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TRADITIONAL GIFTS
The Dala (Dalecarlien) Horse is perhaps the bestknown
of all the artifacts, and somewhat of a Swedish
trademark. The wood carved, distinctly brick-red horse
with hand-painted kurbits pattern is typical of Dalarna
county, where the original copies were made in only
one village, Nusnas. Other colors of the Dala horse have
been approved, but they are not considered traditional.
Newer varieties like the Dalecarlien horse inside a
crystal cube, can be found at Sweden of Stockholm
in Old Town, but the Nordic Museum Gift Shop, which
only offers genuine Swedish quality items, is the best
place to purchase this traditional favorite.
The indigenous people of Sweden, the Sámi have their
own traditional craftsmanship called Duodjí. These
unique and practical handcrafts and jewelry are easily
recognizable and, in case you’re not sure, Sámiproduced
items are always marked with a symbol of
authenticity. Colors are most often representative of
the Sámi flag: dark blue, bright red, grass green and
golden yellow. Sámi bracelets are made by braiding
silver and pewter threads inside or atop a flat caribou
leather string, fastened with a small bone-carved
button. These culturally historical bracelets take hours
to complete and are meant to last for life or until the
leather needs changing. Practical items, such as water
bowls carved out of birch, water flasks made of leather,
knife sheaths or spoons carved from bone, small
engraved boxes for sewing equipment are but a few of
the typical crafts visitors will come across. Sámi crafts
are created from natural materials, notably carving
wood or (caribou) bone, and utilizing hand processed
leather. Considering their exclusivity and the hours of
hard work that go into these unique products, they are
priced accordingly. The artists usually prefer selling
their handicrafts in person, and are therefore only sold
in a handful of stores in Stockholm.
A SOFTER TOUCH
Never to be fashionably outdone, Stockholm lives up
to its voguish status, offering a variety of trendy linen
fabrics. Being grown and processed in a sustainable
way makes this eco-friendly, long-lasting, quality fiber
a highly sought-after material. Prior to the arrival of
cotton in the 19th century, Sweden had a long history
of creating coarse and fine linen fabrics. The traditional,
off-white or pale, gray and brown Swedish linen, is used
today for making clothing or home decor such as rustic
pillow-cases, curtains and heavy bedspreads. If made
completely organic and sewn by hand, linen items can
be understandably expensive, but a myriad of different
items are available for that perfect touch in the home,
a conversation piece or quality gift!
Stockholm lives up to its reputation for showcasing
shopping excitement and satisfaction for any visitor.
From large and lavish department stores, boasting
marvelous window displays filled with luxury goods,
where the likes of signature scents of Byredo roll-on
perfumed oils may be found, to the trendy waterfront,
outdoor design marketplace, where food trucks add
to the ultimate street market experience in Hornstull.
The gorgeous red brick building with medieval-style
spires, is home to the covered food market in the high
end Ostermalm district and is filled with restaurants
and stalls with high quality ingredients to take home
and savor; traditional salted licorice is a must to sample.
Bibliotekstan, a pedestrianized downtown district,
is Stockholm’s most affluent shopping area where
many international designer labels are clustered, while
traditional Swedish toy selections are displayed and sold
in a variety of design and craft stores in Old Town.
The alluring shopping across the marvelous city renders
it easy to take a little of Stockholm home!
Liesl Noel is a gifted writer from South Africa. She’s spent years
traveling the world with some of the world’s most influential people
prior to becoming a proud mother, middle school language arts
teacher and talented freelance writer.