This is where it happens!
“It started on a small scale in 2007,” says Mats Lafvas. “There were 12 of us at the premiere,” remembers Gert Flintha. “Back then it only cost 20 SEK,” recalls Hol Hans Persson.
The Swedish Church organizes the Old Men's Breakfast in the Rectory. "The Old Men's Breakfast is a way to reach out and create social connection between the old men in the congregation," says Marie Backlund, who is alone in the kitchen today. "Women find it easier to meet socially. There is a tradition in seamstresses, gymnastics, weaving clubs and other societies."
We are treated to a taste of Christmas as it is the last breakfast of 2021. The breakfast table is set with rice porridge, Christmas ham, egg halves and other treats. The mulled wine is piping hot and everyone gets gingerbread cookies to make them even nicer.
At 9:00 a.m., the line to the breakfast table starts winding down. “Some people think it’s too early, some people think it’s too late, I think it’s perfect,” says Bertil Pellas, who has been a member for a long time. “Ever since I retired.”
There is no age limit. You could say that the breakfast is open to anyone who has finished their working life. “And you don’t have to be religious,” says someone, who thinks it’s very nice.
In the past year, some new “salmon calves” have started to appear. There are guys who travel all the way from Mora to be part of the community. “We usually have between 25 and 30 people at the tables,” notes Mats Lafvas. “And we welcome more.”
The old man's breakfast works a bit like a news channel. Here you can find out what's happening in the parish. And here you can "talk and laugh." Sometimes there is a program with a lecturer. In addition to local talents, Rolf Hammar and Eva-Lena Frick have talked about Vasaloppet, Ove Hållmarker about outdoor activities, Jan Simons about his Mora IK and Roger Zackrisson has entertained.
Now the Old Man's Breakfast is taking a break over Christmas and New Year, "but next year our old friend will come again, because she (Marie Backlund) has promised."
Lasse in Vibergsgården
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