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Reindeer Go to Market Above the Arctic Circle, Sweden, 1955

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In 1955, LIFE photographer Carl Mydans traveled to a spot in Sweden just across the Arctic Circle, roughly 700 miles north of Stockholm, where he chronicled the modern-day version of a tradition that was, by then, more than three centuries old: namely, the annual winter market in the town of Jokkmokk, where the Sami people (formerly referred to as Lapps) sold mainly reindeer-related goods and celebrated Sami culture.

For reasons lost to time, none of Mydans’ photos ever ran in LIFE magazine — but here, six decades later, as winter holidays approach and as the Northern Hemisphere’s days grow shorter, the nights longer and the air ever colder, LIFE.com features a number of the master photographer’s pictures from that long-ago assignment.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizabethRonk.

Reindeer, Sweden, 1955.
Reindeer, Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Sami and their reindeer, Sweden, 1955.
Sami and their reindeer, Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Reindeer, Sweden, 1955.
Reindeer, Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A Sami man leading his reindeer to market, Sweden, 1955.
A Sami man leading his reindeer to market, Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.
The 350th annual Sami Jokkmokk Market in Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A Lutheran church, Sweden, 1955.
A Lutheran church, Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
A Lutheran church, Sweden, 1955.
A Lutheran church, Sweden, 1955.Carl Mydans—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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