manx celtic music and dance

Manx Folk Dance Society visit Sweden

03 Sep 2015


MFDS VISIT SWEDEN

MFDS visit to Ljungby from 5th to 11th August 2015 It was a very early start - getting up around 4 - 4.30am, for 10 of the 12 members of the Manx Folk Dance Society who went to Sweden to visit their good friends in the Sunnerbogillet Dance Group. 2 members had taken their camper van to have more of a holiday as well. The plane left Ronaldsway at 6.30am on a grey, damp morning, but the weather improved as they flew to Manchester, then Copenhagen, before changing to the train to travel across the Öresund Bridge to Älmhult, where they were met by 2 of their Swedish dancing friends, who helped them change to the bus for the last bit of their journey to Ljungby. (The 2 groups first met over 30 years ago while dancing at a Festival in Morecambe and the friendship and exchanges have continued since then.) The Manx group was then taken to their hosts' homes to stay as their guests for the visit.

On Thursday morning they visited a very old but delightful small village called Piggaboda. Many of the houses were at least 200 years old, and they saw the exterior of the Village Shop - which sold everything! - from a nail to a length of material, from soap to wallpaper! They then visited the old Flour and Saw Mills, still in working order, before sitting outside by the pond to have coffee and delicious open sandwiches. The groups moved to Linnés Råshult to see the area where Carl von Linné was born. They had a look at the gardens and meadows still laid-out as they would have been in his day when he worked on the classification of plants. After lunch in IKEA, there was the chance to have a look around the big modern store, before going to look at the IKEA Museum, which gave the history of the company and how it grew as well as a chance to reminisce as they looked at the old furniture and changing styles. That evening the 2 groups got together for a shared evening of learning each other's dances.

On Friday 7th August the two group went by coach to the Europeade Festivities , which were being held in Helsingborg, on the coast, and Parade of the 6000 participants in about 250 groups - dancers, musicians and singers. It was a really sunny, hot day and MFDS saw a number of their foreign friends from Malmö, Visby on Gotland and Besse from Germany, taking part in the activities - in fact many of these friends left the afternoon Parade briefly to come across to exchange greetings. It was a pity that about an hour into the approximately 4 hour parade it began to rain quite heavily for about 30 minutes, but it soon cleared up again. It was amazing, that to begin with the parade walked along one of the four lanes for 2-way traffic, without the road being closed! Later they moved it onto the edge of the pavement. Earlier in the day various European groups had been performing half hour spots at a number of designated areas in the city. In the early evening MFDS were taken to the impressive Restaurant Kavalleristen on the outskirts of the city for their evening meal. It was MFDS member, Emma's 18th birthday, so 18th balloons, confetti and a luxury gateau accompanied by a dish of 18 floating lighted tea lights finished the meal, with Emma managing to blow all the lights out! - a memorable, significant birthday for her!

Saturday was the day the MFDS had two performances at local events. In the morning they were taken to Torpa for the Village Festival held in the Motor Museum grounds. It began to rain so the performance, with their hosts, Sunnerbogillet, was inside the Bus Museum on a small area just within the doors. They were well received and were lucky enough to have their music provided by an old friend, Robert Smythe, who now lives nearby in Växjö. There were many old cars, buses dating back to 1930, steam engines and an old Russian Tank on display. After being entertained to coffee and waffles, some of the Manx people went on a short tour of the village on the 1930 bus and just a few were luck enough to get a very bumpy ride on the Russian Tank! They then moved on to the Hamneda Village Festival, which apparently ALWAYS has sunny weather - and so it was again. The event was held in a field behind the Old Country Store Museum. A stage area was provided and the two groups danced to a very appreciative audience, MFDS having to provide their own music this time from within the dancers, by their talented and well practiced - but still learning musicians. There was plenty of time to look at and buy at the many stalls - they could even buy more waffles if they were feeling peckish! There was a short conducted tour of the Old Country Store before travelling back home. Later there was an opportunity to exchange dances again.

On Sunday 9th August, they went to Markaryd, first for coffee and waffles and then to travel by Trolley Train around the Elk and Bison areas, with short branches being provided to feed the Elk and American Bison that came up alongside the carriages. It was a wonderful experience! After lunch the group was split into two to take a leisurely Horse-drawn Carriage ride around the lake and surrounding area in Tånneryd, before having a bite to eat and drink at the Old Mill at Knäred, before enjoying a good look around the buildings - the owners were very generous and hospitable. Then some dancing and singing took place alongside the old mill building and river - it was a most enjoyable, relaxed evening.

The group went into Ljungby town on Monday - some to ‘hit' the shops, some to visit the Funeral Museum and local ruins & sites of interest. 2 of the dancers were later invited to one of their new friend's farm to see her bee hives and how she made honey, before they enjoyed a delicious cooked evening meal sitting out in her garden in the sunshine. At about 6.30pm everyone gathered back in Ljungby for the Ljungby Music School Concert, which started at 7pm - everyone sitting on hard, bench seats. The music was very varied - modern, percussion, guitar, orchestral and singing. At 8 .30pm the 2 groups went back to the local dance practice hall for more shared dancing, some fruit, cake & coffee, then thanks and an exchange of gifts. MFDS also gave small ‘thank you’ gifts to the musicians to show they appreciated their talented efforts. An invitation was extended to Sunnerbogillet to come to the Isle of Man next year, 2016.

On Tuesday 11th August after a very short sleep the dancers were down at the bus station in Ljungby by 7.30am to say their final farewells and to catch the bus to Växjö, where Robert met them to direct them onto the correct train and to say his goodbyes, train to Copenhagen Airport, plane to Manchester and then the plane to Ronaldsway, Isle of Man by about 8pm, very tired but happy after a memorable few days with their Swedish friends from Ljungby.

Joan Cowell August 2015

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