Semlor and Song: Cultural Connectors

I went into this journey thinking Melodifestivalen would be celebrated like the Super Bowl. The TV viewing numbers say as much. Almost half the country watches. I thought people would be pumped about the contest and all its trappings - and everybody would watch. I imagined people would sit down with friends and family to see the spectacle with a big spread of food and everybody would be talking about it - for six weeks straight.

It was sort of like that, but not quite. The final show in Stockholm followed a Super Bowl-like pattern, minus the commercials. Almost everybody watched and many people gathered together with food during the final show. There's no doubt everybody was talking about it the next day. The previous five weeks of the contest were... a bit more muted.

Things aren't always the way I expect them to be in Sweden, even though I'm familiar with the culture. It's good to know there are still surprises to be found after more than a decade of study.

Even though I look at Sweden through an experienced frame of reference, I still filter it through American eyes (or maybe Swedish-American eyes). I expected Melodifestivalen to be a well-loved party where everyone celebrates the contest and the artists in a big way. I expected an excited and positive response when I mentioned blogging about the show. The biggest response I got was, "That's kinda crazy" followed by "I don't watch the show." I thought the host cities would hold parties and large events for the general public. Karlstad tried to promote the show, although you could have stayed in Stockholm and Malmö without ever knowing Mello was happening just a few minutes from your location. Like I said, it was muted. Or, muted in an American sense. It was not what my American self had in mind.

A popular show, but not in the American sense.

I learned the show isn't so much a well-loved party as it is a well-known cultural touchstone. Everyone knows about it and has a relationship to it, either positive or negative. The show itself fills many cultural and social functions throughout its six week run. It's a way for people to escape from the daily grind for a few hours each weekend. People also use the contest to share thoughts and opinions. They use it to find new music and artists for their playlists. Using it for an excuse to party is also popular, although Swedes don't have much trouble finding reasons to go out on a Saturday night. All these functions have one thing in common - connection.

Melodifestivalen connects people. Whether you love or hate the show, you are connected to other people through its appearance every year. It gives people the opportunity to talk with each other and build relationships around the things they experience, whether that be a shared love of the contest and the songs or a shared dislike of the entire phenomena.

Folk 'n' Rock, a popular cafe in Malmö. It's a combination cafe and music store. A good place to make connections, both personal and musical.

It's the same story for semlor and Swedish food, apparently. Connection is the key. In Italy or France, the taste of the food and the experience of eating is held in high regard. In Sweden, the food isn't the star of the show. It's the people you're sitting with while you eat. Taking a coffee break, aka fika, or sitting down with a meal gives people the opportunity to relax and really connect with the person sitting across the table. Semlor play a special role in such connections since their appearance is seasonal. It brings something special to your fika time since the traditional pastry tends to bring back memories and events from previous years. What were you doing when you ate your last semla? How has your life changed since then? Such thoughts pop into your mind. They make for good discussion topics with others as you connect over food.

Helena Wahlman/imagebank.sweden.se

Cinnamon rolls are also popular fika food.

While the contest has ended and semla season is soon over, the memories remain. Next year, the same process will repeat. People will eat and listen - and connect. Old friendships and relationships will be strengthened. New ones will be formed. And the culture will grow richer because of it. All this because of a little semlor and song.

Semlor - making connections between people in Sweden for centuries.

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I connected with many people during my stay in Sweden. Food and music played a vital role in each encounter. Many people opened up their hearts and their homes to me during my stay as well. My gratitude cannot be expressed in words, but I must say thank you anyway:

Thank you to Nordstjernan for giving me the opportunity to contribute to your publication. And to everyone I spoke with during my stay, I say thank you for your insight into the contest and the culture!

A special thank you goes to CouchSurfers Michael, Emma, Christian and Alexander, along with Sara and the entire congregation at Missionskyrka in Gnosjö for giving me a place to call home while on the road.

Another big thank you to dancer and actor Ausben Jordan, Pia Andersson from Melodifestivalsklubben, Ann-Charlotte from Ave Produktion, singer and author Jenny Berggren, and Andreas at the Swedish-American Center in Karlstad for sharing your time, insight, and knowledge with me during our longer discussions. You provided in-depth insight into the contest in a way I could not have reached otherwise.

A final thank you to everyone reading the blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Maybe one day you'll go to Sweden to see Melodifestivalen yourself. If you do, be sure to eat a few semlor for me!