 General
information about the Scandinavian Christmas Fair,
Raleigh, NC, Dec 1st, 2007
Holshouser Building, State Fairgrounds
Welcome to the home of the Scandinavian Christmas Fair of Raleigh,
NC!
We would like to thank all our visitors to last year’s fair for
helping us make it such a spectacular event. Approximately 2500 adults
and children enjoyed the exhibits, entertainment, food and huge array
of sales items from Scandinavia. We truly appreciate our generous sponsors
and the wonderful vendors with all their wares from all over Scandinavia.
The cultural displays were really cherished, and there was a steady stream
of people visiting throughout the day. It was a pleasure to see so many
Scandinavians and Scandinavian-Americans pulling together to arrange the
Julmarknad (Christmas Fair in Swedish), manning the booths, cooking and
serving food and coffee and entertaining our guests with dancing, singing
and showing off all the beautiful costumes. It got crowded at times, but
that’s part of the experience and everybody was having a great time.
This year, the Scandinavian Christmas Fair promises to be even better
as the word is spreading around the area about this event. The date is
set for December 1st from 10am to 6 pm. Just as last year, the event will
take place in the Holshouser Building at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds
 The
Scandinavian Christmas Fair is an authentic celebration of the traditions
of the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and
Iceland. This old-world celebration is certain to get you in the spirit
of the season.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Julmarknad, which attracts
people from Scandinavia and of Scandinavian descent from all over the
east coast as well as many Americans that have made this an annual tradition.
The Julmarknad always features a variety of homemade foods, such as
Swedish meatballs, salmon and pea soup. Be sure to visit the “Coffee
Corner” for coffee and wonderful home baked pastries. Talented artisans
and vendors offer everything from knives and quilts to crystal pieces,
jewelry, homemade bread, Christmas decorations and more!
There will be something on stage the entire day. Performers from the
local Scandinavian community will be showing traditional folk dances and
playing folk music. There will even be a “fashion show” featuring
the beautiful folk costumes of the Scandinavian countries. For many families,
the highpoint is the Lucia procession. This singing procession of
boys and girls celebrating the season of light is a very memorable experience
and not to be missed.
 There
are also cultural exhibits and children’s activities such as storytelling. If the kids have been good this year, “tomten”
(Santa Claus) will visit! Children will also take part
in the traditional
dance around the Christmas tree.
Several local Scandinavian organizations are represented at the fair,
and there are always plenty of opportunities to learn a little more about
the people and customs of
the Scandinavian countries. You might even pick
up a few words in a local tongue and develop a taste for that traditional
herring!
The Scandinavian Christmas Fair is sponsored by SWEA – a Swedish
women’s organization and Vasa - a Swedish-American organization.
The proceeds of this event
go towards scholarships and to support local
Swedish initiatives.
Entrance is $6 for adults and free for children 12 and under.
For more information please send us an e-mail at info@scanfair.org
See you there! |
