NZ Film Festival - Swedish Films Showing

The Sweden-New Zealand Association received an email from New Zealand International Film Festival today with information on the Swedish Films showing 2011. I have put the information on our website: http://www.sweden.org.nz/SweNZ/Welcome_files/SWEDEN-nzff.pdf
Wellington session times will be announced tomorrow: www.nzff.co.nz. We can get a discounted price if we can get a group of 20+ people together. Please let us know if you are interested in this and if so which movie you would like us to see. We need to know by Monday as that is our next (and only) committee meeting prior to the film festival.
Please email eva@sweden.org.nz

Glad Midsommar - Midsummer greetings!

Glad Midsommar! Our family and friends in Sweden are getting ready to celebrate midsummer this coming weekend. Midsummer's Eve and Midsummer's Day (Midsommarafton and Midsommardagen) were formerly celebrated on 23 June and 24 June, but since 1953 the celebration has been moved to the Friday and Saturday between 19 June and 26 June.

As Sweden bursts into life again after the winter and the landscape is transformed into a colorful palate, Swedes kick back and enjoy Midsummer. Follow these five simple steps to create your own, very Swedish Midsummer party:


1.Get the pole in place

Swedes need something to dance around: in winter it’s the Christmas tree, in summer the Maypole (midsommarstång) takes over.

2.Dress for success

Another important activity in preparation for the feast is to tread light-footedly through the surrounding nature in search for wild flowers. Swedes use these flowers to stylishly bind into garlands to adorn their heads.

3.Get your culinary classics

With everything set up, it’s more than likely time for lunch, which should be enjoyed outside — set up a table with a decorative cloth and serve. The Midsummer feast traditionally consists of new potatoes with dill, sour cream and pickled herring, with the season’s first strawberries and whipped cream to follow.

As for the adults, the food is often washed down with alcohol. Use beer, wine or any non-alcoholic alternative to quench your thirst, and nubbe (shot of alcohol) for courage, long life, love, vitality, the local soccer team or any other reason for a toast. The nubbe or brännvin is usually distilled from grain or potato and can be flavored, but is never sweet. It is always accompanied by drinking songs which range from raucous to rude to just plain silly.

4.Sing and dance like a Swede

Now the dancing can begin. Regardless of how many people are at your Midsummer party, you should form a circle round the pole. To the layman, the dancing needn't be too complicated. Usually, it’s just a question of maintaining movement in one direction, then changing direction at intervals. One of the favourite is Små grodorna (The little frogs), which involves hopping round as little frogs.

5.Dream of love

The party often goes on late into the night. Some continue drinking and some take the innuendo of the dance to its natural conclusion. In the past, innocent girls picked seven flowers as they wandered home; placing the flowers under their pillow was supposed to inspire them to dream of their future husband.

(Source: http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle/Traditions/Reading/Midsummer/)
 
Note: The Sweden-New Zealand Association in Wellington have our annual midsummer celebration in February.

Lucia 2011, this coming Saturday. Pre-register today!

LUCIA 2011
Register now to make sure you don't miss our Annual Lucia Celebration this Saturday. This is by far our most popular event. Glögg, Saffron buns, ginger snaps, biscuits, hotdogs and much more...

When: Saturday 11th June 2011
Where: Johnsonville Community Hall, 3 Frankmoore Avenue, Johnssonville
Time:   5 pm (Please don't be fashionable late for this event - you will miss out!)
Cost:    
$5 for children
$10 for members (prepaid only)
$15 for non members

Your payment must reach us no later than Thursday the 9th of June to be regarded as pre-paid. Please use the registration form in our latest newsletter, which you can download from here: http://www.sweden.org.nz/SweNZ/Welcome_files/newsletter.pdf
You can also register online at: http://www.swenztaste.co.nz/Lucia-2011.html
Tickets can also be purchased at the door on the day (not guaranteed, as numbers are limited) at the cost of: $15 per adult and $5 per child. (Please note that door sale $15 will apply to members as well)

Sweden's National day and NZ Queens Birthday on Monday

We all have a good reason to celebrate this weekend: Sweden's National day and NZ Queens Birthday this Monday!


The National Day of Sweden (Sveriges nationaldag) is a national holiday observed in Sweden on June 6 every year. The day was made into a national day by Riksdagen, the Swedish parliament, in 1983. Previously it was commemorated as svenska flaggans dag, Swedish flag day. (for more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_Sweden)

On Monday the 6th, New Zealand celebrates Queens Birthday. In New Zealand, the holiday is the first Monday in June every year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen's_Official_Birthday

Have a nice weekend !

Final Lucia practise, this Sunday 5th June at 2pm.

Thank you to the girls who turned up for Lucia practise last Sunday.
We have our last practise coming up this Sunday the 5th June at 2.00 pm at Kandallah Community Centre, 2 Ganges Road. (Please note the change of time, from previuos Sundays)

Please contact Joanna on joanna@sweden.org.nz , 04-905 7440 or Renate 04-586 1545 if you and/or your child want to join in this year's Lucia.

For younger children who want to join, but are not yet able to learn the songs, please contact Joanna as we do want you to come for the dress rehearsal early on the day - Saturday the 11 June.

And don't forget we do need help from our members to make this event the success it is - As always, need your help with baking - so please contact Pia Clarke on piarogan@mac.com or 234 85 10 as soon as possible and let her know what you can bake and bring...

And last, but not least - don't forget to pre-register, please use the form in our latest newsletter: http://www.sweden.org.nz/SweNZ/Welcome_files/newsletter.pdf
or if you prefer to register and pay online, you now have this option here:
http://www.swenztaste.co.nz/Sweden-New-Zealand-Association-online-payments.html

Online payment options, now available.

As you know the membership fees are now overdue (unless paid within the last month). The committee has on several occasions been approached about the opportunity to pay the Membership/Event Fee using online banking. It seems more and more people are no longer using cheques and there is an uncertainty involved in sending money in an envelope. We have found that we are loosing members, especially the younger ones due to our inability to accept online payments.

The committee is currently looking into how we can offer online payments without creating to much work for our Treasurer and keeping the cost down.

In the interim SweNZ Taste has offered for us to use their payment system to be able offer online payments and registration. This is of no cost to the association, SweNZ Taste will cover the costs involved as part of their support of the Sweden-New Zealand Association.

You can now pay your Membership fee and Lucia registration here (please note, this link will take you to the SweNZ Taste website): http://www.swenztaste.co.nz/Sweden-New-Zealand-Association-online-payments.html