Nordic Celebration

 

This year, Nordic Literature Week invites children, young people and adults to a celebration in the literature. The theme is 'Nordic Celebration', and it can be used as a starting point for everything from the selected reading books to various activities and events. As the Nordic Association in Denmark, Norway and Sweden celebrate their 100th anniversary this year, the Nordic Literature Week wants to highlight the Scandinavian literature and therefore this year's selected reading books come from Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

 

The many faces of celebration

Celebrations and celebrations are social events that break the everyday rhythm. They can be solemn or cheerful, eventful or incapacitated, inclusive or exclusive. A party can revolve around a person (eg birthday party) or a collective (eg. townparty). The party can have a theme to create a powerful whole and act as a red thread in everything that concerns the party. Traditions and symbols typical for parties are party costumes, party dinners with dishes, songs and speech, dance and music, a party site or hall, procession, fireworks, central symbols (Christmas tree, bonfire) and of course party atmosphere.

 

Parties can be divided into different types:

 

- seasonal parties (eg. New Year's Eve, Midsummer)  - party for the different phases of life (e.g. birthdays, weddings, transitional criteria such as baptism and confirmation)  - social parties and company parties  - historical, national and political parties (e.g. national days)  - religious parties (e.g. Easter, end of Ramadan)

 

Celebrations are important events in people's lives by giving structure to life and being life-renewing, by repeating themselves at specific intervals or for marking an important event in life. Therefore, celebrations are also important and often recurring in the literature. And who does not like to read about a well-described feast, or a gorgeous ornate party filled with hopes and expectations?

 

Celebration in this year's reading books

This year's reading books reflect all the theme 'Nordic Celebration' and invite the readers and listeners to participate in the literary parties through the magic of the written word. In Pippi Celebrate her Birthday we get to go to the party in Villa Villekulla, where both horse and monkey take place at the table. In Sophie's World we celebrate Sophie's birthday with a philosophical garden party, which offers both coffee, speech and a little surrealism. And in Babette's Feast we take place at the table of a French feast, which will be enjoyed until the last bite.

The Nordic Literature Week, with the theme 'Nordic Celebration', wants to highlight community and friendship. With this, we hope that the selected reading books will attract both participants and organizers to a magnificent party to celebrate the Nordic Association 100th anniversary.