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May 2, 2008
ANITA ALAN Carmel, CA
This
week, we temporarily leave Norway to cross the Pond and the USA and check in on how immigrant descendants
in California are doing. We find Scandinavians in Thousand Oaks who, for 35 years have celebrated
Nordic customs at California Lutheran University. Norwegian immigrant Richard Pederson donated
his home and land “in support of his conviction about the importance of Lutheran higher education,”
college materials state. The university opened in 1959, and the annual Scandinavian Festival began
in 1973, with a focus on keeping Northern European traditions—art, crafts, music, dancing, cuisine—alive
and appreciated. We will give more on those traditions next time. Today we devote our pages to
Scandinavia’s youngest American descendents.
Before even entering the April event, we see children imagining they could get lost in a maze.
Imagining? Well, when the maze is made of rocks on the ground, there is no chance of losing a small
child to be sure—except when they stay so enraptured by all the twists and turns that they seem
lost on the rocklined trails. Watching children of various ages respond to the maze challenge in
different ways gave parents plenty of entertainment as well.
Once checked in, children take their passports to various booths for stamping. One craft booth gave them the chance to make flags from Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. If they have more than one country in their heritage, they may make flags for each.
Girls lined up to make flower and foliage wreaths with ribbons that later blew in the wind as
some of the children danced around the Maypole. Many chose to go to the Children’s Theater. “Three
Billy Goats Gruff” thrilled children during three performances both Saturday and Sunday. Traditional
Scandinavian breakfasts and lunches kept young festivalgoers energetic and ready for the next adventure.
Children of all ages wanted a photo with Sweden’s legendary Dala Horse. During the winter of 1716, one legend goes, a soldier whittled the first horse from a wood scrap. A woman was enamored with the bright colors he painted it and gave him dinner, encouraging him to continue carving for more. Another version says that lumberjacks in the 1800s relaxed after their workday by carving the horses. Both tales could be true. Today Dala horses come in many colors, but most are bright red. Most Dala horses come from the Dalarna area. The region sells tens of thousands in many sizes each year. We found a picture book fantasy, Per and the Dala Horse, by Rebecca Hickox, published in1995 (now in its third printing) on sale with numerous children’s books at one of the booths.
Nearby, Swedish Tomten dolls with soft goatskin beards stood at attention, their faces a mere slit between their pointed knit hat and full beard. Astrid Lindgren’s delightful picture book The Tomten, in print since 1961, tells a gentle tale of a small creature who wanders around the farm at night cheering the farm animals and speaking in a “silent little language” that only animals and children can understand. No more restful bedtime story can a parent read to a child!
Over at the Viking Encampment, children experienced an opportunity to stand guard in front of a Viking tent, to try on a Viking helmet, and to learn about the Medieval art of making chain mail. They saw ornate Viking shields, carved chests, and tent frames of a time when intricate woodcarving and ornate painting distinguished one family tribe from another.
Likewise, the Sami village shared traditions with the children—from how to erect tent poles to the proper seating position for the elders. They displayed camping gear, animal skins, utensils, and skis. You heard it here. Skis! They had mukluk-like boots attached, but in all other ways appeared similar to today’s skis. Colorful crafts adorned tables and,from time to time, children could hear Sami music.
One final quest for children: A chance to spend time with a Norwegian Elkhound.
Thor and family welcomed children with wags and licks. If they had had too much attention, they certainly did not let the children know it. The Elkhound has the thick-furred look of a small wolf and because of training, a gentle disposition. The American Kennel club describes them as hunters “with courage, agility and stamina to hold moose and other big game at bay” and the “endurance to track for long hours in all weather over rough and varied terrain.” They may do all that quite well, but their festival assignment consisted of remaining patient, still, and appreciative...for two days! They accomplished all that—between naps. As to who appeared better behaved during this eventful day? It was a tie between the Norwegian Elkhound and the children, many of whom would no doubt nap on the way home as well.
All photos credit Anita Alan.
Norwegian American Weekly
