The Flogsta Scream

August 5, 2011

Yes. I know. The Flogsta Scream sounds like they are showing horror movies in an IKEA furniture warehouse.

But it’s not that. It’s a curious thing that they do at Upsalla University in Sweden.

Each night, at the stroke of 10pm, students in the Flogsta halls of residence either stand on the roof or stick their heads out of the window and scream as loud and for as long as their lungs will allow them.

Surely tuition fees in Sweden can’t be that high? No. It’s down to a tradition that began in the 1970’s and has stuck ever since. A group of students, following a long hard winter, became anxious and depressed as it was followed by long hard examinations. With the price of alcohol in Sweden roughly twice the price of high-octane rocket fuel, they looked for a simple, inexpensive way to relieve their frustrations.

The Flogsta scream was born, and continues to this day. A simple, yet great tradition.

Which brings me to the importance of traditions. These are small, often inconsequential things, which give a sense of continuity, belonging and a sense of community. Being part of something that is bigger than ourselves, requires only that small things be continued and acknowledged by a group as being valuable. We should take more care of our small traditions.

One of our great British traditions that has been around since the 1970’s is the trip to IKEA. You buy some shelves and dive straight in failing to read the instructions. Three hours later you end up in a total mess, with something resembling a giant gardening rake, rather than a set of swish Scandinavian bookshelves. Humiliatingly, you have to retrieve the instructions from the bin and start again. It’s then that you see that they have given this pile of MDF a sophisticated Scandinavian name.

‘Flogsta’.

There’s only one thing for it. Time for the Flogsta Sccrrreeeaaammm…..