Sista April

   

Cette semaine est assez particulière à Uppsala, les étudiants fêtent "Sista April" le 30 Avril :

WALPURGIS NIGHT / SISTA APRIL

Almost everywhere in Sweden the 30th of April is one of the festive highlights of the Swedish year. People gather around huge bonfires to welcome the spring on "sista april" the Eve of May Day, Walpurgis Night. I'ts unknown when this tradition is grounded and though it was mentioned as early as 1711 it's believed that this ancient custom is much older than that. It's known that the peasants made a lot of noise and lit bonfires to keep the wild animals away from the cattle and sheep when they were let out to graze for the first time of year on the 1st May. Nowadays fireworks make the noise. This evening marks the end of winter and the coming of spring. The bonfires are lit around 9pm and there is a lot of singing attached to this custom. Along with the people gathered around the bonfires choirs sing old songs about the spring. Although Walpurgis is well celebrated it's not a real holiday in Sweden like Labor Day on the 1st May. The spring bonfires are seen almost everywhere except in the western parts of Sweden, where Easter bonfires are prefered. The celebrations in our town Uppsala is something special. Uppsala is the 4th largest town in Sweden according to population. Uppsala is an old University town. The University was founded in 1477. In Uppsala and other university towns April 30 is also a day of celebration for the high school graduates. When you graduate from high school in Sweden you get a white cap with a black peak. It's a custom that every graduate, young and old, wear the cap on this day. But this is not when you graduate - the high school graduation is in June. It's a custom that the students begin the day with a Champagne Breakfast early in the morning (they are not in class this day). Some people even have porridge and Champagne! For lunch they have pickled herring, and other dishes from the Swedish Smorgasbord. At 10am there is a raft race, "forsranning" down the river Fyris that runs through Uppsala. The annual raft contest takes place from one fall up stream, down another fall down stream. The funniest raft is the winner. This year a big "Dala horse" won. On top of the ridge in Uppsala there is an old castle and the University Library, Carolina Rediviva (maybe you read about this library a month ago when the "Silver Bible " was stolen from there). At 3am thousands of people are gathered outside the library to listen to the Head of the University who will give a speech to welcome the spring. Then all the graduates put their caps on. After this event the custom for nearly two centuries is that all the students run down from the top of the ridge, along the street that leads to the river. At 9pm there is a big choir singing outside the castle. A lot of people go there to listen to the choir.

By Linda Berglund, Johan Gad & Johan Mattsson
Grade 5, Danmarks skola (school)
Uppsala, Sweden

Peter Palm
Grade 4-6 Teacher
Danmarks skola, Uppsala, Sweden

http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ/MCC/mcc0404.html