the currency is sometimes referred to as the Swedish crown, as krona literally means "crown" in Swedish.

Swedish sports

Swedes are very interested in sports, with nearly one-half of the country’s inhabitants belonging to sports clubs. Outdoor recreation is important throughout the year. Facilities for mountain hiking were developed by the Swedish Touring Club about the end of the 19th century. With miles of gently rolling white sand and some of the best windsurfing in the Baltic, the resort town of Ystad draws throngs of beachgoing Swedes each summer. Sweden is one of the foremost countries in winter sports, and facilities for skiing in particular have developed rapidly. Åre is a major centre of winter sports. Swedes have also made international reputations in tennis and golf, most notably Björn Borg and Annika Sörenstam, respectively. Traditional games include kubb, a form of lawn skittles, said to have been played in Sweden since Viking times.

Interesting Swedish foods

#1 Lingonberries go with anything

#2 Pickled herring – centre of the smorgasbord

#3 Crispbread

#4 Pea soup and pancakes

#5 Prinsesstårta – a royal indulgence

Fashion week in Sweden

Fashion week in Sweden began in 2005, and is where roughly thirty designers biannually display their new collections in a series of fashion shows. It takes place in the city of Stockholm at Berns and Bukowskis. Designers put on their own shows to showcase their lines for the upcoming season. A show typically displays the spring/summer line or the fall/winter line. Fashion Week gives buyers a chance to give publicity to and talk about the designers' pieces and the general public a preview of what to expect come the change of season. Fashion week in Sweden was called off in 2019, due to increasing demands in sustainability.

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. It has the most populous urban area in Sweden as well as in Scandinavia. 1 million people live in the municipality,[9] approximately 1.6 million in the urban area,[5] and 2.4 million in the metropolitan area.Stockholm is the cultural, media, political, and economic centre of Sweden.

Stockholm

One of the city's most prized museums, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited non-art museum in Scandinavia.

Education in Sweden

Education in Sweden is mandatory for children between ages 7 and 15. The school year in Sweden runs from mid/late August to early/mid June. The Christmas holiday from mid December to early January divides the Swedish school year into two terms.Preschool is free for low-income families and subsidized with a price ceiling for all families. The year children turn six they start the compulsory preschool class (förskoleklass), which act as a transition phase between preschool and comprehensive schools. Children between ages 7 and 15 attend comprehensive school where a wide range of subjects are studied. All students study the same subjects, with exception for different language choices. The majority of schools are run municipally, but there are also privately owned schools, known as independent schools.

Traditional dress in Sweden

Sverigedräkten

The present-day Swedish national folk dress, the Sverigedräkten, was designed and promoted by Marta Palme in 1903 to help promote a feeling of national pride. The colours, blue and yellow, are taken from the Swedish flag.

Music

The most popular music genre among the Swedish population is Pop. This was the result of a 2020 survey. The second most popular one was rock, according to 45 percent of respondents. Traditional folk music, as well as contemporary and art music were less liked, with fewer than ten percent of respondents.

Historical re-creations of Norse music have been attempted based on instruments found in Viking sites. The instruments used were the lur (a sort of trumpet), simple string instruments, wooden flutes and drums. Sweden has a significant folk-music scene. There is Sami music, called the joik, which is a type of chant which is part of the traditional Sami animistic spirituality. Notable composers include Carl Michael Bellman and Franz Berwald.

Prepared by Vivian Nikolova and Stiliana Stankova -7a class

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