Don't you agree birthdays seem to come round faster and faster with every year? And it seems to apply to official celebrations as well as personal anniversaries...
I think I have been blogging about my town's anniversary celebrations on 29th June almost every year - well, the last few anyway. Today it was time to appreciate that 396 years have now gone by since Borås first received its town charter back in 1621.
Besides free cake for the attending
public, the ceremony in recent years has included announcing a new
"ambassador" for the town for the year to come. Usually somebody already rather famous.
The person chosen this year might even be known to some of my readers here, as he has reached some international fame as a crime writer: Hans Rosenfeldt. Among other achievements, he is the creator behind the Swedish-Danish TV series The Bridge which has become quite a huge international success. (There have been two seasons so far and a third is coming. I know there have also been adaptations of the series made in the US and in Britain. I have only seen the Swedish original, though.) In Sweden Rosenfeldt is also very well known from various popular radio and TV shows.
His connection to Borås is that he was born here. He doesn't still live here, though - and just now he isn't even in Sweden! So alas there was a little bit of a "Dylan moment" about his appointment as ambassador...
Hans Rosenfeldt
(Photo from Wikipedia)
He appeared only on a big TV screen on the stage to say hello from London; and sent his brother to attend the ceremony "live".
I heard a few mutterings among the audience ("why not choose someone actually living here") ... But then the real reason most of us were there was brought out - and we all got busy queuing and chewing instead. ;)
... and then the gulls discovered what was going on, and came noisily party-crashing...
I remember some of these posts from years before. What exactly is the job of the ambassador? I imagine there would be quite a ruckus about choosing this author. I love the gulls! Was anybody feeding hem crumbs? Looks like these's plenty, too.
ReplyDeleteGinny, it's not really a "job" but more of an honorary title. Hopefully the person nominated will give the town some extra PR by speaking favourably of it every now and then. :)
DeleteHappy anniversary to your town. Kind of agree about getting an ambassador who lives there.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Janet - if one wants the town's name widely spread, an already internationally famous person is not a bad choice!
DeleteThe cake looks great! I think this is my favourite event of your town, although I also very much like the St. Lucia tradition.
ReplyDeleteThe 400-year-anniversary is just round the corner; I bet they are already preparing for that! My town has had its 300th anniversary some years ago, and that was BIG, too. No free cake, though...
Yes Meike, the 400 years jubilee "just around the corner" was mentioned in the opening speech...
Deleteyour anniversary is always a few days before our 4th of July anniversary for Independence day... we had a tv series called the bridge but not this one.
ReplyDeleteSandra, I know they made an American The Bridge adaptation of the Swedish series, which was set on the American/Mexican border (instead of the bridge between Sweden and Denmark). But I suppose there may be other series bearing the same title.
DeleteIn that the job of the Ambassador is to raise awareness of Borås I think it makes sense to choose someone famous so long as he or she has a strong connection to the city.
ReplyDeleteGraham, I have to agree. As for this author, I think he has been known to speak favourably about his native town, even if he doesn't live here. (And I did know that he comes from here, although I have no idea when or where I may first have learned that.)
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