Flogsta Scream

Uppsala is a student city. The population of Uppsala is round 140,000 and every Autumn around 10,000 students start their education in Uppsala. During the Academy weeks, Uppsala is full of students making the whole city alive with young spirits. However, Uppsala in Summer become really quiet and feel like no one lives in the town. Many of the Swedish students are going back to their hometown and some of the international students are going to trip or going back to home countries. During the Summer I was in also in Korea, my home country, for 2 weeks and came back last week. The day I arrived, I notice that Uppsala is now back with full of Student. And the way how I notice that all the students were back is by Flogsta scream.

Flogsta is biggest student apartment area in Uppsala. Most international student and exchange student are living here. The Flogsta Scream happens every day at 22:00 in Flogsta. Students living in Flogsta stop what they were doing and come out to the windows and start screaming as much as they want.

No one really knows when and how it started, but every night at 22:00 pm in Flogsta, everyone yells. It is very hard to figure it out the origin or reasons behind this scream. There are a few assumptions about why it started. One story is that one student who had a huge stress with studying committed suicide, and people start to scream every night to honour his spirit. And others said it just started to release the stress of studying. The only fact that we know is that Flogsta scream started from the 1970s. Consequently, now it becomes one of the most unique student cultures in Uppsala.

The video below is showing how Flogsta scream works!

I really am enjoying Flogsta Scream. As one of the residents living in Flogsta, I am also participating in this culture quite often. If I had a really bad day or had stressed with studying, I am waiting for 20:00 and scream out as much as I need. Also, Flogsta scream is quite practical in somehow that it is work as an alarm for me to go to bed. Whenever I heard Flogsta scream, I am thinking like ‘hmm.. perhaps I should go for sleeping”

Lastly, the photos below are a landscape of peaceful Flogsta from my window. I really like the sunset from my room in Flogsta. If you are the student who also wants to study in Uppsala, I am sure that it will be really fun to live in Flogsta! Come and join our Scream!

Sunset from Flogsta (Source: Hyunjin Nam)
Sunset from Flogsta (Source: Hyunjin Nam)
View from Flogsta (Source: Hyunjin Nam)
Winter view from Flogsta (Source: Hyunjin Nam)
Hyunjin

Written by Hyunjin

31 Aug 2018