The semester has reached its mid-point. And we just rewinded the time – back to “wintertime” as we say in Sweden. It is nice to get the light back in the morning, however it is amazing how quickly you forget that darkness arrives so much earlier in the day. So far the Fall has been unusual in terms of sun and warmth. Right now we have more than 5 degrees warmer than normal. Feels even stranger when reading about the snow fall on the American East coast. Very few Swedes consider November a favorite month. Nevertheless, the month of November offers a lot of things no other month of the year can match. One can, for instance, visit the Stockholmsmässan in Älvsjö, where the Scandinavian Boat Fair, the largest Nordic food Fair, and The Winter Show will take place in mid-November.

Allahelgonadagen (All Saints Day) is still an important day for many Swedes. It has its’ roots in the roman-catholic church, but abandoned after the Reformation. November first was, during medieval times, also considered the first day of winter. Today the holiday is focused on the memory of lost family members and friends. The tradition is to visit the cemeteries and light candles on the graves. In Stockholm, the Woodland Cemetery (A Unesco World Heritage site) has become a place for people to visit. It is a fantastic sight to arrive there late afternoon and see all the candles burning. The Woodland Cemetery was created in the early 20th century and one of the ideas was to make the architecture blend with nature. The creators did indeed succeed – I think all students taking the Art and Architecture class think the same – it is one of the sites visited during the course.

Lastly, November is a very cozy month. This is the time when most people move inside again. We (well many do) buy an awful lot of candles and allow ourselves an extra fika (a delicious and very traditional Swedish bun).