Traditions in Sweden
Easter:
Maundy Thursday – is when the Easter witches
show up (some people think they are simply
children in disguise…)! By singing a song or
two they ask for some sweets to fill their coffee
pots ahead of their departure on a broomstick
towards the Brocken. On Easter Eve the kids
get Easter eggs filled with sweets. And it is the
kids who set up decorations and paint the eggs
in all colours!
Friday in Eastern is called Long-Friday. Most
of the swedish people are available this day and
banks and most of the shops are closed.
Walpurgis Night (Valborg):
Walpurgis Night takes place on the night of
April 30 and into May 1. A large
fire is lit
where people gather to sing out the winter
and sing in the
spring..Banks is very often
closed at 1.00 pm this day, but shops are
open. The May 1 is a free day and people
are available.
Midsummer:
We celebrate Midsummer in Sweden at the end
of June. The May pole is raised
and we dance
around it and sing traditional songs. In some
areas of Sweden,
people are very traditional
and dress up in national costumes and dance to
folk music. As for food, it is primarily herring,
new potatoes, schnapps and
strawberries that
are consumed!
Crayfish party:
August is the best month for crayfish, and this is
celebrated with a
crayfish party. Party hats are
adorned and crayfish are eaten in various
dressings.
The celebration
is often connected with some
schnapps and beer., silly hats and chins,
singing
swedish schnapps-songs
Baltic herring premier:
The middle/end of August is the time for the
Baltic herring premier. This is
the time to take
the fermented, and according to many, foul-smelling
herring
out of the cans and eat them in the
traditional manner. This is a tradition
loved by the
Swedes themselves, but which many non-Swedes
have difficulty
understanding…
Lucia:
Early in the morning on December 13 she makes
her entrance – dressed in
white and candles in
her hair… In remembrance of the Sicilian saint
Lucia,
Swedes celebrate with a Lucia procession
(consisting of Lucia, her
attendants and star boys),
Lucia cats - a type of bun - and song!
Christmas:
Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve in Sweden, when Santa arrives with
Christmas presents for all children who have behaved well over the year.
Christmas buffet (a type of smorgasbord), dipping in the pot and glogg are
all important ingredients in the traditional Swedish Christmas meal. Early
in the morning on Christmas Day, Swedes gather in their churches for the
early service to celebrate Christmas together.
