Scandinavian Festival
Event features music, dancing and vendors selling folk art
Celebrate the culture of Scandinavia with music, dance, food and more at the Scandinavian Festival. The event, sponsored by the Rosemalers of New Mexico and the Scandinavian Club of Albuquerque, takes place on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Immanuel Presbyterian Church.
The festival began as a small arts and crafts show at the homes of Rosemalers of New Mexico members in 1985. The event grew over the years and was held at larger venues, including the Maxwell Museum on the University of New Mexico campus. The event moved to Immanuel Presbyterian Church in 2006.
“Prior to 2006, one of our club members was the organizer,” said Denise RichardFranco, Scandinavian Festival organizer. “Then, in 2006, she thought it was too much fun for her so she passed it on to me, so I took over. I did it for a couple of years and then I decided to turn it into a festival to drum up more of an audience. I think more families and more men would be interested in attending a festival than an arts and crafts show. So I added entertainment and that kind of thing. So it became a festival in 2008.”
This year, the Rosemalers of New Mexico have teamed up with the Scandinavian Club of Albuquerque to sponsor the event. The Scandinavian Club will present traditional dances at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. A Swedish fiddler will perform in the afternoon. Scandinavian music will be played throughout the day, as people peruse vendor booths and enjoy Scandinavian treats.
“(There will be) lots of Scandinavian cookies,” Richard-Franco said. “We have a Scandanavian doughnut; it’s called aebleskiver. It’s made in a special frying pan, a wrought-iron pan. It’s got holes in it, so the doughnuts are these round balls. It’s hysterical, and it takes quite a bit of patience to make one. You have to pour the dough into this aebleskiver pan, and then when it’s done on one side, you flip this round ball on the other side. We have a caterer making Swedish meatballs, which are delicious.” Vendors will also be present.
“(Vendors will be) selling Norwegian knives, cards, jewelry, gnomes,” RichardFranco said. “We have a woman who is making stuffed gnomes and another woman who is making wool felt gnomes. We have Viking ships, pottery, Christmas ornaments and … a lot of stuff. One vendor said she was going to be bringing vintage Scandinavian items and sweaters that will be wonderful, and dolls and candle holders.”
Rosemalers of New Mexico also will be selling their art.
“Norwegian rosemaling is an unschooled peasant art that rural Norwegians used in their homes and churches to adorn their furniture, walls and ceilings,” Richard-Franco said. “Previous to its development, woodcarving was the predominant decoration, using the acanthus leaf and baroque tendrils that was later adopted by rosemalers. Initially, the painting was done over carved scrolls and moved to other objects, such as ale bowls, tankards, boxes, trays, dowry chests, aka bride’s chests, and furniture. Rosemaling is traditionally done on wood.”