Easter

 

 

Easter 2016

 

 

 

Easter 2014

Easter 2023

When I can (health and other circumstances allowing), I like to celebrate Easter in church. In recent decades, that has usually meant going to this one - Caroli church, the oldest church in Borås (built in 1669, but has been through some repairs since then), belonging to the national Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden. (The union between state and church was dissolved in 2000, but it still retains a special status in some respects as national church, compared to what we call "free" churches.) Liturgically it is "high church", reflected in the order of worship, the garments worn by the priests (nowadays many of them women), and using the word "mass" (mässa) for communion services.  

The liturgy at Easter is especially "dramatic" - at least in this church, which holds church services every day throughout the Easter weekend. In the evening of Easter Thursday there is a Mass, ending with the altar being stripped bare from all decorations (candles, flowers, altar cloths), and all lights being turned off so that the congregation leaves the church in darkness. On Easter Friday (11 am) a service without communion, and the only decoration on the altar a vase with five red roses, representing Christ's wounds. No musical instruments used, but the choir sings a cappella. On Easter Saturday there is a Midnight mass, which starts in darkness, but includes the lights being turned back on, and the altar getting decorated again, to celebrate the resurrection. (I've only attended that a few times in the past, but it made deep impressions that I still "carry with me".) On Easter Sunday, a joyful mass with the organ and other instruments back in use, together with the choir. There's also some kind of service on Easter Monday (this year a musical service in the late afternoon). 

It's probably only like once or twice that I've attended all these different church services (on one and the same weekend); but they still all form a unity to me now, even if I only go to one or two (or even none). 

This year (so far), I went to the Maundy Thursday mass (at 6 pm) together with my friend E. It was raining, so on my own I probably wouldn't have gone; but she lives on the outskirts of town and has a car, so came and picked me up (and delivered me safely back home after as well). Today, Easter Friday, the weather was rather pleasant for walking (not sunny, but also not raining); so I walked to the 11 am service and back. Ran into another old friend there after the service and chatted with her for a bit. 

I'll not be going to the Easter Eve midnight mass. Whether I'll make it to the Sunday service remains to be seen. Besides the weather, it also depends on how I cope with the dreaded annual switch to Summer Time, which this year unfortunately happens to coincide with Easter! (Extra tough challenge for anyone set on attending both of those church services...)

(Repeating one of my AI-created stained glass windows from an earlier post.)

Three Churches

(Alternative titles: "Lost and Found" or "Tower Power")

On our recent trip to the coast, we did not get the opportunity to "properly" visit any church (as we have often done on other holiday trips). However, we did find church towers rather helpful for orientation in an unknown landscape (vs the map)! 

On the second day of our trip, we found ourselves stopping at three different countryside churches because of feeling a bit lost, and needing to (re)establish our position on the map. 

I have afterwards found that all three of them belong to the parish of Munkedal. If you click on the links to each of them below, you will also be able to have a look inside them on the parish website - even though my brother and I did not get to do that IRL. (I did try the door at each on them, but they were all locked.) 

With the first one, the time stamp on my photo tells me that we stopped there around 10:11 - on our way to Bovallstrand. I've now (re-)identified it as Bärfendal church - dating back to the mid 1100s; but the wooden tower added as late as 1868.

10:11 - Bärfendal Church

An  old wooden shed close to the church above

The next two were our way back from Smögen the same afternoon.

 

 

16:05 - passing Håby Church

Håby church, near Munkedal: We had already driven past this one (without stopping) at least three times - twice when looking for our hotel on Wednesday evening, and again on Thursday morning... And just after 4 pm on Thursday afternoon we passed it again. We did not intend to stop there, so I just took the opportunity to take photos from the car...

However, shortly after that we managed to miss a turn somewhere, had to have a full spin around a roundabout, and then found no place to safely turn around again until back at Håby church. Where we then parked for a few minutes to try and get our bearings straight - again.

This church too goes back to the 1100s, with the wooden tower added in 1869.

16:14 - parked at Håby Church...

16:16 (a side door)

16:17

 

However, as there was more than one confusing roundabout to get through in this neighbourhood , we also ended up at a third church that we had not really intended to visit.

16:34 - Foss Church

 

Foss church, also close to Munkedal. Yet another one going back to the 1100s, with the tower added much later. (This seems to have been "standard" in those parts...) 

 

Once we got past Uddevalla, we were finally back on more familiar roads. But still with another two hours or so to drive back to Borås... (phew)  

We only made two more short stops. The first one at a motel somewhere after Uddevalla for coffee/tea. (Coffee for the driver, tea for me.)

17:00

 The second at the church and graveyard in the village just outside Borås where our parents and paternal grandparents (and some other ancestors) are buried - just for a little walkabout to check on our family graves, this time!  

From the one photo I took there (19:05),  I conclude that we must have arrived home (at my flat) around 19:30 or so. Tired, with two long days behind us... but also quite a lot to look back on!

 

"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves."
- Henry David Thoreau

Inspired Sunday

 

Today elections are held in the Church of Sweden, i.e. the Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. Liturgically and theologically it is "high church". It was state church from the Reformation until 2000, and is still the largest Christian denomination in Sweden with over 5 million members. It is an open national church with a democratic organisation, including the right of members to vote in elections, which still resemble political elections. To which extent they should continue to do so is one of the questions debated in later years; but for now, that's how it is. In the church elections, candidates are listed either with a political party group, or with a 'non-political' group (there are more than one of those as well). I'll refrain from trying to explain further, as I'm rather confused about it all myself!

Back in the previous century I usually didn't bother to vote, but in later years I have. The possibility to vote in advance in this election opened two of weeks ago, and I went to do so one of the first days; in the parish house next to the church above. It is the oldest church in town, dating back to the late 1600s. In later years I've attended church services and concerts here every now and then; but not since the pandemic.

On my way back from voting, I took the opportunity to go into the church and play tourist - i.e. wander about a bit and snap some photos with my phone. (I think it is usually kept open in the daytime on workdays; but I don't normally pass by it.)

If you wish , you can light candles for prayer.

A "christening" tree - a rather modern addition .They add the names of recently baptized people on it. (I've seen similar trees in other churches visited on holidays in recent years.)

If all goes to plan, Sweden will be lifting the last of its corona restrictions at the end of September. For my own part, I'm still feeling a bit hesitant about "crowds", though. Not sure yet when I'll feel ready for a well-attended church service or choir concert...?

Inspired Sunday: Hammarlöv Church (Skåne, Sweden)

This church dates back to the later part of the 12th century and was originally built in Romanesque style. (Traces of an even older wooden church have also been found.) The round church tower is unusual for Sweden.  

The altarpiece was carved in 1700, but the image in the middle is later, from 1869.

The side ailes to the south and to the north were added in the 19th century. The pulpit, originally from the 17th century, had to be moved to be better seen by the congregation.

The baptismal funt is the oldest object in the church, made by the same stone mason who built the original church.

 

The organ was first built in 1851, and rebuilt in 1926.

Hammarlöv church is situated not far from Maglarp church, which I blogged about a couple of weeks ago. Some similarities can be seen in the interior design if you compare them.

Inspired Sunday #339

Lund Cathedral and Astronomical Clock

Lund Cathedral (previously also shown/mentioned here in a post from the Third Day of my summer road trip in July this year) dates back to the early 12th century (and there was probably a cathedral in the same spot even earlier). Back in those days the province of Skåne was Danish; and before the Reformation the churches and cathedrals were of course Catholic. (Nowadays it belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden.) Lund was an important cultural and religious city in the Middle Ages and back in those days there were also several monasteries etc.

Because of fires and whatever other reasons, various changes were made to the cathedral over the years. Only the apse has remained unchanged (i.e. the rounded part where the altar is). 

Around 1425, an astronomical clock was installed. It has had to be renovated several times over the years (last in 2010), but is still (or again) working. I promised in my earlier post that I would get back to this clock more in detail some time - and now it's Time!

In Latin the clock is called Horologium mirabile Lundense. 

The upper board of the clock shows, among other things, the different phases of the Moon and where the Sun sets.The lower board is a calendar, with the help of which one can calculate things like when mobile religious holidays (like Easter) will fall, or the weekday of a certain date. The man in the middle of the calendar is the Patron Saint of the cathedral, St Lawrence (St Lars in Swedish).

The present calendar board is for 1923-2123 (after that, it will have to be replaced with a new one).

On top of the clock there are two knights who mark the hours by coming out to fight each other.

 
Twice a day (weekdays at noon and at 3 pm, Sundays at 1 pm and at 3 pm) the clock plays a tune (In Dulci Jubilo), and things happen with the figures in the middle of the clock:

The two guardians lift their horns, the door on the left opens, a procession of six figures present gifts to the holy Virgin and Child sitting on the throne in the middle, and then disappear back into the clock through the door to the right.

My brother and I first visited the cathedral earlier in the morning, before 10 am - but decided to go back for the "clock show" at 12. I'm glad we did, as it was a rare experience. (As it was the tourist season, there were a lot of people gathered then, and a guide to explain what was going to happen, both in Swedish and in English.)

Inspired Sunday #333

Inspired Sunday: St Peter's Church, Malmö

Sankt Petri kyrka (St Peter's Church) is the oldest church in Malmö (Sweden) and was originally the only parish church of the city. Construction began in the early 14th century. The church was constructed with red bricks and was built as a Gothic basilica.

  

The pulpit was inaugurated in 1599.

The altarpiece from 1611 is made of oak wood and reaches a height of 15 metres (49 ft). 

A side-chapel is richly decorated with late medieval frescos covering both the walls and the vaulted ceiling, and showing both secular and religious motifs.

 
Inspired Sunday #332