November in Sweden

November is an interesting month to be an American in Sweden. It is the time of year when residing at a high northern latitude (Gothenburg is roughly at the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska) begins to lead to short days. Very short days. The sun is now rising in the sky after 8:00 am, and the sun begins to set around 3:45 pm. Even on a sunny day, the sun never rises very high on the horizon. On an overcast day, it seems to be dusk all day. Last week when I was out doing field research, I lost track of the time and thought it must be getting near dinner time. It was 2:30 pm in the afternoon.

The North Sea moderates the weather, so it has been cold, but not as bitterly cold as one might expect at these latitudes. Instead of snow, there has been drizzle. A bit of drizzle, an overcast sky, and Gothenburg can be quite dark and gloomy.  Fortunately, the Swedes compensate for the short days with a profusion of candles, torches, and twinkling lights. The streets in Gothenburg's older neighborhoods are truly charming at this time of year. 

Late afternoon in the Haga neighborhood.

Because Sweden does not celebrate Thanksgiving, November marks the beginning of preparation for Jul (Christmas).  In early November, Jul products began arriving on the stores of Swedish grocery stores, especially glogg, julmust, and pepparkakor (gingersnaps). Glogg is red or white spiced wine, served warm with raisins and slivers of almonds. It is sweet and strong--great for drinking outside on a cold winter day. Walking through Stockholm and the Haga neighborhood in Gothenburg, you will find small stands along the street selling warm glogg and pastries.

The other winter drink that appeared on the shelves of our local grocery store is Julmust. It is a special soft drink with an elf on the bottle that can only be bought in wintertime.  Julmust tastes a bit RC Cola mixed with a hint of ginger and spices. The elf on the label is actually a picture of Jultomten, the Swedish Santa Claus, who looks like a cross between the American Santa Claus and a garden gnome.

The other winter treat that seems to be everywhere are pepparkakor.  They are large, flat, unfrosted gingerbread cookies with a sharp bite.  They seem much stronger and less sweet than gingerbread cookies in the United States.

Glogg, Julmust and pepparkakor

In addition to Jul, the Swedes are very focused on preparations for celebrating Lucia day.  Lucia Day is December 13, a time when young girls and boys hold processions dressed up in white gowns, carry candles, and sing holiday songs. Young people tend to hold raucus parties, and college students traditionally hold formal dinner parties to mark the end of the winter term. And of course, there is a special pastry for the occassion, the saffron and raisin Lucia bun. 

With Thanksgiving only a week away, we are hoping we can find a butcher at the city's market hall  (Saluhallen) who might be able to find us a turkey. Turkey is not a particularly popular meat in Sweden, so if we can't find a turkey, then what's the best alternative?  Cod (which is plentiful here) certainly would be keeping in the spirit of Massachusetts Bay. Also, the Smithsonian says that the Pilgrims almost certainly ate venison, so perhaps we could substitute moose or reindeer. We've already decided that lingonberries are a good substitute for cranberries (which were not at the first Thanksgiving). I'm not sure if we'll be able to round up the ingredients for pumpkin pie. It will certainly be a memorable Thanksgiving.    

Aside from selecting the main course for our Thanksgiving dinner, the last month has been really busy for me. I've had the opportunity to teach some classes on public history to Swedish students, and to present a seminar to faculty and graduate students on my ongoing research on Gothenburg's Old Jewish Cemetery.  I also had two Skype sessions with Shippensburg University History students: one session with Julia Sandy-Bailey's Introduction to Public History student on "International Perspectives on Public History," and one session with Dr. Bloom's Introduction to Applied History graduate students on "Gothenburg, Public History and Urban Transformation." This Thursday, I'm teaching a class for Swedish students in the University of Gothenburg's Cultural Heritage Studies program called, "Introduction to Public History in the United States: Approaches and Challenges." That is going to be really interesting.

Skyping with Dr. John Bloom's Intro to Applied History Class at Shippensburg University

I'm also deep into my research on two research different projects, one looking at Sweden's efforts to connect historic preservation practices to issues of sustainability, and the other looking at the history of Gothenburg's Old Jewish Cemetery.  For the cemetery project, I've been spending time in various Gothenburg archives and libraries (and translating documents from Swedish to English), slowly uncovering the ways that Gothenburg's Old Jewish Cemetery reflects the experience of the city's Jewish immigrant over more than 200 years.  For the sustainability project, last week I met with staff members from the National Heritage Board to talk about Swedish historic preservation policy.  It is really impressive how committed Sweden is to connecting its preservation policy to issues of sustainability.  Even so, rethinking the rationale and methods behind historic preservation, and trying to find ways to address society's needs in a responsible way while also protecting cultural resources is no simple task.

It is hard to believe I only have one month left in Gothenburg. So much history, so little time!