6 June!
Normally, the King and Queen of Sweden take part in a ceremony at Skansen, Stockholm’s open-air museum, on the National Day. The yellow and blue Swedish flag is run up the mast, and children in traditional peasant costume present the royal couple with bouquets of summer flowers.

Skansen's founder Artur Hazelius initiated Sweden's National Day on 6 June 1893, but it was not until more than twenty years later that the tradition spread to the whole of the country.

Wholesaler Nils Ljunggren suggested holding a flag day in 1915. The following year, Swedish Flag Day was commemorated at Stockholm Olympic Stadium and at more than a hundred other locations throughout Sweden. It was on this occasion at Stockholm Olympic Stadium that 'Sweden's Flag', composed by Hugo Alfvén with words by K. G. Ossiannilsson, was first performed.

The tradition of the monarch presenting standards to associations began in 1918, and has continued almost every year since then. King Carl XVI Gustaf first took part in the celebrations at Stockholm Olympic Stadium in 1949.

In 1963, the celebrations were moved to Skansen. Swedish Flag Day officially became Sweden's National Day in 1983, and 6 June has been a public holiday since 2005. The date was chosen because Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden on this date in 1523 by a parliament in Strängnäs, and the Instrument of Government was signed on this date in 1809.

Ref: kungahuset.se

King Oskar II veal tenderloin
Veal Oskar was served as a dish for the first time on the 18th September 1897 at the Grand Hotel, Stockholm to celebrate the 25th jubilee of King Oskar II. The Frenchman Paul Edmond Malaine created the dish which consisted of a fillet of veal with a cheron sauce formed in the shape of the letter O. A lobster tail with truffle was the jewel on the plate with a pair of white asparagus to symbolise the Roman numeral two (II). This creation became the royal monogram of the king.

King Oskar II, 1872 to 1907
The welfare of the brother peoples was Oskar II's motto as King of the Swedish-Norwegian Union. After the dissolution of the union in 1905, this was changed to The welfare of Sweden.

Oskar Fredrik was born in January 1829 at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. He was the son of Oskar (I) and Josefina of Leuchtenberg. In 1857, he married Princess Sofia of Nassau in Biebrich, Germany. Four sons were born of their marriage, the oldest of whom became King Gustaf V.

During Oskar II's reign, Sweden underwent a period of industrialisation and rapid technological development. At the same time, the union between Sweden and Norway grew weaker, and was eventually dissolved. This period is sometimes known as the Oscarian Period.

Oskar was the third of four brothers, in a family of five siblings. Since the oldest brother, King Karl XV, had no heir and the next oldest brother, Prince Gustav, had died in 1852, Karl XV was succeeded on his death in 1872 by his brother Oskar.

Oskar was extremely talented and well educated, but was also temperamental and volatile. His appearance was distinguished and stately. Bitterly disappointed at the failure of the union and its dissolution in 1905, he died in December 1907.

Ref: kungahuset.se

Cheeses by Mons Cheesemongers, selected by Philippe Caillouet

Where to start on the cheese plate? ´Always start at 6pm on the plate and work around clockwise´

In the 1950s, Hubert Mons and his wife travelled around France to sell food. Later at home in St Haon-le-Chatel on the Cote Roannaise they constructed their first maturing room. The cellar was dug into the hillside & insulated by two metres of earth – a technique that would become a hallmark of the family’s maturing rooms from that point onwards. They went on to open a shop in Roanne called ‘L’Auvergnat’ which enabled the expansion of their maturing rooms and the inception of a national wholesale operation.

In the 1980s, The two sons - Laurent and Herve - joined the family business and developed sales in international export. They added another earth-insulated maturing room to the premises, designed specifically for ripening cooked curd mountain cheeses and in 2007, conversion began to expand into a disused underground railway tunnel in nearby Ambierle for maturing Tommes and other un-cooked, hard cheeses like Salers. 

Later, Herve met Jon Thrupp and began working closely together to bring the family’s cheeses across The Channel. Mons Cheesemongers opened in the UK in 2006 at Borough Market, selecting traditionally made Continental & British cheeses and age them in our cellars in London and on the Cote Roannaise.

Ref: mons-cheese.co.uk

Philippe Caillouet, Cheese Artisan, Meilleur Ouvrier de France - "Best Craftsman of France" - prestigious French award won only by the best craftsmen. Philippe is the only MOF in “Arts De La Table” and the finest cheese expert based in Dubai. Philippe has personally selected and cut the cheeses we are enjoying this evening.

Not long after Philippe joined the team at Relais et Chateau La Cote Saint Jacques as Maitre d’Hotel, he was able to introduce Herve Mons as the supplier of the cheese. During this time Philippe set himself the great challenge to himself enter and win the competition for Meilleur Ouvrier de France as Maitre d’Hotel. 2003 Philippe won the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) “Maitre Du Service Et Des Arts De La Table” and regaining the third Michelin star by the Relais et Chateau La Cote Saint Jacques.

Philippe arrived in Dubai in 2020 and joined the WISK team with the mission of sharing his knowledge and passion for cheese, supporting food service with their selection and presentation as well as offering expert training based on his past experiences in the restaurant service.

Cloudberries
The reason why a lot of people have never tried cloudberries (or hjortron as they are called in Swedish) is probably that they mainly grow in artic or alpine environments. However, apart from making delicious jam, cloudberries are incredibly good for you. They are known for their detoxifying and immune-boosting abilities, and also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stimulate circulation and digestion, and prevent diabetes and some cancers.

Cloudberries are rich in vitamin C, common uses include jams, tarts, as topping on ice cream or pancakes, and to make liqueurs. Or they are simply eaten fresh off the plant.

Ref: imagebank.sweden.se

Sweden rocks – literally – around the world, with popular bands of yesteryear ABBA, the Cardigans, Ace of Base and Roxette still big-time popular.

The ‘second wave’ of Swedish musical acts like Avicii, Zara Larsson, the Knife and many others are proving that the Swedish music phenomenon is no flash in the pan.

Sweden produces musical artists that sell squillions of CDs and downloads worldwide and sell-out New York’s Madison Square Gardens in hours – like Swedish House Mafia did. Or, like Robyn be profiled on the Daily Show and have no.1 hits around the world.

ABBA was a supertrouper supergroup from Sweden in the 1970s and early 1980s. And they are probably as famous now as they were back then. Now you can go on the ABBA City Walk arranged by Stockholms Stadsmuseum and visit ABBA The Museum in the Djurgården area of the city. 

Ref: visitsweden.com

Swedish Folk music

During the reception Mohamad Hamami, on violin played for his first time Swedish folk music as well as famous Swedish traditional songs, but it is certainly not the first time he has played the violin. Mohamad is a renowned, classically trained violinist, and addition to performing as a soloist and member of numerous ensembles, he also teaches strings, compose original music, arranges and produces orchestral scores for never-before-written Arabic songs, and directs his own 80 person SharQ orchestra. Mohamad has performed at some of the top venues in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East, including Opera House Egypt, Unisco Lebanon, Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi and Dubai Opera. To read more about Mohamad, click here.

Folk music is a genre of music based largely on folkloric collection work that began in the early 19th century in Sweden. The primary instrument of Swedish folk music is the fiddle/violin. Most Swedish instrumental folk music is dance music; the signature music and dance form within Swedish folk music is the polska.

In the early 1890s, the first "public" performances of Swedish folk music by actual spelmän (folk musicians) were held at Skansen, Stockholm's open-air museum of Swedish folklife. In the 1940s, the first spelmanslag, or amateur folk music groups, were established, associated primarily with the music of Dalarna.

Ref: Wikepidia

Idas somomarvisa, Astrid Lindgren

Idas sommarvisa" or "Du ska inte tro det blir sommar" is a song with a summertime theme. Astrid Lindgren wrote the lyrics and Georg Riedel composed the music. The song's three verses were performed by Lena Wisborg (as Ida) in the 1973 film Emil and the Piglet. "Idas sommarvisa" is often sung during graduations and tonight you heard a different version by sung by the hostesses.

Ref: Wikepidia

The Swedish National Anthem

Du gamla, du fria, Sweden’s anthem was written in 1844 by Rickard Dybeck. The author of the lyrics chose a Swedish folk tune from the province of Västmanland (central of Sweden) to set his words to create the anthem and entitled it “Sång till Norden” (Song of the North). The song was created at a time when a “pan-Scandinavian” movement was strong, which is why it is a “Song to the North” instead of just to Sweden. This has led to other verses being written that are more patriotic to Sweden, but these additional verses have never gained popularity and have never been considered part of the national anthem.

In the late 19th century the anthem started to be considered as Sweden’s “national anthem”. The anthem has never been officially legislated as Sweden’s national anthem.

Ref: nationalanthems.info

Dala horse, Dalahäst

The Dala horse is the most bought Swedish souvenir. It is a stylized wooden horse most commonly found in red with a typical folk art decoration called kurbits. The name comes from the horse's home province, Dalarna, in central Sweden. Most popular are the red-orange horses from the little village of Nusnäs near Mora.

Dala Horses first appeared with their familiar bright decoration in the 1800s when the kurbit, or flower patterned saddle, was regularly added to them. This design comes from the Biblical story in which Jonah sat outside the city of Ninevah and the Lord caused a Kurbit, or gourd vine, to grow up beside him to protect him from the desert sun.

The Swedish National Costume

The concept of a Swedish national costume can actually be traced back to the 18th century. It was originally designed and introduced by King Gustav III in 1778 as Svenska Nationella Klädedräkten (the Swedish National Costume). He intended it to be worn by the nobility and middle class in a move to curb exorbitant spending on fashion. Then, in 1983, Queen Silvia wore the blue and yellow costume on Sweden’s National Day, the Sweden costume became the nation’s official dress and gained instant popularity again, nearly 80 years after its conception. Nowadays the national costume is worn by royal women on some official occasions, representing the whole country. Men’s costumes are available in the same colors, but that version is not used as often on official events.

Ref: nordstjernan.com

Gott & Blandat

The direct translation would be something like: Yummy and mixed. Gott & Blandat was launched 1979. It became the name of the bag as it depended on what flavours were available in the factory that time. One of the most commonly bought sweets in Sweden. A mix of sweet, sour and liquorice. And something for everyone in the family to enjoy.

Malaco is a Swedish brand of confectionery products owned by Cloetta.

Ref: cloetta.se