According to the view of Poranguí, Music with a capital M is a living vibration that constitutes something greater than the commercial machine of the music industry. The Nordic Times attended a performance by the spiritually oriented artist in Skeppsholmen Church - which was not so much a concert as it was a musically driven ceremony.
Poranguí was born in Brazil, to a Brazilian mother and a Chicano father, growing up in the diverse musical traditions of Brazil, Mexico and the United States.
– It taught me to appreciate the salient threads that connect us in our collective human experience. It informs my art and pushes me to find new ways to tell the stories of our ancestors in a way that we can all hear it, he says in retrospect about his upbringing.
He has developed a highly original style and is best known for his looping improvisation, aimed at intuitively co-creating a performance that is unique to the audience, the space and the moment.
– My role is more of a waiter at the restaurant of the soul, offering the soundtrack of the moment to uplift and free us in ways we didn’t know possible. When you leave the concert feeling better and more alive than when you arrived, then I know I have done my job, he explains to The Nordic Times.
Particularly in spiritual circles, Poranguí has become a renowned artist who is difficult to compare with any other. Indeed, his performance in Skeppsholmen Church in Stockholm on Thursday evening, August 10, feels more like a musically oriented ceremony than a typical concert.
However, it's a ceremony where there is also room left for play. The first thing he does is to ask the audience to form a large circle to warm up together with singing, where he directs everyone to sing different voices in a rhythmic choir, combined with various forms of meditation exercises to get in touch with the body. The exercises are rounded off with a blessing in all directions, up to the sky and down to the earth to form what is known in shamanic tradition as 'sacred space'.
Poranguí in the Eric Ericsson Hall at Skeppsholmen Church during Thursday's event in Stockholm. Photo: The Nordic Times.
Together with his partner Ashley Klein, the stage performance itself is a kind of meditative pulse between more active and passive phases. The live experience makes it is easy to understand there and then what he means when he says that his music breathes and lives with the audience in the moment.
The instruments that Poranguí weaves into his expanding loops range from hand drums, didgeridoo, singing bowls and niche tools that, together with his voice, form a composition reminiscent of a kind of modern shamanism. The experience is not consistently uplifting and comfortable, but occasionally reminiscent of a masseur loosening muscle knots, something that goes hand in hand with a leading question he asks himself during the events.
– How can I support this audience, these fellow humans, to shake off their funk and remember what it means to be free?
The very perspective of music as an organic being rather than a mechanical entity is a distinction he makes from the mainstream music industry's form of music, "music with little m" as he calls it, where entertainment is an end goal in itself. Music, in Poranguí's view, is a language of life, a living vibration, able to achieve deep, life-affirming transformation. His ambition, he explains, is to convey a "Music with a capital M", where personal healing of our past and expansion beyond habitual patterns take the center stage.
– Approaching music from beyond the perspective of an entertainer, but rather as a healer, my intention is always to help move the energy in a space. Music is so much more than mere entertainment, it is the river of life beckoning us to let go of the banks that imprison our most authentic and vulnerable expression, ultimately singing ourselves home, he summarizes his philosophy.
TNT Culture Team
Touring in Europe until September 16
Poranguí continues his tour by playing in Tallinn on Thursday, August 17, and will also be at the "Music is Medicine" retreat in Estonia on 20-25 September, before heading to Ireland, France, the Netherlands and Germany. Read more about his upcoming events at Porangui.com.
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The Nordic Council is expanding its presidium and granting Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland permanent seats in its political leadership. The decision takes effect at the turn of the year.
Previously, only Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland have held seats in the presidium, which governs the council's overall political direction and is responsible for budget matters as well as foreign and security policy parliamentary cooperation.
Now the Nordic Council's parliamentarians have decided to reform the council's highest political leadership – which means it will be expanded with representatives from Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland.
The three autonomous territories are not full members because the Helsinki Treaty, which is the Nordic Council's founding agreement, only includes the five independent Nordic states. Despite this, the opportunity for greater influence is now welcomed.
— This is not just about equality for us. It's about us wanting to take full responsibility for strengthening Nordic cooperation, says Høgni Hoydal, member of the Faroese parliament (Løgting), according to Danish public broadcaster DR.
Paused participation
Last year, Greenland paused its participation in protest against perceived discriminatory treatment. Now Greenlandic parliamentarian Justus Hansen views the future more positively and hopes that the governments will quickly update the Helsinki Treaty.
— We are pleased that the Nordic Council has taken responsibility for fully involving Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland in the Nordic Council's cooperation. Greenland now looks forward to the governments following suit in their work to update the Helsinki Treaty. As soon as possible, says Hansen.
For the first time, a Danish dairy farmer is publicly speaking out with concerns about Bovaer.
Huibert van Dorp describes how his cows became seriously ill when he started using the feed additive designed to reduce methane emissions – one cow died. He argues that he is violating animal welfare laws by giving the product to his animals.
He is the first dairy farmer in Denmark to publicly testify about his negative experiences with Bovaer, the feed additive that Danish farmers are required to use for at least 80 days per year to reduce methane emissions from cattle. The plan is to extend this requirement to 365 days per year.
In a video published on Wednesday, van Dorp describes serious problems in his herd since he started using Bovaer on October 1.
— As I said, I started feeding with Bovaer at the beginning of October and as of today I'm no longer doing it. We had some animals that became sick. This one here has over 40 degrees Celsius fever and has been up to 41.5 degrees, van Dorp says in the video, pointing to a dairy cow beside him.
Fever and stomach cramps
The farmer reports that three cows suffered from high fever and were treated urgently with penicillin. Additionally, two cows experienced severe stomach cramps and bloated rumens.
— We had the veterinarian out on Sunday evening, but unfortunately we couldn't save one of the cows. She died the next day, van Dorp recounts.
He also describes how the cows are generally performing worse and showing signs of poor health since Bovaer was introduced to their feed.
— I can say that our cows are not performing as they should. The cows are also reacting negatively. When I walk through the herd, they are more lethargic. It's as if they're saying: 'I feel unwell'. With these things, I don't want to accept being a farmer who loves animals and tries to do the best I can, and then put something into a cow that damages their biological process. We're disrupting the rumen with this Bovaer.
A growing problem
Van Dorp says he is not alone with his experiences. According to him, several colleagues are reporting similar problems.
— I'm hearing a lot from people I know. There are more problems today since we started with Bovaer. I'm hearing about more udder inflammation, thick legs, swelling. I'm hearing that cows can no longer get up. There are many farmers who have taken a break from Bovaer. I hope for God's sake we can stop this, he says.
The farmer argues that he cannot comply with animal welfare laws while giving his cows Bovaer. He describes a conversation with an inspector from the Danish food safety authority.
— Now you come here and inspect my animal welfare, and you can see that my animal welfare is as it should be, but I'm supposed to put poison in my cows so they get stomach aches from it, and there are consequences of that, what do you say to that? She couldn't answer that, van Dorp recounts.
He calls for help from industry organizations but notes that support has been limited. According to van Dorp, many Danish dairy farmers have also been afraid to speak out publicly due to the significant pressure from authorities and organizations to use Bovaer.
Halloween – from Celtic harvest festival to pop culture
Halloween has its roots deep in Irish tradition from 2,000 years ago, where people honored dead ancestors with food and fires, and protected themselves from spirits with masks and carved turnips. Today, the holiday is dominated by consumer frenzy – but behind the modern hype lies a fascinating (ghost) story about the transformation from pagan ritual and its connection to the church's holy days.
Halloween has a very old origin, and many historians agree that it stems from an area that today is Ireland and parts of Great Britain – where the Celts settled. Ireland, unlike many other countries, has written sources dating back to the 8th century, which provide evidence that it was there the Halloween traditions began, according to ISOF.
The Celts were an Indo-European people who during the Iron Age spread across large parts of western and northwestern Europe, and even beyond. They worshiped many gods, and rituals, traditions, and ceremonies were central to their society.
Since the Celts largely lived in an agricultural society, harvest time was naturally very important. They divided the year into two halves – a light and a dark. Samhain, meaning "summer’s end", occurred when the harvest season was over and the dark half began – said to be on November 1. It was time to bring in the harvest, slaughter animals, and prepare for winter.
During Samhain, people gave thanks for the year’s harvest and sacrificed part of it to the gods or other beings for protection during the coming winter. Sometimes animals were also sacrificed.
Fire was an important element in Samhain. Photo: Ýlona María Rybka/Unsplash
This festival also marked the Celtic New Year, so there were festivities and games as well. Usually, it was celebrated for three days – from October 31 to November 2, according to Historiens Värld.
The night before Samhain – October 31 – was believed to be filled with witchcraft, when the veil between the spirit world and the human world was thin. Thus, the dead could return to earth and walk among the living. It was believed that the spirits of ancestors would return home, so people set a place at the table and offered food for them.
Fires were a very important part of Celtic tradition. To purify and protect the community, a large communal bonfire was lit in a sacred place. Bones from slaughtered animals were often burned as offerings to the spirits, and the fire was said to help the dead find their way home again.
One tradition was to let the household fire die out and then relight it from the communal bonfire – believed to offer protection during the winter.
Protection from evil forces
Because the veil between worlds was believed to be thin, people sought protection from evil spirits – not only ancestral ghosts wandered in the dark. One of the most feared beings was Aos Sí, also called the fairies, considered guardians of nature. They were often connected to certain places like trees, stones, and hills – and it was important not to disturb their homes.
During Samhain, their presence was stronger, and offerings of food and drink were made to them. These beings could be both protective and dangerous – kidnapping people if not appeased with offerings or if disturbed.
Samhain celebration in Scotland in 2020. Photo: Robin Canfield/Unsplash
To protect themselves from evil spirits, people dressed up in frightening masks and costumes to scare or confuse the spirits. The costumes acted as camouflage so the spirits would think one of their own was among them. In some places, people even smeared themselves with ashes from the Samhain fire for extra protection.
The arrival of Christianity
In the 5th century, parts of the British Isles began to Christianize, and the Church sought to transform the Celts’ pagan traditions. Rather than abolishing them, historians believe the Church “Christianized” them in the 8th century by moving All Saints’ Day from May to November 1. This made October 31 All Hallows’ Eve – later shortened to Halloween. This is debated, however ȓ another explanation is that Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica to all saints on November 1.
Differences between the holidays
Around the year 998, the Roman Catholic Church introduced another November holiday – All Souls’ Day – on November 2. There is also All Saints’ Day, which can be confusing, especially in Sweden.
Halloween always falls on October 31 and originally had no church connection, but because All Saints’ Day was moved, it gained a nominally religious link – All Hallows’ Eve. Today, though, it is a secular celebration outside the church.
Photo: Nikola Johnny Mirkovic/Unsplash
In Sweden, All Saints’ Day is observed on the first Saturday between October 31 and November 6 – a public holiday intended to honor saints and martyrs. It is also the day when Swedes light candles on graves and remember their dead.
November 1 is All Saints’ Day in the Catholic sense (in Sweden it differs), and November 2 is All Souls’ Day, when Catholics pray for all departed souls. The Church of Sweden celebrates All Souls’ Day the Sunday after All Saints’ Day – a practice introduced in 1983 and officially named in 2003.
“Fight evil with evil”
Though these days overlap in theme – death and remembrance – they serve different purposes. Halloween is often criticized for being commercial or disrespectful because of its proximity to All Saints’ Day, but it fulfills a different cultural role.
As one Swedish woman, born in 1969, said according to ISOF:
"Halloween is a fun holiday when you’re allowed to wear costumes and party. It’s liberating to dress up in the dark and act scary. The theme of horror is good – fight evil with evil. Joking about horrors has a function in a world full of fear and the unknown. All Saints’ weekend is something else – it’s when you honor and remember your dead and light candles at graves. I celebrate both".
From Ireland to North America
Despite the Church’s influence, old Samhain traditions continued in Britain and Ireland. In the 1700s, young men dressed in animal hides or masks, painted their faces, and went from house to house singing or reciting verses – expecting food in return.
Pranks were also common – such as blocking chimneys or moving farmers’ horses.
During the Irish famine of the 1800s, many emigrated to North America, bringing their Samhain customs. These merged with other harvest and death traditions, including those of Native Americans and Mexican immigrants celebrating Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
A traditional Irish Halloween mask from the early 1900s, displayed at the Museum of Country Life in Ireland. Photo: rannṗáirtí anaiṫnid/CC BY-SA 3.0
Even though it can be said, in simple terms, that it was the influence of the Irish that created the American Halloween traditions, that’s not entirely true. For example, the Indigenous peoples of North America also had harvest festivals and beliefs related to the dead.
Other cultures, too, have had similar traditions surrounding harvest celebrations, belief in magic and spirits, and various festivities around that time of year – all of which likely contributed to today’s Halloween customs through the waves of immigration to North America.
In Mexico, for instance, there is Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, celebrated on November 1–2. It is a major religious holiday dedicated to honoring and remembering the deceased. Mexican immigrants also began arriving in North America during the 19th century, and their traditions likely influenced American customs as well.
Día de los Muertos in Albuquerque, USA, 2011. Photo: Larry Lamsa/CC BY 2.0
Halloween celebrations were likely influenced by Guy Fawkes Night, which is held on November 5 to commemorate the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in Britain. The holiday is reminiscent of the Swedish Walpurgis Night (Valborg), with large bonfires – but with an effigy placed on top.
Guy Fawkes was an English Catholic who, in 1605, attempted to blow up the British Parliament and assassinate King James I. He was caught with the explosives and executed. His name lives on through the tradition of burning a straw effigy representing him on the bonfires.
As society developed in the United States and Canada, superstition gradually declined, and with it the need to perform traditions rooted in such beliefs. During the first half of the 20th century, Halloween began to evolve into a more festive holiday.
The first Halloween parades took place during the 1920s, though not without issues. People often complained about “the Halloween problem,” as the parades were frequently associated with fighting and drunkenness. At the same time, however, the celebration continued to develop and eventually became more child-oriented.
Halloween party in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 1925. Photo: Unseen Histories/Unsplash
During World War II, conditions became so bad in some areas that Halloween celebrations were banned altogether. However, the holiday regained momentum during the baby boom of the 1950s. It increasingly became a children’s holiday, while also becoming heavily commercialized. Costumes and decorations began to be mass-produced, and the range of costumes expanded from traditional supernatural beings to pop culture characters, and later even internet phenomena.
Stingy Jack
The traditional Halloween pumpkin is also believed to have its origins in the British Isles. As early as the time of Samhain, people carved faces into various vegetables and placed candles inside – part of an effort to scare away evil spirits. Pumpkins, however, were not used; instead, people carved root vegetables such as turnips, rutabagas, or swedes.
The English term Jack O’Lantern, which is what Halloween pumpkins are called mainly in the US, has been used since the 1500s, though not originally for carved vegetables. In eastern England, the term referred to will-o’-the-wisps – the mysterious lights often seen over marshes.
There are also several origin stories behind the orange pumpkin figure. One Irish legend tells of a blacksmith called "Stingy Jack", according to Irish Myths. Jack had lived a life of trickery and deceit, and one evening he met the Devil, who had come to claim his soul as punishment. Jack asked the Devil for one last drink, and when it came time to pay the bill, he tricked the Devil into turning himself into a coin so they could settle the tab.
A traditional Irish turnip Jack-o'-Lantern from the early 1900s compared to a modern Halloween pumpkin. Montage. Photo: rannṗáirtí anaiṫnid, David Trinks/CC BY-SA 3.0
The Devil agreed to Jack’s proposal, but when he did as he was told, Jack slipped the coin into his pocket. To the Devil’s great annoyance, there was a silver cross in the pocket, which prevented him from returning to his original form. Jack then released the Devil in exchange for a promise – that the Devil would let him live for one more year, and that when he eventually died, he would not go to hell.
A year later, the Devil returned, but Jack tricked him again. He convinced the Devil to climb up a tree, and once he was up there, Jack carved a cross into the trunk, trapping him. Jack and the Devil made another deal – this time, Jack would be allowed to live for ten more years. The Devil accepted and was set free.
When Jack died ten years later, the Devil kept his word and refused him entry to hell. But since Jack was also not allowed into heaven, he was condemned to wander in eternal darkness on earth. Feeling a little pity for him, the Devil threw him a glowing coal from hell to light his way. Jack then carved out a turnip and placed the coal inside it. From this comes the English name for Halloween pumpkins: Jack O’Lantern.
This type of legend or folktale is very old and has circulated in many versions across different cultures. In Sweden, for instance, there is a similar story known as “The Blacksmith and the Devil".
The traditions surrounding Samhain continued in Ireland, as did the carving of turnips. This custom is believed to have traveled with Irish emigrants to the United States. In America, however, turnips were difficult to grow, so they were replaced by the now-popular pumpkin.
Today, the pumpkin has become a symbol of Halloween, but also of the harvest season and particularly the transition into autumn.
Trick or Treat
The now-classic phrase “Trick or Treat” is believed to have several origins, the oldest being a tradition called "guising". This practice is said to have roots in Samhain, though it is mainly documented from the 1500s. In Scotland and Ireland, children dressed up to protect themselves from evil spirits and then went door to door asking for treats.
Unlike today’s "trick or treat", however, children were not expected to play pranks – instead, they would perform a song or recite a poem to earn their reward.
In England and Wales, similar customs existed. Poor people would go house to house around All Saints’ Day, asking for “soul cakes” in exchange for prayers for the dead. A soul cake, or själakaka in Swedish, was a small round cake often spiced with cinnamon or other flavorings.
This was part of Christian observances that began around the 1500s and continued up to the 1800s. In some places, similar traditions of baking soul cakes still survive today. Both adults and children took part in souling, though it was said to be mostly children who participated.
The guising tradition traveled with the Irish immigrants to North America, and the first recorded reference to the activity dates from 1911 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Two girls after trick-or-treating, 1958. Photo: Kim Scarborough/CC BY-SA 2.0
In the United States, the earliest references date back to the 1920s, according to the 10/31 Consortium. Records show that children dressed up and went door to door asking for candy. It is also documented that children might play pranks if they didn’t receive any treats.
It wasn’t until after 1950 that trick-or-treating became more widespread in the US, especially as sugar rationing ended and suburban neighborhoods expanded. As mentioned earlier, the baby boom contributed to Halloween’s growth and helped establish the trick-or-treat tradition.
How exactly pranking replaced singing or praying is unclear, but it was likely part of broader societal changes. Poverty became less widespread, reducing the need to beg for food or treats. Social structures evolved, creating a larger sense of community and more opportunities for play and mischief rather than foraging.
To Sweden
Halloween arrived in Sweden under American influence during the 1950s and 1960s. While it was not widely celebrated by Swedes at the time, there is evidence of large-scale Halloween parties. For example, a 1961 incident was reported in Stockholm where the police had to intervene at a Halloween celebration.
It wasn’t until the 1990s that Halloween truly gained popularity. Notably, Hard Rock Café in Stockholm, in collaboration with Buttericks, hosted week-long Halloween celebrations in 1990.
The following year, sales of Halloween items increased significantly, and by 1995, the holiday had become more common in Sweden – though not at the same level as in the US. For instance, trick-or-treating never became as widespread among Swedish children, but Halloween parties, costumes, and decorations became more frequent, albeit in moderate amounts.
Celebration today
Today, Halloween is a multi-billion-dollar industry, especially in the US, but also in other countries. Last year, up to 72% of Americans celebrated Halloween, spending an average of $104 per person, according to Ready Signal. In Sweden, celebrations are relatively large as well, though far below US levels. Last year, Halloween-related commerce in Sweden was expected to reach around €150 million, according to Tidningen Näringslivet.
What began as a pagan harvest tradition, where people welcomed or hid from spirits, has become a celebration focused on themed parties, costumes, candy, and horror film traditions. New customs include decorating homes – both inside and out – and hosting competitions such as pumpkin carving or contests for the best costume or makeup.
Photo: iStock/Sebastien Mercier
Ireland is often described as the homeland of Halloween, and even today the holiday is celebrated on a large scale. Samhain remains a living tradition in Ireland, where people honor the old Celtic customs through festivals and various celebrations.
Ireland is also home to Europe’s largest Halloween festival, Derry Halloween, which blends Samhain traditions with more modern elements. For fans of the infamous Dracula, the Bram Stoker Festival takes place in Dublin at the end of October – although the Count lived in Transylvania, the author was actually Irish.
In the neo-pagan Wicca movement, founded in the 1950s, Samhain is one of the most important holidays, dedicated to honoring the dead. It is inspired by and based on the Celtic festival, though with some differences. Like the Celts, Wiccans also regard Samhain as the Wiccan New Year.
Although Halloween today has a strongly commercial nature, like many other holidays, there seems to be a human need to experience fear or death from a safe distance. Perhaps it is a way to try to control what frightens us, or simply a way to keep it close at hand to remember that it is also a natural part of life.
Car dealers in Norway report sharply increased demand since the government proposed lowering the VAT exemption threshold for electric cars. Many buyers therefore want to register their cars before the turn of the year.
Norway has had a VAT exemption for certain electric cars for an extended period, aimed at enabling more Norwegians to invest in one. In its budget proposal for next year, which the Norwegian government presented in early October, it now wants to lower the threshold for VAT exemption on electric cars.
Currently, the threshold for VAT exemption on an electric car is 500,000 Norwegian kroner (approximately €42,000), but the proposal would lower it to 300,000 Norwegian kroner (approximately €25,000). If the change is approved, it will take effect on January 1, 2026, with the goal of completely eliminating the VAT exemption by 2027.
— We have had a goal that all new passenger cars should be electric by 2025, and with an electric car share of 95 percent this year, we can say the goal has been achieved in practice. Therefore, it is time to phase out the benefits, said Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg in a press release, according to alltomelbil.se.
In practice, this means that an electric car in the price range of €42,000 will become approximately €4,200 more expensive after the turn of the year. The only way to avoid the new fee is to have the car registered before the proposal takes effect.
Importing from Sweden
Following the announcement, the country's car dealers now report increased demand for electric cars. Volvo Car Norway describes the situation as a period of "very strong demand" from customers who want to secure a car before the change takes effect.
— We are now working to meet the demand, including by sourcing cars from other markets, such as Sweden, says Henrik Juel Teige, press contact at Volvo Car Norway, to Norwegian Motor.
Ford and Tesla in Norway also confirm the trend and say that more customers are asking questions and placing orders. The importer Harald A. Møller, which represents Audi, Cupra, Skoda and Volkswagen, has chosen to meet the demand with a special VAT guarantee – customers who enter into a new agreement with the company from October 28 until next year's state budget is approved will be covered for any VAT increase.
— To handle the great uncertainty we see, we are prepared to cover any VAT increases for customers who order a new car from our brands now, before next year's state budget is approved, says CEO Ulf Tore Hekneby.
The final decision will be made in December when the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) votes on next year's budget.
