Advertisement

Fire bans put Swedish Valborg celebrations at risk

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Fire bans put Swedish Valborg celebrations at risk
A traditional Walpurgis bonfire in eastern Stockholm. File photo: Jessica Gow / TT

Fire bans in several parts of Sweden will put a stop to the bonfires that are a traditional part of Walpurgis or Valborg celebrations on April 30th.

Advertisement

After an unusually warm and dry spring, the risk of wildfire is greater than average in much of Götaland and Svealand, with last week seeing at least ten wildfires and 50 grass fires per day. Those fires were thought to have been caused by human activities, and many municipalities have introduced a ban on public fires.

A total fire ban is in place in Kronoberg, Jönköping and Östergötland, which covers 34 municipalities in total, due to the high risk of fire.

This means that some of the largest Walpurgis celebrations, such as the student-focussed festivities in university town Linköping, will take place without the traditional bonfire. although in Jönköping and Kronoberg it is possible to apply for a special permit to have a Walpurgis fire.

And a further 29 municipalities across Kalmar, Västra Götaland, Dalarna and Västmanland have also banned public fires, according to SVT Nyheter. In several other places, including Stockholm, municipalities have advised the public against starting a fire in nature, without introducing a ban.

READ ALSO: What exactly is Swedish Valborg, and where are the best places to celebrate it?

Vocabulary

fire ban – eldningsförbud

bonfire – brasa

municipality – kommun

according to – enligt

to apply – ansöka

We're aiming to help our readers improve their Swedish by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Do you have any suggestions? Let us know.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also