Pumpkins on a Swedish doorstep
There are many American holiday ideas that Swedes are more than ready to give a whirl. Very often, however, most of it really is just ‘giving it a whirl’. My children have already dropped Halloween, claiming that they are too old for it and that it isn’t really that popular. Through the years, I’ve noticed that biggest of American holidays, Thanksgiving, cropping up here and there. However, when I saw Thanksgiving on the web site of Riksföreningsverigekontakt, an organization devoted to the preservation of Swedish language and culture wherever it exists in the world, I began to wonder whether something serious was happening.
I motored over to my local ICA to check whether the cornmeal, canned mashed pumpkin and frozen turkeys had made their way onto the shelves and freezers. All I could find were sweet potatoes, which don’t quite add up to Thanksgiving dinner. Then at home that evening on the radio that keeps me company in the kitchen, I thought that P2 was broadcasting something that they called ‘music of thanks’. There it was again. Thanksgiving was gatecrashing our pre-Christmas experience of bare trees and darkness.
I am an American (amongst other things) but wasn’t raised with Thanksgiving dinners because my German mother preferred goose on the 24th of December. Late November was just too early for all that fuss. Throughout the years, I have been invited to Thanksgiving dinners in various parts of the world by kind persons who thought that I would miss it. In fact, they introduced me to it and my conclusion is that we need Thanksgiving much more than we do our religious holidays.
The whole world, including Sweden, needs to smoke peace pipes, lay down its arms and show thanks and appreciation for the riches that the earth has delivered. It needs to show more of the humility that comes hand in hand with giving thanks, because that is one of the qualities that will save us. We need Thanksgiving now, everywhere, more than we ever have.
Today The American Club of Sweden humbly organized a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless at Stadsmission in the heart of Stockholm. I bought some of those sweet potatoes from ICA and rustled together a few pies which I dropped off at the event. Thanksgiving is on my calendar to stay one way or another. It is a lagom (just right) idea, in the best sense of that favorite Swedish term.
Tags: humility, lagom, peace, pumpkin, sweet potato, Thanksgiving, turkey
Very possible that there almost as many Thanksgiving interpretations as there are people (religious one, Indian’s point of view and so forth). Your humble version is a good one. Since I am originally from the USSR then I have no authority in defining any American holyday. So, all I can offer is my private opinion. My idea of Thanksgiving Day is just an opposite- it’s a celebration of pride in my hard work that brings its fruits, it’s an arrogant and overconfident self-congratulation- I thank myself for working so hard that in all 4 countries I lived in I was able to provide my family, my relatives and even my friends with a lot of things the appreciate: stability, prosperity, good quality of life, mutual love and care and good chances of a happy future too (though no one can be certain about the future:-)
However, it’s not only me-it’s my family support and the benefits of a land of oppurtunities- of America. I recognise a special role of America in the world, the real grounds for the American exceptionalism: it’s a beacon of freedom, it’s still yet the freest country in the world (despite all the efforts of the totalitarian Red President), it is the land of opportunities. If someone is a loser in America- they have only themselves to blame (of course, there’s very small %% of really unfortunate ones but majority of those who claim to be unfortunate ones are just lazy losers). So, I thank America for letting me work as hard as I like and for letting me keep bigger part of the fruits of my hard labour.
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Hi Vladimir,
Thanks for dropping in. There is no clash between being proud of your achievements and excited about the opportunities before you and showing humility before friends and in the face of our beautiful planet. Every good American Thanksgiving dinner contains a blend of those properties. Glad we both think that Thanksgiving is a good idea. No, a great idea!
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i hope to god that thanksgiving does NOT come to scandinavia or any other place in europe. swedes are known to except american traditions and holidays and NOT to the true meaning of them. thanksgiving is something you have to been grown up with.it’s not something you and take. americans feel strongly about this holidays because it’s all OURS! this first comment is really true and i like it, in america you can see the the fruits of your hard labour and much much more.
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For me Thanksgiving is about being with my family and friends knowing that they are safe and alive and having a good time. It is about feeling the warmth from all of the love and happiness that this holiday brings and it continues through out into the New Year. And of course the American Football helps with this tradition.
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i’m going to take an educated guess. your husband is american and you live or lived in america. the reason i took this guess because you typed american football and american football has been apart of thanksgiving for yrs. american football is thanksgiving tradition.
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Hi Tigger…why not just take the essence of Thanksgiving, which is a very global idea, and leave out the things you don’t like? That is the way that cultures evolve, become richer and more diverse.
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Thanksgiving is a great holiday because the table is set for ALL! Happy Holidays!
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