The 2025 Santa Lucia celebration has now been re-scheduled to December 28, 2025 at 2PM at Fox Point Lutheran Church, 7510 N Santa Monica Blvd, Fox Point, WI.
There are still some tickets left for the Lakefront Brewery Swedish New Year celebration at 1872 North Commerce Street, Milwaukee, WI. https://lakefrontbrewery.com/events/swedish-new-year-2
From our home to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season!
2025 Santa Lucia program, on December 14, 2025 at 2PM at Fox Point Lutheran Church, has been cancelled due to a major gas leak at the church.
A new date and time will be established and posted on the website.
Santa Lucia will be celebrated again in 2025 at the beautiful Fox Point Lutheran Church. Program Director Stina Lemery reports that the practice of the program is going well which indicates another great performance by Lucia and her Attendants (Tärnor), Star boys (Stjärngossar), Gingerbread men (Pepparkaksgubbar) and little Santas (Tomtenissar).
Come and enjoy the 2025 Santa Lucia program, on December 14, 2025 at 2PM at Fox Point Lutheran Church, 7510 N Santa Monica Blvd, Fox Point, WI.
After the program there will be Fika, everybody will be invited to dance around the Christmas tree, and hopefully Jultomten, Santa Claus will be checking in. It is custom at SAHSWI Fika meetings attendants may bring a dish to share. This will not be the case at this Lucia celebration. Coffee, juice and sweats will be provided.
After a truly special Swedish New Year’s Eve celebration last year, Lakefront Brewery is welcoming back the Swedish Community and anyone else that is looking to immerse themselves in a night of Swedish delights to celebrate the New Year 2026. Read more about it and to buy tickets below.
The Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin 2025 Annual Business meeting was held on October 18, 2025 at Martin Luther Lutheran Church conducted by Vice President John Elliott. Meeting presentation including Committee Annual Reports are available through the following link:
2025 Business meeting and Annual Reports
Immediately following the Annual Meeting member Karen Snowberg presented Emma’s story. Emma was Karen Snowberg’s Grandmother or in Swedish Mormor (Mother’s mother). Emma came to this country from Öland, Sweden in 1882 at the age of 16. Through extensive research by the Snowbergs in the US and the Snöbergs in Sweden, Emmas life in Sweden was described. Karen an excellent writer, previously presented a story from her Swedish heritage, about Emma’s Little Brother Herman Miller Snöberg. This story is published on the web page, see link below
On Saturday, September 13, 2025 the Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin, Inc., celebrated its Fifty-Year Anniversary at St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church, in Hartland, WI, and also acknowledged the Wisconsin Historical Marker unveiled in 2024 recognizing Gustaf Unonius, New Upsala, and the Scandinavian Parish. About 60 people participated in the event which is published on the SAHSWI website.
Holiday Folk Fair International
SAHSWI is participating, together with Vasa Order Linde Lodge, representing Sweden in the 2025 Holiday Folk Fair International. The fair is held Nov 21 through 23 at the State Fair park. The Nordic Council of Wisconsin is coordinating the event for the Nordic Countries Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden in the Nordic Council Cultural Exhibit booth. The theme this year is “Celebrate the Culture of Traditional Music”
Recognizing the Swedish ethnicity and for many of us the Swedish roots are important for our identity. The same goes for other Wisconsinites, descendants of immigrants from Germany, Poland, Italy, China, Norway and many more countries. The Holiday Folk Fair International is celebrating the international community of Wisconsin. Travel Around the World at Holiday Folk Fair International
Santa Lucia Celebration
Come and enjoy the 2025 Santa Lucia program, Fika, dance around the Christmas tree, and a visit by Santa Claus. The 2025 Santa Lucia is celebrated on December 14, 2025 at 2PM – 4PM at Fox Point Lutheran Church, 7510 N Santa Monica Blvd, Fox Point, WI
The celebration of Santa Lucia in Sweden on December 13th of each year ushers in the Christmas season. The Legend of Lucia goes back to the year 304 AD in Syracuse Italy. It was there the beautiful Lucia, a highborn maiden, lived with her parents. It is also in that city Lucia suffered a martyr’s death, for becoming a Christian. She was a courageous woman, who in the early days of Christian persecution, brought food to her fellow Christians, who were hiding in the catacombs from the pagan persecutors. In order to carry her offerings with both hands, Lucia lighted her way by putting the candles in her hair to light her way. Lucia administered to the poor, bringing them food and hope. The legend tells us, the maiden became an official saint.
Among the Scandinavian countries, Sweden is perhaps the country, where the Lucia celebration has its deepest roots. Tales of her courage were carried to the Northern Scandinavian countries by missionaries. Early, in the darkness of the morning, on the 13th of December, Lucia appears dressed in a white gown with flowing red ribbon around her waist and a crown of candles on her head. She is accompanied by her attendants and star boys. They go from house to house in the darkness of the morning singing, offering hot coffee, cookies and special Lucia bread made with saffron.
Our dear member Marjorie I. Jothen passed away on October 1, 2025 at the age of 106. She was a member of SAHSWI for over 40 years and served as President from 1995 to 2004, she was leading the Swedish Genealogy Research Group for many years and was a very active historian. Marge was truly an inspirational person. We will miss her dearly. On her 102nd birthday an article was published describing her very active life and her ancestry. Marge Jothen
In March this year Marge celebrated her 106th birthday. Marge 106.
The Obituary
Marjorie’s Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 1st, 2025, at the Faith and Education Center of Luther Manor, 4545 North 92nd Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Next Fika meeting is scheduled Saturday, October 18, 2025, starting at 1:30 PM at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 9235 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee located just east of the Milwaukee Zoo.
At the meeting the Annual Business meeting will be conducted including presentation of Annual reports by officers and committee leaders. There will be election of two board members. Immediately following the Annual Meeting member Karen Snowberg will present the Program: Emma’s story.
Emma came to this country from Öland, Sweden in1882 at the age of 16. In the great emigration from Sweden to America, a larger percentage of its population left the island of Öland than from any other area of Sweden. Emma would never talk about her family in Sweden or her life there. 50 years after her passing, through extensive research by the Snowbergs in the US and the Snöbergs in Sweden her life in Sweden was fleshed out. Emma was Karen Snowberg’s Grandmother or in Swedish Mormor (Mother’s mother). Come to the meeting and find out about Emma’s life in Sweden, and how the Snowbergs found out.
After the presentation enjoy traditional Fika the Swedish way. If you can, bring a dish to share. Do you have a favorite Swedish recipe you want to share? If so, bring it and we can add it to the website Swedish Food Heritage page.
Come and celebrate the history of Swedish Americans in Wisconsin. It started in 1838 when with Carl Friman and his five sons arrived in Genoa City. Three years later Gustaf Unonius with entourage arrived at Pine Lake and established the first Swedish settlement in Wisconsin, naming it New Upsala.
Fifty years ago—in 1975—in concordance with this country’s preparations to celebrate the bicentennial of its founding and to recognize the impact Swedish Americans have had on the development of our State, the Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin was created.
On Saturday, September 13, between 1 PM and 3 PM, The Swedish American Historical Society, will hold its Fifty-Year Celebration at St. Anskar’s Church, N48W31340 Hill Street, (Highway 83), Hartland, WI.
The event will feature:
Note: As is custom with Fika meetings, if you can bring and share a Swedish dish, it will be greatly appreciated.
It was on May 6, 1975 when the Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin Inc. application was submitted for incorporation as a non-profit organization whose purpose was to promote a greater awareness and appreciation of the role of Swedish immigrants in the growth and development of Wisconsin. Harry Anderson was elected President, Richard Horngren Secretary, and Anders Segerdahl Treasurer. The Incorporation was approved on May 9th by the Secretary of State in Madison.
It was October of 1841 when Gustaf Unonius accompanied by his wife Lotten, Christine Sodergren who had been a maid at Lotten’s family, Iwar Hagberg, a student from Upsala, Carl Groth, a relative of Unonius, and Wilhelm Polman, a medical student, who they met on the ship going overseas, arrived in Milwaukee and settling on land at Pine Lake, Wisconsin. 3 years earlier Carl Friman had arrived and settled down in Genoa City with his 5 sons. This was the beginning of Swedish immigration to Wisconsin.
We will celebrate with savory Swedish Food, Music and Immigration Stories. If you can, bring your favorite Swedish dish to share. Descendants of the first Swedish pioneers will share their stories and food. Traditional Swedish Folk Music will be played by our very own folk group Goda Vänner. Make this an event you cannot miss. The church St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church is the partly the descendent of Pine Lake Scandinavian Parish, and is the location of the Wisconsin State Historical Marker recognizing Gustaf Unonius, New Upsala, and the Scandinavian Parish.
At the SAHSWI Fika meeting on May 17, 2025, SAHSWI member Michaela Yukus gave an inspiring and very interesting presentation about the Sami people. Sami country – known as Sápmi – stretches across the northern parts of Sweden, Norway and Finland, and Russia’s Kola Peninsula. The Sami are one of the world’s indigenous peoples and one of Sweden’s official national minorities. Michaela’s presentation was packed with facts….
Find out more about these facts and much, much more in Michaelas speech by pressing on the picture below
At the end of the presentation Michaela played a YouTube video of a traditional Sami Joik by Ellen Molnia (be aware of advertising in YouTube media)
Come, celebrate the traditional Scandinavian Midsommar on Sunday, June 22, 2025 from 1 – 4 p.m. at Heidelberg Park by Bavarian Bierhaus, 700 West Lexington Blvd., Glendale, Wisconsin. The event is open to the public.
To celebrate Midsommar is to celebrate of the longest day of the year. The Midsommar festivities includes decoration of the Majstång (Maypole) with greens and flowers, a procession of raising the decorated pole led by Goda Vänner playing “I sommarens soliga dagar” (In the sunny days of summer) on violin. Then dancing around the majstång and singing the special Swedish songs like “små grodorna” (the little frogs) and “vi äro musikanter” (we are all musicians).
At the Midsommar celebration you can make your own flower crown to wear.
You can listen to and enjoy traditional Swedish folk music played by the music group, Goda Vännar. …and Lykkeringen Dancers are back this year to perform traditional Scandinavian Folk Dances.
Many activities for the children of all ages. Play the game of Kubb, known as “Viking chess.” Games and crafts like Facepainting, Sack races, Tug of War and more.
Visit the Swedish American History table and learn about Swedish immigration to Wisconsin and the Swedish Genealogy table and find out more about how to research your own ancestry.
If you want to bring something home, check out the sale table. You can purchase delightful Swedish items donated by SAHSWI members.
So, bring your own lawn chairs, and join us for a FREE afternoon of fun at our Scandinavian Midsommar Celebration. If possible, bring greenery and help decorate the Majstång. Bavarian Bierhaus staff will provide a variety of food for sale, including Swedish meatballs and other Swedish items. Note: No food may be brought into the Park.
Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin 