Swedish Christmas Traditions
By Albin, John and Viktor Kvarnbyskolan, Mรถlndal, Sweden
Advent In Sweden we start the Christmas preparation and celebration in Advent. (The first Sunday) in December. Almost everybody decorate there windows with electric candleholders or electric stars. But traditionally you had a candleholder with 4 candles, one for every Sunday. Now it´s time to start to prepare pepparkaka and saffron buns.
Lucia On december the 13:th swedes celebrate Lucia. Lucia has it´s origion in both the Nordic and Christian tradition. According to old traditions december th1 13:th was a dangerous night when supernatural powers where moving, animals talked. During the 14:th century, Europe used the Julian calender Lucia was the same day as winter solastic. Lucia is one of the few holidays in protestant countries which name is given after a saint Sankta Lucia. She was the patron of Suracus and died during the 4:th century but the connection with the Santa Lucia and the swedish Lucia celebration is slim to none. Lucia these days attraction is Lucia train, a procession of children or teenagers, dressed up in white gowns, holding candles. There are many different song that are sung in Lucia train, but the classical one is the “Santa Lucia song”
Christmas eve Swedes actually celebrate Christmas on the 24:th of December. The reason for that in the old times a new day started at sunset. You may think that is stange but Jesu a lot of historians think that Jesus was born in spring in year 6.
Christmas celebration today Swedish Christmas or “Jul� as the Swede say is a mix of Christan belife, pagan tradition and traditions inspired by other countries. But here we will talk about how the typical Swede celebrate. Christmas is a holiday celebrated with the family. This is the time when Swedes hang out with their extended family. To prepere for this occation, the Swede decorat there house. The most important decoration is the Christmas tree.
Julgran (=Christmas Tree)
Julbord (= Christmas Table) Another really important thing when families come togeter is ofcouse the food. In Sweden people traditionally eat pickled herring, salmon and different things made from pork such as ham, sausages and meatballs.
3´clock This time is extreamly important to Swedish Christmas celebration. For some bizzare reason Swedes what Kalle Anka (Donald Duck) cartoons on TV before the “main event”. This program “Disneys from all of us to all of you” has been broadcasted on Christmas eve since 1960.
Jultomten= Father Christmas For some reason Swedish fathers or other male relatives has to go out and buy a newspaper, while the father is out, usually Tomten comes for a visit. He knockes on the door and ask “If any good children lives in he house�. Luckily most Swedish children are nice, so then Tomten comes in with his big bag of julklappar (Christmas presents) and hand them out to everyone but the father. He normally come home after Tomtens been...
Credits All pictures in this power piont was either or own or borrowed from Wiki commons.