NATIONAL DAY. Celebrations of Sweden’s National Day took place around the country on 6 June.
As previously reported, there was a celebration with speeches by Simon Lindberg and Pär Öberg in Nest 5. Elsewhere, celebrations of various kinds were arranged in “Nest 18” (Nest 1 and 8 combined), Nest 2, Nest 4 and Nest 6. Below follows a compiled report from all these events.
National Day celebration and monthly meeting in Mälardalen
Nest 1 and Nest 8 celebrated this year’s National Day together in traditional fashion, with a gathering in the green surroundings of Västmanland. It was a true family occasion, with the majority of activists, members and support members being accompanied by their spouses and children, while a number of supporters also attended.
After holding the monthly meeting, the participants cooked meat and cheese on the grill, before sitting down to enjoy it on the field next to the farm houses.
After the meal, a quadrathlon was held between three teams of mixed ages. The disciplines were archery, standing jumps, slingshot shooting and problem solving. The victors of this hard-fought struggle were “Team Swastika”.
The quadrathlon took its toll on the participants’ energy reserves, which made the ensuing fika with beautifully decorated cream cakes all the more appreciated.
But those who thought the day’s competitions were over proved to be mistaken. Next it was time for individual battles in the form of a knowledge quiz, with the theme of “Facts about the Nordic Resistance Movement”.
The winner of the quiz was Nest 1 activist Joakim Kannisto, who was also honoured with an award for the Nest’s esteemed “Nato, Go Home” activity – an ornate beer tankard from the White United webshop.
The day also included boxing, socialising and plenty of children’s activities.
Nest 2 celebrate National Day in Alingsås
The day’s agenda in Nest 2 consisted of a monthly meeting, brännboll, barbecuing and swimming. Families from the whole Nest travelled to the Mjörnvallen sports ground to take part in the festivities.
The monthly meeting was held first, with new members being welcomed to the group, while support members and families got things ready for the brännboll match.
After the meeting, the group was divided into two mixed teams, with the National Council member Fredrik Vejdeland captaining one side, and the activist and Group Chief Samuel Almroth leading the other. Fredrik and Samuel were both natural choices as team captains, considering their history in these positions in the Nest’s brännboll contests in previous years.
Despite a tough fight from both sides, it was Team Almroth that had the last word and again left the field victorious.
Vejdeland commented: “I think it was a lot of fun. The teams were very mixed, with both young and old players. But Almroth’s team was the better team today, and for once he won fair and square.
“We will now be in serious training before the next event, which will be Nordic Man of the Year at Nordic Days this summer. If luck is on our side, we will meet again and have our revenge.”
After the match, the attendees enjoyed a barbecue and swam in the nearby lake. There was also a small market selling handicrafts and books.
The day ended with socialising and beach football.
Activism, martial arts and dinner at National Day celebration in Sundsvall
National Day in Sundsvall began with a banner action on a very windy bridge above the E4 motorway. As usual, the activity received mixed reactions, which in this case included everything from victory salutes and honking to a police visit.
Next, the comrades went to a nearby field for a physical training session, which included martial arts training featuring kicking with leg protection.
After a long, sweaty and varied session, the participants headed to a barbecue area in a beautiful nature reserve. Upon arrival, some chose to cool off with a quick dip in the still somewhat cold waters, before warming up again by consuming freshly grilled fillets of pork.
All in all, it was a successful day for the activists in Nest 4!
Monthly meeting with photography course and brännboll match in Nest 6
Nest 6 gathered outside Skellefteå for a pleasant monthly meeting and social activities on National Day.
After the day had begun with the monthly meeting, sandwich cake was served in honour of the occasion, which was greatly appreciated. Even those who usually have a strong dislike for the dish enjoyed the meal, which says a lot for the abilities of the Nest’s chef.
After the sandwich cake had been devoured and the attendees had enjoyed pleasant conversations over cups of coffee, it was time for a photography course given by a member. He tried to keep the material as basic as possible and only included the most necessary information for those with a serious interest in getting into photography.
The presentation focused on image editing and photography with a system camera, with the hope that members who knew little about the craft would go away somewhat wiser and with new ideas about taking photos for things such as activist reports and articles. The final part of the presentation demonstrated simple methods of editing photos in Photoshop.
Many of the audience members showed a genuine interest in photography and asked a lot of questions about the different topics covered. Perhaps this will lead to new upcoming photographers emerging from the Nest?
When the presentation was over, the Nest Chief ordered everyone out to an adjacent field, where a brännboll match would be held. The participants were divided into two teams, and Jeff Hede was appointed referee.
Hede read the rules carefully and extensively to the teams and issued strong warnings about the consequences of any rule-breaking, which he also repeated several times during the match.
The competition was hard-fought, and all the players were exhausted when the winning team was declared. Many of them were surprised that a game of brännboll could be so physically demanding.
After the tired party had walked back to the venue, they were met with the scent of grilled meat from the barbecue. This was served alongside salad and potato salad, which was very tasty and was appreciated by all. The meal also marked the end of the day’s activities, with everyone soon beginning to head home one by one.
