week 39 – Skördefest at „One Year – One Island“
SKÖRDEFEST – this is a thing you simply cannot ignore if you live on Öland. It doesn’t matter whether you work with tourists or not, how old you are, or what you’re interested in. Skördefest! It is the most busy weekend of the whole year. The word sounds a bit complicated, but it simply means “harvest festival.” And of course, there are many other harvest festivals all over Sweden, because this large, forested country has always lived from harvesting: grain, fruit, vegetables, berries, mushrooms, wood, fish, farm animals – even stones get ”harvested” here.
But Öland has the biggest and most famous harvest festival in Sweden! It started in 1996 when a man from Öland named Sven Ekberg visited the island of Jersey in Britain and experienced the “Good Food Festival.” He thought that Jersey and Öland had similar conditions, and that it would be a brilliant idea to organise a similar festival on Öland focused on locally produced food. He clearly knew the right people and convinced them quickly, because only one year later – with a big financial contribution from the EU – the very first Öland Skördefest took place.
Now, after 28 years, the festival has grown far beyond its original idea. On one festival day, around 36,000 cars cross the bridge to Öland, while in summer it is a maximum of 25,000 cars per day – and in the quiet season only about 15,000. It has become a tradition that on the last day of the festival, there is always a traffic jam when leaving Borgholm. But it’s no longer just about buying potatoes, fresh pressed apple juice or black curly sheepskins. It’s mainly about experiencing something special: according to the official website, there are over 900 events during the four days – all trying to get the visitors’ attention. A look into the orange program booklet with the pumpkin symbol makes choosing very difficult.
There is everything – from a spectacular fire show in the Eketorp castle ruins and a garden fair to small garage flea markets. At Station Linné you can see an insect called the “Walking Leaf” (although it actually lives in South Asia and Australia). In Löttorp, a few hundred trucks gather for two days, polished and decorated with blinking lights allover. Sometimes one of them honks loudly just for fun, which the many visitors seem to enjoy. The “Sheep Days” at Borgholm Castle ruins have a long tradition. I went once and watched someone shear a sheep in only 3 minutes, saw a shepherd with a well-trained border collie, and visited the four (only 4 all together!) stands with sheepskins, wool, and lamb products. Afterwards I thought the entry fee was much too high or the marketing is just brilliant – or maybe I’m just not that interested in sheep.
Because the festival is all about pumpkins, the heaviest pumpkin in Sweden is chosen every year. It usually weighs around 400 kg and has to be carried to the competition on a tractor, hanging in straps. Compared to the world record of over 1000 kg in the USA, it’s quite small. But even funnier is the contest for the ugliest pumpkin, which happens beforehand.
In southern Öland, an artist I know creates a new onion painting every year on a big wooden board using about 5,000 white, red, and yellow onions. The unveiling is always a big show! Right after that, you can get lost in the corn maze (which is actually a labyrinth – yes, I’m being a know-it-all!). This artist also decorates the maze with colourful wooden sculptures every year.
The absolute highlight, however, is the Art Night. Most artists open their private studios to visitors. That was the original idea of this Artists Night. Today you could probably see Öland glowing from space during that one night – because hundreds of thousands of candles are lit along the roads to attract visitors. Driving feels like entering a runway for airplans. On both sides of the roads, little stalls, barn doors and garages shine with decorations of straw bales and pumpkins. People sell coffee and homemade cakes, second-hand items, grandma’s knitted ragsocks, jam, herbal oils, honey from Öland bees, or beers from their own microbreweries. Shops and boutiques also join in and offer sales everywhere. It is the last big rush before the island becomes quiet for the winter and only locals remain. The restaurants stay open late, and there are concerts, readings, and talks all over the island.
For my project “One Year – One Island,” I absolutely could not ignore the Skördefest — especially because, according to my schedule, I would be in Borgholm during that week (week 39). So I checked the events in Borgholm and chose the Puppet Parade of the Culture School. As a former Berliner, I immediately thought of something like the “Carnival of Cultures”: colourful, loud, and full of music. The newspaper described it as “a colourful folk festival” and said that the participants had been working on their shining puppets since spring. There would be 150 participants and even a special theme this year.
My only problem: the parade takes place in the dark, because the puppets are illuminated. I couldn’t sit and sketch in the dark, and I couldn’t paint a moving crowd, passing me in just a few minutes. I thought about it for a long time. I wanted to capture the essence of Skördefest, and a glowing parade seemed perfect. I decided to make an exception: I would attend the event and paint the watercolour the next day using a photo reference.
Our own café was open until 5 PM, and then we drove to Borgholm around 6:30 PM. The parade was supposed to start at 8 PM and go along the main shopping street all the way to the harbour. When we arrived, we were very lucky to find parking. So many people! I had never seen Borgholm this full! My expectations got even higher, and I was excited.
We stood at the harbour, waiting, and I couldn´t get my eyes from the harbour. There was almost no wind and the water layed like mirrow and the sundown was beautiful!
Finally – about ten minutes late – we heard them coming. A glowing mass approached, led by the musicians. Everyone was taking photos – including me. The best view was when the parade passed through the park alley, shortly before turning. And then came the surprise: there were only about 15 glowing objects carried on long sticks. The rest of the crowd were musicians, the parents of the children carrying the puppets, and the spectators. I laughed at myself. What had I been expecting? But still – it was creative and atmospheric! The puppets showed the different subjects of the culture school: a guitar, a paint palette, two brushes, two pencils, an ink bottle, and maybe something like an eraser.
Even though I expected more puppets – I loved it! And painting the picture later was great fun. Here it is – have a look:
Next week I will be in Äpplerum, Räpplinge. Hope to see you!
