Fatmomakke
Fatmomakke is situated twelve Swedish miles northwest from Vilhelmina and is a meeting-place well worth seeing for people from near and far.
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Photo: Henrik Öhrn |
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First to live here were the laps and later during the 1800th century the settlers. Lapp-cots and wooden cottages were built side by side. The place became a unique environment that we still today can enjoy.
There is a lot to see and experience at this spot. The cultural aspects, the history, beauty and peace-fullness attract many visitors. The stress in the city feels very distant as you walk about in Fatmomakke.
It is easy to imagine what it must have been like to live here some three hundred years ago.
The first church was built here in the 1700th century. The church of today was built in 1881-84, rebuilt in 1930-31 and 1977-78. People gathered here to church-cervices, weddings and funerals.
In Fatmomakke the laps celebrated spring- and fall-holidays. The spring-holiday was most important because that was the first time after the long winter that you could meet with friends from different places.
During the 1800th century one or a couple of weddings were celebrated. A wedding lasted for two days. One day before the couple visited the lap-cots and cottages to invite the guests. If the weather was nice they ate outdoors. On the menu was dried reindeer-meat, char, cheese made of reindeer-milk and flatbread.
After the party a wooden bowl was put on the ground. The guests had to put their gifts in there. The settlers often gave some money and the laps offered to give a reindeer each.
During the 1940- and 50ies new roads were built and the traffic increased. More and more tourists started finding their way here. Food and coffee was starting to be served. A dance-floor was built and became very popular. The spring-holiday turned into a midsummer-celebration and big tourist-attraction.
Today the church-town has close to 80 lap-cots and 20 church-cottages. Here come laps and descendants to settlers like their ancestors use to do more than two hundred years ago. Every year thousands of people from all directions in Sweden and many from the rest of the world find their way here to experience the unique atmosphere on the spot.