Marty Lehman returns to the Nordic Hall! Former architect, and Scandinavian Charitable Society board member, Marty Lehman, paints buildings, cityscapes, landscape and “all things Swedish.”
Marty graduated from Cornell University’s College of Architecture in 1960, and had a professional career in architecture for nearly 50 years, working in Stockholm, Sweden, Boston ,Cambridge and for 22 years as one of DIGITAL’s corporate architects.
Marty “re-discovered” the joy of watercolor painting. This show represents work done in the past 16 years, featuring his favorite themes… buildings, cityscapes, landscapes, and all things Swedish.
His art will be on display throughout November and December.
During our weekly Kaffestugan we will be celebrating the Swedish tradition of Våffeldagen. Swedes have enjoyed waffles in some form since the 1600’s and they remain popular today. So much so they celebrate them every March! Often covered with cream and jam instead of syrup, these are sure to delight. Come on out for lunch and a waffle or just a waffle on it’s own! We won’t judge. The standard Kaffestugan menu will still be available.
Got Sauna will be at The Scandinavian Cultural Center on Saturday, and Sunday March 15 & 16, 2025.
There are many sessions available each day, starting as early as 10:00am. The session cost is the same regardless of the number of people in your party. The sauna comfortably accommodates 3 people at once. Ten minutes of each session is allotted for turn over. You are welcome to book available consecutive sessions for a longer sauna experience.
Sauna Mestari will be on site to provide a full orientation to all participants.
Daring souls are invited to experience the thrill of thermal extremes with a dip in the cold plunge tank, or snow angels, if Mother Nature and Ol’ Man Winter are still in cahoots.
Afterwards relax around the fire pit to share stories of sauna adventure while enjoying tasty snacks.
Participants provide their own towels, swimsuits and hydration.
Preregistration is required. A welcome/orientation packet which includes a liability waiver which must be signed by each participant.
Sunday, December 8th – (Not Scandinavian, but a great event by an organization we are a proud member of) Celebrate Newton Holiday Craft Fair – Newton South High School (Newton, MA) – 10am – 4pm
Sunday, December 8th – St. Lucia Concert – Scandinavian Cultural Center (Newton, MA) – 4pm
Saturday, December 14th – Jultrefest for Barn (Children’s Christmas Party) Julenisse – Storytelling – Crafts – Refreshments – Singing. Bring a gift with the child’s name on it for each child you bring Information: cultural@norumbegasofn.org – SCC&L (Newton, MA) – 1 – 3pm
Sunday, December 15th – Boston Estonian Society Christmas PartyThe program includes a traditional blood sausage Christmas meal, some traditional Estonian dancing, a performance by Boston Estonian School pupils, and a Christmas raffle. – SCC&L (Newton, MA) – 4 – 7pm
Celebrate Gingerbread cookie day, Pepparkakans dag, with us. Instituted on December 9 in 1996 in Sweden by the company Annas Pepparkakor as a way to promote this Holiday staple.
We’re celebrating by setting up a decorating station where you can decorate your gingerbread cookie ($5 per cookies) with icing and sprinkles.
To really amp up the Holiday spirit we’ll also have traditional rice porridge. Choose if you want it topped with sugar, cinnamon and cold milk or sugar, cinnamon and butter. There will be a hidden almond and whoever finds it gets the prize.
Of course we’ll also have saffron buns, hot glogg and our regular menu.
Saturday, December 14th | 10am – 2pm | while supplies last, no reservations
We will have a few vendors joining us from 10am – 1pm. You may have seen them at our Huldufólk event in September. There will be Katie with Bobo and Buggie which specializes in handcrafted felting, and Trish with her homemade gnomes!
Join us for a festive evening filled with holiday cheer at the SACC-NE Christmas Holiday Mingle 2024! This in-person event is the perfect opportunity to connect, network, and celebrate the joyous season with fellow professionals. Mark your calendars for December 10th and get ready for an unforgettable evening of laughter, music, and delicious treats.
We are happy to inform you that the Swedish School of Boston will be performing a classic Swedish “Luciatåg” at the Glögg & Holiday Mingle. Lucia is a 400-year-old tradition that has become a classic symbol for Sweden. With candles and beautiful traditional songs, the Lucia celebration creates joy and dispels the midwinter darkness. Please note that they will be performing the “Luciatåg” at 5:30 PM.
Tickets:
Non Members $35
SACC-NE Members $25
S&YP Members $15
Join Kevin A. Virgilio for an interesting lecture about Danish trombonists and a performance.
Danish composers made significant contributions to solo trombone repertoire in the early 20th century, and their works remain a staple in trombone recitals worldwide. This presentation explores three key aspects: the rise of the trombone in European Renaissance music and its integration into Danish culture; the stylistic features of two important solo trombone pieces and their connection to other Danish works; and the non-musical factors that helped popularize these pieces in the international trombone community.
Hailed by the New York Music Daily as a “carefree” and “soulful” player, Kevin A. Virgilio is a Boston-based trombonist and educator whose performances run the gamut of contemporary and classical styles. An active freelance musician, Dr. Virgilio recently appeared with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the New York Festival Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale, the Bergen Symphony Orchestra, and the Westchester Oratorio Society. Dr. Virgilio appears regularly in local musical theater productions, including West-Side Story, In the Heights, A Christmas Carol, An American in Paris, Disney’s Frozen, and the Music Man. He is currently on faculty at Groton Hill Music Center, Needham Music in Needham, Massachusetts, and Brookline Public Schools, and has held faculty positions at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Luzerne Music Center in Lake Luzerne, New York, and with the Handel and Haydn Society.
Come celebrate light at the darkest time of year! Northbound presents a program of Nordic winter songs in 5 part harmony and a traditional Lucia procession.
Northbound is group of five singers from the Boston area with Scandinavian roots. Their music and performances are defined by a love of Nordic vocal music, long time friendship, humor and many years of performing traditional and contemporary vocal music together. For this special Lucia performance they are joined by their children in a candle lit Swedish Lucia procession.
Sankta Lucia celebrations are an important part of the Scandinavian Christmas season, which traditionally begins on St. Lucia Day on December 13 and ends on January 13. Lucia processions announce the beginning of the Christmas season, with Lucia appearing in a white gown and red sash, with a crown of lit candles in her hair. Traditionally the eldest daughter, dressed as Lucia, would carry a tray of buns and coffee to her parents in the early morning in their home. These days, many towns elect a girl to play Lucia for public processions accompanied by attendants of boys and girls who sing songs of the season, performing in churches, community centers, retirement homes, and even shopping malls.
The festival of Sankta Lucia or Saint Lucy in Scandinavia is most simply understood as a celebration of light and hope in a time of darkness. Celebrated close to the winter solstice, much of Scandinavia has just a few hours of daylight at this time. The customs surrounding Sankta Lucia Day are a combination of old pagan customs and Christian beliefs. Saint Lucia was a Sicilian martyr of the Catholic Church, whose story came to Sweden with Christianity. Originally Sankta Lucia was celebrated only in Sweden, but during World War II under German occupation, the custom became popular in Norway and Denmark as a way to assert Scandinavian identity, and remains popular all over Scandinavia today.
**Northbound is:** Megina Baker (voice and violin), Maria Ericsson (voice and recorder), Karin Holst (voice), Annette Kövamees (voice), Sonja Schmidt (voice), and Ken Lundberg (percussion)
A typical weapon in the arsenal of Vikings was fire, and Vikings were said to destroy everything with fire and sword (að setja allt í bál og brand), a phrase still current in modern Icelandic.
On November 16, 2024, Dr. William R. Short of Hurstwic will return to SCC&L to discuss the commonly used Viking-age battle tactic of attacking a man in his house by setting fire to the house. Hurstwic has just completed a major research project using experimental archaeology at the Viking house at Eiríksstaðir in Iceland. We built seven house structures, instrumented them with scientific apparatus, and then burned them down.
Join us for this fascinating discussion that will talk about the tactic and why Viking warriors thought it to be a humane way to conduct battle, and about the results of our research on the tactic.
We will have some of Dr. William Short’s books “Men of Terror” for sale
Dr. William R. Short is the manager of Hurstwic, LLC, a Massachusetts-based organization that researches all aspects of Vikings, with a focus on Viking combat. Dr. Short’s most recent book is Men of Terror: a comprehensive analysis of Viking combat, which was the topic of a presentation at SCC&L in January, 2022.
Sweden’s Sandwich Cake Day is November 13th, we think that’s cause to celebrate.
The Smörgåstårta is a dish of Swedish origin popular in Sweden, Estonia (called “võileivatort”), Finland (called “voileipäkakku” and “smörgåstårta”) and Iceland (called “brauðterta” [ˈprœyːðˌtʰɛr̥ta]). Smörgåstårta is a traditional Swedish Sandwich Cake enjoyed year round, especially during special celebrations like Midsommar, birthday parties and weddings.
Our quick & easy homemade Swedish Sandwich Cake features a “savoury icing” made up of mayonnaise and sour cream. The interior is layered with bread slices, shrimp salad, smoked salmon and dill. The Swedish entrée is then topped with sliced vegetables, fresh dill, eggs and lemon slices.
Come in and try this delicious Swedish creation in the Kaffestugan!
Saturday, November 15th in the Kaffestugan from 10am-2pm*
**No reservations necessary. While supplies last. Full menu will also be available for order**
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