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The national anthem
I have tried to explain how important to is study more than just the language itself in the previous lessons. I have decided to add this one to make it real. It is going to introduce us the Swedish national anthem and its roots.
Do you think that national anthems are important? Are you interested in the Swedish one? Would you like to know more about it? Yes? Ok then, let’s get down to business.
Firstly, several background information about the anthem. Its name is Du gamla, du fria which stands for Thou ancient, thou free and the original name is Sång till Norden which stands for Song to the North. And what was meant by Norden? Originally it was a common denomination for the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark). But nowadays the Norden in the anthem is a synonym of Sweden.
It started to be recognized as a national anthem during the 19th century. In 1938 a national radio ended its evening broadcasts with this song every day. The interesting thing is that it has never been legislated as a national anthem despite the official attempts during the 20th century. Nevertheless, Du gamla, du fria is played…
