A very, merry 'Swedish' Xmas
The Swedish Christmas tree tradition comes from Germany. The table legs buckling under the weight of the Swedish julbord recall the Viking feasts in Valhalla and jultomten (Father Christmas or Santa Claus) knocking on the door, overloaded with presents, refers to St Nicholas, the patron saint of schoolchildren. And his clothes? Pure 1930s Hollywood.
Swedes love Christmas so much that, down the ages they have adapted and refined Christian, pagan and other countries' traditions and made them their very own. For example, Swedes celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, not the 25th. But the Christmas card image of a snow-covered, candle-lit log cabin in a glittering white forest is pure Sweden, especially in the north, where snow is guaranteed at Christmas time.
Christmas kicks off
The festive season in Sweden really kicks off in the first week of Advent, when the first of four Advent candles is lit. It doesn't end until Hilarymas, or 'tree plundering', on January 13. And speaking of trees, Swedes are very picky about their Christmas trees. The tree should stand tall, straight and proud and the branches should be even and thickly covered. The Rolls Royce of Christmas trees in Sweden is the 'Kungsgran' (literally King's Fir), or in English the Nordmann Fir, which sheds less but costs more other varieties. Christmas trees are sold in the city and town squares around the country - an event in itself.
At dawn on December 13, Sweden celebrates the Lucia festival. The original Lucia is a saint from Syracuse in Italy (good 'steal' Sweden!). The Lucia procession takes place in schools, hospitals, offices and public places around the country and shouldn't be missed.
Xmas is getting closer
As Christmas approaches, you'll find Swedes busy and bustling around the Christmas markets that spring up all over the major towns and cities. Stallholders sell traditional decorations and festive delicacies such as saffron buns, pickled herring (100 different types) as well as handmade gifts and toys.
A huge part of the Swedish Christmas is the julbord, the Yuletide version of the smörgåsbord. Hotels, restaurants, manor houses and other eateries around the country are deluged with bookings from office parties months in advance. The julbord usually consists of Christmas ham, pork sausage, gubbröra (egg and anchovy mix), pickled herring, liver paté, potatoes and lutfisk, a special fish dish, all washed down with lashings of beer and schnapps.
Then the fun really starts. The traditional, Swedish family Christmas dinner on December 24.
This is all about tradition: the house is cleaned from top to bottom, the tree stands tall and sparkling and the ham is in the oven. The presents have been wished for, purchased and sit temptingly under the tree. Then everyone eats their fill from the Julbord, and as the clock strikes 3 pm Sweden comes to a standstill and everyone gathers around the TV to watch a cavalcade of Disney cartoons. Only then can the children receive their presents from the Jultomten.
A Swedish Christmas has come and gone - until next year.
The girl with light in her hair. Every year on December 13, Lucia celebrations take place throughout Sweden. It is a heartwarming tradition with angelic singing, a procession of maidens, and delicious saffron bun.
Merry Christmas from VisitSweden. Send a Christmas e-card from Sweden to family and friends.
Strolling along the narrow cobblestone streets of Gamla Stan (the Old Town) in Stockholm, the snow crunching and creaking beneath your feet, you are part of a scene from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” – the church bells ring out and the streets and alleyways open into squares playing host to centuries-old Xmas markets.
Gothenburg is putting on her Xmas finest just for you. The glittering Christmas illuminations stretch from Liseberg amusement park, past Götaplatsen, along Avenyn, the city’s main boulevard, and all the way to down to the city’s harbour.
The mother of all Smorgardsbord... Many small, delicious specialties wait on the buffet table to be enjoyed over many hours, good conversation and fine spirits. No one will leave hungry!
Christmas celebrations kicked off in Malmö last Sunday with “Shop Window Sunday” when the city’s shops try to out-do each other with the most attractive window display. It’s quite a sight as there are more than 800 shops and counting in Malmö.