Post by Creator on Sept 15, 2006 12:26:22 GMT -5
Where do you come from? What's your culture? National characteristics?
Here's mine:
SWEDEN
Form of government: constitutional monarchy and parliamentary state.
Chief of state: King.
Head of government: Prime Minister.
Population: About 9 million
Capital: Stockholm
I live in Sweden. it is a place where we have an alcohol problem. We can't afford to buy any. See the zipper on your trousers? It was a Swede who invented it. Sweden is most well known as home to the world famous Nobel Prize, named for Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite. The Nobel Prize is given each year to excellence in Chemistry, Physics, Medicine or Physiology, Literature and Peace. Swedes see themselves as extreme lovers of peace. The fact that Alfred Nobel invented enough dynamite to blow up the entire world is beside the point. Even our weapon industry is peaceful. You’re not meant to kill with our weapons. Really. We also pretend to be 100% neutral when it comes to war. Mainly because we are a nation of cowards. That’s why we have those yellow streaks on our flag. What the hell happened? We used to be a nation of war at one time. The Viking stuff… Invading our neighbours. And then…. A big collective overdose on valium? But we do try to be effective. Sweden is probably the only country in the world where people try to pass you in revolving doors. Now THAT is being highly effective! Pity it doesn’t apply on working speed. Try queuing up for a meal at a Swedish McDonalds and you’ve starved to death before you get your food. Are Swedes truly shy, unemotional, conflict-avoiding, melancholic people, as the rumours say? Yes. But give a Swede alcohol and he changes to a loud, violent manic-depressive instead. Then there is our stupid language… We have more letters in our alphabet than you do. We have Åå Ää Öö as well. Just to be bloody annoying. And sorry, not all Swedish people are blonde, sexy and promiscuous. Neither do we believe in God. If you are a gourmet and want to visit Sweden – bring your own food. Unless you won’t mind trying the culinary highlights of Swedish cuisine as: fermented herring, raw pickled herring, boiled potatoes and sour milk. And yes, I HAVE seen the film "I am curious yellow". Anyone wants a review of the Swedish hardcore porn classic "Fäbodjäntan", please ask someone else.
SAPMI.
Long before the Swedish, Finnish or even the Viking culture had developed, the Scandinavian peninsula was populated by the Sami. The Sami people settled in the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula about 4000 years ago. During the Middle Ages the Vikings pushed and drove the Sami up to the northern lands of the Arctic Circle. They are a nomadic people who mostly live off reindeer herding, hunting and fishing.
The Sami's language, traditional clothing, handicraft, and music are distinctively different from other ethnic groups in Scandinavia. In Sweden there is 44 native communities where the families derive most of the income from their reindeers, an economy that in most cases is combined with fishing, hunting and crafts.
As with most indigenous people the Sami never has had an sovereign state of their own and today they live in an area which have been divided by Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Currently, there are Sami political, cultural and youth organisations in all four countries and a Sami Parliament in each of the three Scandinavian ones.
The Sami religious belief is animistic, believing that everything in nature from animals to minerals have a soul. In the landscape throughout Northern Scandinavia, one can find "sieidi"-places, places of ancient worship. The Sami religion was a form of shamanism, practiced by the shaman for the most miscellaneous problems. The shaman, termed noaide in the Sami language, had great influence of the people in the village, since he or she was the link between man and gods, spirits and forefathers. The instrument used for ceremonies was the rune drum, The traditional Sami chant, joik, was used in ceremonies where the noaide fell in trance and left his or her body to transcend into the divine world of "saivo", where he or she could negotiate with gods, spirits and forefathers to improve the fate of the group he or she represented. Males confessed to sacrificial male gods, whereas females confessed to female fertility gods. Sacrifice of animals and metal objects was also included in some religious ceremonies. "White" animals (white reindeer, cows, sheep, etc.) played an important role. As with other circumpolar religions, the Sami religion contains a hunting ceremony especially for bears, known as the bear cult. Nothing of the old Sami religion remains today.
A dark part of Swedens (and Scandinavias) past is the religious and ethnical persecution of the Sami. Like the native Americans, their rights to the land were restricted. Their language and religion was banned, the ones who refused to become christians were murdered, their children were taken away from them and put in foster homes and they were considered a lower class on the race biological scale. Luckily, their conditions are good these days.
Some useful links for the curious:
web.telia.com/~u52221134/secret_sweden.html
www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/
www.godhatessweden.com/
Here's mine:
SWEDEN
Form of government: constitutional monarchy and parliamentary state.
Chief of state: King.
Head of government: Prime Minister.
Population: About 9 million
Capital: Stockholm
I live in Sweden. it is a place where we have an alcohol problem. We can't afford to buy any. See the zipper on your trousers? It was a Swede who invented it. Sweden is most well known as home to the world famous Nobel Prize, named for Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite. The Nobel Prize is given each year to excellence in Chemistry, Physics, Medicine or Physiology, Literature and Peace. Swedes see themselves as extreme lovers of peace. The fact that Alfred Nobel invented enough dynamite to blow up the entire world is beside the point. Even our weapon industry is peaceful. You’re not meant to kill with our weapons. Really. We also pretend to be 100% neutral when it comes to war. Mainly because we are a nation of cowards. That’s why we have those yellow streaks on our flag. What the hell happened? We used to be a nation of war at one time. The Viking stuff… Invading our neighbours. And then…. A big collective overdose on valium? But we do try to be effective. Sweden is probably the only country in the world where people try to pass you in revolving doors. Now THAT is being highly effective! Pity it doesn’t apply on working speed. Try queuing up for a meal at a Swedish McDonalds and you’ve starved to death before you get your food. Are Swedes truly shy, unemotional, conflict-avoiding, melancholic people, as the rumours say? Yes. But give a Swede alcohol and he changes to a loud, violent manic-depressive instead. Then there is our stupid language… We have more letters in our alphabet than you do. We have Åå Ää Öö as well. Just to be bloody annoying. And sorry, not all Swedish people are blonde, sexy and promiscuous. Neither do we believe in God. If you are a gourmet and want to visit Sweden – bring your own food. Unless you won’t mind trying the culinary highlights of Swedish cuisine as: fermented herring, raw pickled herring, boiled potatoes and sour milk. And yes, I HAVE seen the film "I am curious yellow". Anyone wants a review of the Swedish hardcore porn classic "Fäbodjäntan", please ask someone else.
SAPMI.
Long before the Swedish, Finnish or even the Viking culture had developed, the Scandinavian peninsula was populated by the Sami. The Sami people settled in the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula about 4000 years ago. During the Middle Ages the Vikings pushed and drove the Sami up to the northern lands of the Arctic Circle. They are a nomadic people who mostly live off reindeer herding, hunting and fishing.
The Sami's language, traditional clothing, handicraft, and music are distinctively different from other ethnic groups in Scandinavia. In Sweden there is 44 native communities where the families derive most of the income from their reindeers, an economy that in most cases is combined with fishing, hunting and crafts.
As with most indigenous people the Sami never has had an sovereign state of their own and today they live in an area which have been divided by Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Currently, there are Sami political, cultural and youth organisations in all four countries and a Sami Parliament in each of the three Scandinavian ones.
The Sami religious belief is animistic, believing that everything in nature from animals to minerals have a soul. In the landscape throughout Northern Scandinavia, one can find "sieidi"-places, places of ancient worship. The Sami religion was a form of shamanism, practiced by the shaman for the most miscellaneous problems. The shaman, termed noaide in the Sami language, had great influence of the people in the village, since he or she was the link between man and gods, spirits and forefathers. The instrument used for ceremonies was the rune drum, The traditional Sami chant, joik, was used in ceremonies where the noaide fell in trance and left his or her body to transcend into the divine world of "saivo", where he or she could negotiate with gods, spirits and forefathers to improve the fate of the group he or she represented. Males confessed to sacrificial male gods, whereas females confessed to female fertility gods. Sacrifice of animals and metal objects was also included in some religious ceremonies. "White" animals (white reindeer, cows, sheep, etc.) played an important role. As with other circumpolar religions, the Sami religion contains a hunting ceremony especially for bears, known as the bear cult. Nothing of the old Sami religion remains today.
A dark part of Swedens (and Scandinavias) past is the religious and ethnical persecution of the Sami. Like the native Americans, their rights to the land were restricted. Their language and religion was banned, the ones who refused to become christians were murdered, their children were taken away from them and put in foster homes and they were considered a lower class on the race biological scale. Luckily, their conditions are good these days.
Some useful links for the curious:
web.telia.com/~u52221134/secret_sweden.html
www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/
www.godhatessweden.com/
. There're lots of pubs, bars, restaurants and those things, this is a "big" city.