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 Festivals
and Celebrations
Grundlovsdag
Danish Constitution Day.
Celebrated on the Sunday closest to June 5th by American and Canadians
of Danish descent as "Danish Day" with picnics, concerts
and community celebrations,
Rebild
Celebrated every year since
1948, Rebild is the brainchild of Danes reaching out to the descendents
of Danish immigrants. Held on the 4th of July homecoming at beautiful
Rebild National Park in Aalborg, Denmark. to promote friendship between
Denmark and the US, Several days of genealogy research, ceremonies,
receptions, and cultural events are capped by a huge concert and fireworks
display.
St Urho’s Day
On March 16th with tongue
in cheek, Finnish Americans don green and royal purple and host parties
in honor of St. Urho who saved the grape crop of Finland from grasshoppers.
Legend has it that he drove all grasshoppers from the country by chanting
"Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, meme täältä,
hiiteen, which roughly translates as "Grasshopper, grasshopper,
go to hell."
Finn Fest
A yearly event celebrating
Finnish-American culture. Featuring lectures, concerts, classes, and
other special events, Finn Fest explores life, thought, and culture
of Finns in North America.
Feast of Valborg
A Swedish celebration of
the end of winter held on the 30th of April. Also known as Walpurgis
Night. Although May Day has become a day to honor labor with parades
and speeches by politicians, Walpurgis Night has become the time Swedes
welcome in the spring. Parties and poems of thanks hail the coming
of summer.
Settende Mai
Norway’s Constitution
Day is celebrated every year on May 17th with parades and ethnic events.
In Norway, Settende Mai is primarily a children’s day but in
America, communities host special events with dances, picnics, and
community celebrations.
Påske (Easter)
In Norway, the long Easter
weekend from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday is a national holiday.
On Easter Sunday, parents hide paper eggs filled with candy throughout
the house. Marzipan is a favorite candy and many families still make
their own marzipan treats shaped like chicks, rabbits, and eggs.
Midsommar
In the United States and
Canada, Midsommar is celebrated on the weekend closest to June 23rd.
Scandinavians decorated homes, cars, churches, and community centers
with flowers and leafy branches. A bonfire at sunset marks the end
of a day of celebration.
Crayfish Festival
Swedes revel in crustaceans
on the second Wednesday of August to celebrate the start of the crawfish
season. The week is filled with parties where -- what else –
crawfish are served by the bucketsful.
August the 2nd
Americans and Canadians
of Icelandic descent have celebrate their heritage on the second of
August since 1847. In honor of the 1000 anniversary of the first settlement
in Iceland, the Bishop of Iceland declared a national church holiday
in commemoration. Americans and Canadians adopted the idea and August
the 2nd has become an annual event celebrating their heritage.
Lucia Day
On the 13th of
December, the eldest daughter of the household dresses in a white gown
with a crown of candles and serves a tray of coffee, saffron bread,
and cookies to her parents in bed. Younger siblings are given roles
of honor as Lucia’s servants -- star-boys and star-girls. Although
principally a Swedish tradition, Lucia Day has been adopted by other
Nordic countries also.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is
the central celebration of the Christmas season. In all Nordic countries,
a smorgasbord of family favorite foods is traditional. In Danish-American
homes, many families host an open house before Christmas Eve service.
Christmas presents are traditionally opened Christmas Eve rather than
Christmas Day.
Islendingadagurinn
Translated as "The
Day of the Icelander" this is the oldest cultural event of Icelandic
heritage in North America. Held annually in the town of Gimli, Manitoba
this festival is held the first weekend in August which is the Canadian
long weekend.
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