How to Celebrate a Swedish Christmas
Christmas in Sweden is a special time of year. Although the weather is cold and gloomy, people enjoy the holiday season and remain in good cheer.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Christmas Gifts
- Advent Calendar
- Televisions
- Christmas Trees
- Candles
- Hams
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1
Remember Lucia on December 13. She was an Italian saint who was killed for her religious beliefs.
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2
Attend a procession called "Lussetåg," which is led by someone dressed as Lucia. Known as the Queen of Light, she wears a white dress with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head.
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3
Begin your celebrations with the start of Advent, four Sundays before Christmas. Light one candle every week to mark the coming of the holiday.
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4
Watch television and listen to the radio to find out the theme of this year's Advent calendar. Have your children use the calendar to count down to Christmas.
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5
Cut or buy a Christmas tree. Some families wait until just a few days before Christmas to decorate it.
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6
Decorate your home with evergreens and with Christmas flowers such as poinsettia, tulips and hyacinth.
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7
Plan your big celebration for the day of Christmas Eve.
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8
Prepare a smorgasbord for your family that includes "Jul skinka" (Christmas ham), sweet-and-sour red cabbage, meatballs, "prinskorv" (small sausages) and "gravad lax" (salmon with dill).
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9
Serve "Jul gröt," a Christmas porridge with one almond in the recipe. According to tradition, the person who gets the almond in his or her portion receives good luck for the coming year.
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10
Make "glögg" - or "gluhwein" - a favorite Christmas treat of mulled wine. Serve it with pepper cookies (gingerbread biscuits).
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11
Expect Tomten (Father Christmas) to arrive later in the afternoon with gifts for the kids. Each package will have a riddle attached, offering clues about the gift hidden inside.
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12
Gather your children on January 6 for the Christmas tree plundering. They will dance around the tree as you take it down and throw it away.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Many families make it a tradition to watch the Donald Duck Christmas show or other classic Christmas programs on television on Christmas Eve.
Sweden is a country with many cultural influences, so its Christmas traditions are sometimes diverse and cannot be generalized. The above steps represent a few examples of local traditions that may or may not be appropriate for your celebration.
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Comments
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jillmaria
Sep 01, 2009
Is another tradition to light a carved candelabra in the window? I was given two by a Swedish friend and was told to turn them on in the window (or a Christmas star) as a Swedish tradition. Thanks for the article, 5 stars!! -
Jan 18, 2006
Lefse, Hard Tak and Lutefisk are also essentials for that perfect Swedish holiday meal.
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Jan 18, 2006
Lefse, Hard Tak and Lutefisk are also essentials for that perfect Swedish holiday meal.
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Nov 22, 2005
Have a large family-wide gift exchange on Christmas eve, after dinner. On Christmas morning, children get some small "santa" presents (like candy and small toys).
