Folk Music from Sweden

Sunday, October 11th
9:30 AM

Or look at ships: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 

James 3:4

As a summer highlight, I joined a weeklong tour to Dalarna, Sweden via the American Scandinavian Foundation in 2026. To that end, the 35 participants studied, learned, and experienced the roots of Swedish folk music. Over 10 days, the group from Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa and Texas, travelled to settings where traditional folk music has fostered and we worked with “tradition bearers.” We learned as musicians did in the past without training or musical scores. We simply listened and repeated what we heard. Surprisingly, we performed three concerts of newly learned music over the ten days as well.

One of the highlights of the study tour was rowing in a historic church boat on Lake Siljan in the heart of Sweden. Church boats have their roots in Viking skip designs. Ours was 60 foot long and weighed 4000 pounds. They served as the primary means of transportation for church goers in the 17th and 18th century when attendance at Sunday worship was required across Sweden and Finland. The church boats required teamwork, coordination and strength- especially since they carried many elderly parishioners to church who could not row. I have to admit that our crew would have never made it to church on time, or perhaps not even on the right day. Roads along Lake Siljan eventually replaced church boats, but they were not forgotten. In 1936, the first church boat regatta was arranged as competitive sport between racing church boat teams. The sport is still active today.

Reflecting back on the study tour, I like to imagine the church boat as the tradition bearer of folk music. Certainly, there must have been news and gossip shared as they rowed, but there must have been music as well. Songs from an earlier generation were passed on as the boat glided across the waters. Sunshine, gray clouds and rain all evoked a different melody and verse. This was how music was kept alive from one generation to the next. On Sunday, October 11th, you are invited to experience a bit of that Swedish folk music when participants of the ASF 2026 Study Tour will perform music for worship. It will be a lively colorful morning.

Pastor, Pastor Arden Haug