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Ascension
Day |
Kristi
Himmelsfärds Dag
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Ascension
Day is celebrated, according to the ecclesiastical calendar, on
Thursday of the sixth week after Easter. Again, until very
recently the religious aspect of the holiday was dominant.
It was customary for the young people of the parish to visit a
neighboring parish. Together with the young people there
they might make an excursion and perhaps end the day with a dance.
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Swedes
are still wont to make excursions into the countryside on this
day. The Ascension is often celebrated by getting up early in
the morning (around 3 or 4 a.m.) and meeting in a forest glen to
hear the birds sing at sunrise. These excursions are called
gök-otta, literally "early cuckoo morning", as this is
the time of year one can hear the cuckoo call. If the sound
comes from the east or the west, it means good tidings -
"Cuckoo in the west is the very best" - but if from the
north or south, it bodes ill. The sun having risen - and
weather permitting - the group may eat a picnic breakfast or drink
coffee before returning home. Singing and playing music are
generally part of the festivities.
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This
is also traditionally the unofficial opening of the fishing
season. Folk-wisdom had it that this was the first day fish
would bite after their long, deep winter "sleep".
Since 1938, the day has been designated Temperance Day and is
celebrated by the various temperance organizations throughout the
country. |
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Source:
"Traditional Festivities in Sweden"; Author: Ingemar
Liman; Published by: The Swedish Institute, ISBN 91-520-0113-X
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