My ticket home for the winter break is already booked, but before I go home I want to make the best of the last month of the semester here in Jönköping. Our university has people from all over the world, which also means there are traditions and holidays from all over the world being celebrated here. During the last month of the year, there are a lot of celebrations coming up in many different cultures, and even though many of us have to miss these moments because we’re in Sweden, we can make these days special by learning about each other’s traditions and celebrating together. In this article I will tell you about a tradition from my childhood (Sinterklaas) and we’ll learn about the Swedish Lucia Day together.
Sinterklaas – 5th & 6th December
This holiday is a tradition for children in Belgium and the Netherlands. Sinterklaas is a very old man who lives in Spain but comes to the North every year in December with presents for all the good children. Sinterklaas does not do all of this on his own, he has a lot of help from his “pieten” who have been the subject for debate during recent years because of the racist stereotypes they represent, but the tradition still lives on, just without the faces painted black. Every year when Sinterklaas arrives he takes a moment to declare whether or not all of the children in the country have been good during the year, this speech is broadcasted on television. The legend goes that children that have not been good are taken back to Spain with him (and parents even tell their children to be good because otherwise Sinterklaas will take them), but of course Sinterklaas says the same thing every year: “There have been no bad kids this year!”
The celebration is a little bit different in the two countries, but the idea is the same. All the children put out one of their shoes with some gifts like a letter or a drawing for Sinterklaas or something to eat for the horse, and they sing songs. In the Netherlands he then comes in the evening of the 5th of December to bring presents. In Belgium the children also put out their shoes on the 5th, but they have to wait until the next morning to see what kinds of gifts Sinterklaas brought them. On top of the gifts Sinterklaas also brings chocolate, sweets, and tangerines.
Lucia Day – 13th December
Most people have heard of Midsommar, but Lucia is the lesser known celebration in the middle of the winter. On this day Swedish boys and girls sing songs together while wearing long, white gowns. One of the girls (Lucia) wears a crown of candles (electric ones for safety!) in her hair. The other girls also carry a candle, and the boys hold a star on a stick. There are special songs for this celebration and all the Swedish people at least know the standard song. The event brings light and warmth in the cold and dark day, as the 13th of December was the shortest day in the historic Julian calendar.
The day is celebrated by different performances of people in white gowns holding candles and singing the songs, some of the processions are even shown on television. Lucia does not only bring light, but also treats. We know the Swedes love good fika, and on Lucia Day this contains gingerbread cookies, saffron buns called “Lussekatt”. The drink that goes with these treats is coffee or a cup of “glögg”.
If you want to get in the festive mood you could join a friend in one of their celebrations, or maybe start a new tradition together. There are also some events happening in Jönköping to get you started.
The city of Jönköping also organises a Christmas market on Sunday (30th November). There will food trucks and live music and many of the stores will be open, you can see the whole program here: https://jkpgcity.se/evenemang/julicity2025
The last month of this semester has started, so go out there and make the best of it!
Writer: Louise Keymolen
