Shhh… If you listen super closely you can almost hear the halls decking and the bells jingling. With just two weeks to Christmas you may be starting to feel the Christmas spirit taking over. If you’re anything like me though you’ve been in the Christmas spirit since November 1st and you’ve already made your way through a couple of Netflix’s top Christmas movies. The beautiful thing about Christmas is its simultaneous universality and originality, the ways in which it’s celebrated varying around the world.
In Sweden the Christmas cheer begins with the first advent, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas day. This Sunday marks the time where decorations and lights can go up in houses without it being socially unacceptable. This also marks the coziest time of the winter when the long walks to and from school at 15.00 are no longer just dark rather decorated by the scattered twinkling lights all over the city. There are 4 advent Sundays and they are each represented by lighting a candle so that by Christmas day you have four candles lit simultaneously. If you’re like my family the sequence has to be descending in an aesthetically pleasing order, meaning that each Sunday the candle can only burn for EXACTLY an hour and a half (the approximate length of your average Christmas movie) so there is an even length difference between each candle come Christmas day. And if this hasn’t cemented the importance of light in the Swedish Christmas experience, I introduce to you December 13th, Luciadagen, which is quite literally a celebration of light inspired by Saint Lucia and celebrated by choirs and candles and Lucekatter (saffron buns, which are only extra yummy around this time).
Like many other countries Sweden also has their Julbord (Christmas dinner) which evidently isn’t only a Christmas day feast. All around the country julbord begins to be offered at the start of December, consisting of a buffet style dinner in which all the Swedish Christmas delicacies are included. I’m talking salmon, meatballs, Janssons frestelse, rice pudding and all that yummy stuff. A staple at these dinners and in the Swedish Christmas experience is also glögg, a Swedish mulled wine which is served warm with almonds and raisins.
In Sweden all the festivities of Christmas day are celebrated on December 24th, the day usually begins in the relatively early morning with prep for a homemade julbord to be eaten as a late lunch/early dinner to be enjoyed either before 15.05. This is because by 15.05 families around the country will gather around the TV with their dessert and indulge in the countrywide tradition of watching Kalle Anka (Donald Duck’s Christmas special). After this families are paid personal visits by Jultomte (Santa Clause) to hand out gifts and enjoy a quiet second to love and appreciate each other and the year that’s passed.
Christmas in Sweden is a harmonious mix of timely traditions and modern customs to create a cozy yuletide feeling that spreads itself across the country. If you’re spending Christmas in Sweden this year I strongly recommend taking part in a few of these traditions, you might find something you want to add to your own Christmas celebration.
Merry festive season friends 🙂
Writer: Loreleigh Mostert
