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

Mothers day in Sweden, today - 29/5/2011

Sweden celebrates Mothers Day today - Sunday the 29 May!

In Sweden, Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1919, by initiative of the author Cecilia Bååth-Holmberg. It took several decades for the day to be widely recognized though. Those born in the early nineteen hundreds typically did not celebrate the day, as the common opinion was that it had been invented strictly for commercial purposes. Same thing was said about Father's day, and only since the late 1970s has the practice found common acceptance. Mother´s Day in Sweden is celebrated the last Sunday in May, this year 2011 its the 29th of May. The reason for the late date is said to be because then everybody could go outside and pick flowers. (Source: Wikipedia)