Popular Christmas Traditions and Christmas Decorations in Sweden

Sweden’s Christmas season starts off on December 13th with Saint Lucia Day. According to history, Saint Lucia overcame darkness and, since December 13th is the longest night in Sweden, Swede’s honor Saint Lucia and portray the overcoming of darkness with processions of thousands of lit candles. At home, the oldest girl in a family wears a white robe and a wreath of candles on her head as she offers the family coffee, Lucia buns and Glögg, or mulled wine. Outside of home, schools, club, etc., Saint Lucia has attendants who also wear white and help her distribute food and drink while singing Lucia carols. Some people end Saint Lucia Day with a Glögg Party.

A tradition that goes far back in time is to place a Julbock, or Christmas Goat, underneath the Christmas tree. Once, these small straw goats were made out of the remaining harvest shafts and represented fertility and rejuvenation. Today they can be purchased all over Sweden, remain a favorite custom and can be found as Christmas tree ornaments as well. Families bring home Christmas trees a couple of days before Christmas Eve and decorate them with tiny Swedish flags, glass ornaments, straw ornaments, homemade ornaments, stars, sweets and lights. Stars that light up, decorated
Christmas wreaths and Tomte (Santa Claus) decorates windows, doorways and entrances. Other favorite decorations include fresh flowers such as poinsettias and hyacinths.

Christmas Eve dinner brings the much-anticipated smorgasbord with goodies such as spare ribs, pickled herring, smoked sausages, meatballs, cabbage, boiled eggs, Christmas ham, lutfisk, various cheeses and risgrynsgröt or Christmas Porridge. An extra bowl of risgrynsgröt is left by the front door for Jultomte’s (Father Christmas) helpers. Sweet treats include saffron buns, marzipan figures, toffee, fruitcake, sponge cakes with a jam filling and gooseberry tarts. Pepparkakor (clove-scented gingerbread cookies) are one of the most popular sweets at Christmas. These cookies are made paper-thin so that they break with a snap when baked. These cookies are also strung on ribbons and used to decorate the Christmas tree.

A Christmas Eve ritual in which many families take part in is the 3:00 in the afternoon televised broadcast of “Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas” or “Kalle Anka och Hans Vänner Önskar God Jul”. This Disney Christmas animated show has been a tradition in Sweden since 1959 and has, in fact, become one of the most popular shows in all of Sweden. Christmas Eve ends with presents from family to family and includes rhyming hints about what the gifts is. This is also the time to leave out the extra bowl of porridge by the front door. Christmas morning is a time for early morning church worship, lit entirely by candlelight, and visiting family and friends.

Karen Jebbia is a marketing associate of Acadia Wreath Company which sells fresh Christmas wreaths, christmas centerpieces, advent wreaths and kissing balls made with Maine balsam fir and shipped throughout the United States at Christmas time. Visit us at www.acadiawreath.com.

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