The Philadelphia Region Celebrates and Honors Scandinavian Culture and Heritage In April 2012
The international and business community in Philadelphia will be honoring and celebrating the countries,
culture and contributions of Scandinavia - Sweden,
Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland in April 2012
with an event called “Hej! Scandinavia – Scandinavian
Month Philadelphia. ”
The Philadelphia Region has a rich and vibrant Scandinavian history. Some of the first Europeans to settle
in North America were Swedes and Finns who formed
a colony called “New Sweden” along the Delaware
River. The settlement existed as a colonyfrom 1638 to
1655 and included parts of present-day Delaware, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania. The official flag of Philadelphia is blue and yellow to commemorate the original
Swedish colonization of Philadelphia. Today the Philadelphia Region is home to many people of Swedish,
Finish, Danish and Norwegian descent. There are also
a significant number of Scandinavian businesses with
major U.S. operations and headquarters located in the
Philadelphia Region including QlikTech, Inc., SCA Americas, SKF North America, IKEA, Specops Software, Volvo
Group, AstraZeneca, Alfa Laval, Novo Nordisk Inc., Securitas, Skanska, American Shipping Company (f/k/a
Aker American Shipping), Nilfisk, Taste of Norway, Nordic Nutrition, Bailine Body Sculpting and H&M America.
Scandinavia has a strong culture of innovation. There
are a number of everyday products and technologies that are Scandinavian innovations, including the
three point safety belt, open source micro IP, Skype,
the zipper, the ball bearing, the log cabin, turbo engines, the Celsius thermometer, the milking machine and separator, pacemakers, and paper clips.
Scandinavia is further known for its contributions to
creative expression in the areas of art, fashion, design,
film, literature and music. In particular, Scandinavian
design has been very influential, with a style characterized by simplicity, democratic design and natural
shapes. Glassware (littala – Finland), ceramics (Arabia –
Finland), tableware (George Jensen – Denmark), lighting (Poul Henningsen – Denmark) and furniture (Danish modern) were some of the genres for the products
created. The countries of Scandinavia have a rich tradition of success on international sporting competitions in such events as ice hockey, soccer, skiing, snowboarding, and tennis. In combination with the sport
the people of Scandinavia eat healthy and their food
is among the most nutritious in the world. In fashion,
brands such as Acne, Nudie, Cheap Monday, Filippa K,
Helly Hansen, Molly, Björn Borg, WESC, and Fjällräven
are well known worldwide. Famous Scandinavian musicians include such artists as ABBA, Ace of Base, Agnes
Carlsson, A-ha, Lykke Li, The Cardigans, Leif Ove Andsnes, Jan Garbarek, Millencollin, Robyn, Roxette, The
Rasmus, Aqua, Europe, Eppu Normaali and Rövksopp.
Scandinavians are known as proponents of human rights and egalitarian values at home and on
the world stage. Famous international humanitarians have included former UN General Secretaries
Trygve Lie and Dag Hammarskjöld as well as Raoul
Wallenberg. In recent years Scandinavians have
been prominent in peace-keeping and humanitarian relief efforts in troubled areas of the world.
In April 2012, the cultures and contributions of Scandinavia was celebrated and honored at International
House of Philadelphia in collaboration with the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce (SACC), American Swedish Historical Museum (ASHM), Scandinavian
American Business Forum (ScanAm), as well as the Scandinavian Honorary Consuls. The program was called
“Hej! Scandinavia – Scandinavian Month Philadelphia.”
The events was included a moderated panel discussion focused on Scandinavian business values,
a culture and cuisine program with a noted Scandinavian chef, as well as a Scandinavian film screening. For more information about this event, please
visit the IHP webpage (www.ihousephilly.org).
Written by:
Malin Karlsson and David Engstrom.