With Christmas season approaching many of us start decorating our homes with many different colors and ornaments. This Sunday is however the first of Advent, which is a Swedish tradition of counting down the weeks to Christmas.
The advent tradition differs from the regular countdown which starts on December first. Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas and is celebrated every week by lighting one candle. So for example you light the first Advent candle the first Sunday and the next you light them both. By the time Advent fourth rolls around the candles will have created a sort of stairway.
The word advent has its origin in Latin and can be translated to “coming”. This is supposed to symbolize that Jesus is coming and preparations for his arrival on Christmas starts. This is why many people usually start decorating their homes around the first of Advent, and also around this time that many Christmas markets in Sweden open up during this day.
During this very cozy and special time when everyone is feeling the holiday spirit many people in Sweden start baking as well. They bake the traditional Swedish pastries that are traditional in correlation with advent. You may have heard about the famous Swedish Lussebulle/Lussekatt. These pastries are usually made only during this time and what makes them extra special is the saffron, which gives them their yellow color.
If you haven’t tried a Lussekatt yet I strongly recommend that you do. Maybe it’s time to go out with your friends on a fika hangout and just enjoy the cozy spirit of advent.
Writer: Sandra Hanna-Mikha
