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Midsummer's eve
Together with Christmas, Midsummer's eve is the most popular
festival day in Sweden, . Midsummer is an old pagan celebration, dating back to
the Viking Era. It was a fertility rite originally, where the May pole was a
phallic symbol, "impregnating" Mother nature. It was hoped that this would help
to give a good harvest in the autumn. In modern times, it is a national
holiday, where family and friends meet, eat herring and
fresh potatoes and drink schnapps and beer.
The actual day of the celebration has been moved from the longest
day of the year (summer solstice on June 21, signifying that summer has reached
the half-way point) to the nearest Friday after, with the following Saturday
being a full holiday. (June 23-24 in 2006) If you visit Stockholm during
Midsummer, it is easy to believe that the population has been wiped out. But
have no fear, they will return from the countryside on the following Monday,
possibly quite hung over.
Crayfish premiere
The crayfish premiere used to take place on August 10, which was
the first day that these delicasies could legally be taken out of the water.
That ban has since been lifted, but the premiere lives on, aided by supermarket
advertising. Funny hats, Chinese lanterns, akvavit and drinking songs form the
backbone of this revered tradition. See also the food
page.
Surströmming premiere
Always on August 18. Read about it on the food
page and run for cover (unless you are a surströmming aficionado, in
which case this is the day to be in Sweden.
Lucia
Lucia is a festival occurring on December 13, or Lucia Day. Lucia
is a young girl, wearing a white garment and with a Lucia crown with candles on
her head. She is followed by a number of girl attendants, also dressed in white
and with candles in their hands. There are also boys, 'star-boys',
participating in the ceremony. They, too, are dressed in white and they wear
pointed caps. Lucia and her attendants visit places like schools, hospitals,
offices and churches and sing traditional songs like Sankta Lucia. They may
also bring coffee, gingerbread biscuits and 'Lucia cats', a kind of saffron
bun.
The Lucia tradition is based on the legend of a pious Sicilian
girl who wanted to devote her life to God instead of marrying. When she refused
the proposal of a nobleman she was killed, and subsequently she became a
martyr. The Lucia festival was invented by a newspaper in 1925 and quickly
became incredibly popular. If you ever win a Nobel Prize, be aware that a Lucia
train will enter your bedroom (at the Grand Hotel) around 7 am on December 13,
followed by an avalanche of TV cameras. Be sure to comb your hair in time.
Coffee and saffron buns will be served bedside.
Advent
Advent is the period of four weeks immediately preceding
Christmas. Each Sunday during this period a new candle is lit in a special
Advent candlestick. This means that, on the fourth Sunday, there are four
candles burning, and Christmas is about to begin. It is customary to place
electrical candles with seven lights in windows - both offices and at home - on
the first day of Advent, and let them burn day and night. It gives Stockholm a
nice warm glow during this dark and cold period.
Inner warm glow is provided by "glögg", a tasty mulled,
sweetened and spiced red wine, which Swedes drink from a cup together with
almonds and raisins. Ginger bread on the side. Advent and Christmas is the
season for this. Glögg can be bought in liquor stores and form a nice
souvenir to bring back home. It comes with varying degrees of alcholol, from
2,25% ("alkoholfritt") to 10% ("vinglögg") and on to 18%
("starkvinsglögg"). Even stronger types are usually available. 18% is
usually the tastiest.
Christmas
From Lucia and on, a lot of preparations for Christmas are being
made. Decorations are put up, cookies, cakes and bread are baked, and the ham
to be served at the Christmas buffet is either boiled or roasted. In most homes
there is a Christmas tree which is decorated with stars, straw animals,
spangles and festoons.
On Christmas Eve, some families still do the 'dipping in the pot',
an old tradition where slices of bred are dipped into the broth from the boiled
ham. The ham itself can be found on almost every Christmas dinner-table, and so
can sausages, meatballs, pickled herring, plums, sallads, etc. A dish only to be
served around Christmas is lutfisk, or boiled ling which has previously been
soaked in lye. It is served with a white sauce, salt and pepper. The dessert
after the Christmas dinner usually consists of boiled rice pudding with milk,
sugar and cinnamon.
"Christmas" to Swedish children most of all means Christmas Eve,
the day when Santa Claus "Jultomten" comes. He does not put his gifts into a
stocking, but gives them to the children directly. (Sweden is closer to his
operational HQ then e.g. the U.S, so Swedish children get their gifts
early.)
On Christmas Day a lot of Swedes get up early to attend a special
church service at six or seven, which is called julottan (literally:
Christmas-early-in the-morning).
If you are in Stockholm during Christmas, be aware that this is a
family thing. Do not expect to see any public celebrations at all, in fact,
from 3 pm on Christmas Eve, the streets will be completely empty - except for
people walking their dogs.
New Year
New Year´s Eve is celebrated in the way most Western people
do it. You go to a party or invite some friend and at twelve o´ clock
great fireworks are let off, and people make a toast in champagne and wish each
other a happy new year.
Literature on Swedish Holidays and Festivals
There are some books available on the topic like Sweden by Tracey
Boraas and Modern-Day-Vikings A Practical Guide to Interacting with Swedes by
Christina Johansson Robinowitz and Lisa Werner Carr.
More books are listed here on Print Google. |
