In Sweden, the BIG day is Christmas Eve (Julafton) rather than Christmas Day. I'm not sure why, but that's the way it is. We were blessed to be able to spend Christmas Eve with a wonderful family in our branch and see a Swedish Christmas first hand.
I love the electric lights that look like candles. They are very popular for trees here.
While people dress more casually in Sweden for work than they do in the states, they like to dress up for parties. So we dressed in Sunday best and descended on their house around 2 in the afternoon. They had already done Christmas stockings and opened some presents with their family in the morning. A little before 3 we all gathered in the living room. We read Luke 2 and some people shared blessings from the previous year. Familiar scriptures in Swedish are nice. We can follow them quite well because we already know what they say. :-)
Kalle Anka
Then it was time for the all important Kalle Anka (Donald Duck). It has been Swedish tradition for over 50 years to watch this cartoon at that time on Christmas Eve. It was an hour of short Disney clips (overdubbed in Swedish of course)--some Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck stuff as well as song clips from movies like Cinderella, Snow White and the Jungle Book. Chip and Dale are called Piff and Puff in Sweden. It is mostly the same every year but they do put in a couple more recent clips--this time it was the latest Winnie the Pooh movie and a Lion King clip. It was really fun watching the kids sing along to these cartoons they've watched their whole lives-especially to the super high Cinerella mice--and good practice to try and make out the Swedish. While we watched the show we snacked on candies and drank glögg. Glögg is warm, spiced cider. It is common to put a few spoonfuls of nuts and or raisins into your cup with the glögg. Being Mormons, ours was the alcohol-free version. Very yummy.
Table set for Julbord
After the show, we warmed up and set out the food, then we all stuffed ourselves on the traditional julbord--cold dishes like ham, hard-boiled eggs, smoked salmon and herring in different flavored sauces and warm foods like brown cabbage, sausages, meatballs and potato casseroles. And of course, bread and cheese. There is a soda pop here call julmust. It is very popular and only sold around Christmas time (it is also sold around Easter as påskmust).
Tomte arrives.
After dinner,Tomte (Swedish Santa) knocked on the door with his bag full of gifts. None of the gifts are from Tomte-- he is just the delivery person. He delivered one present to each person (we'd been instructed to bring one gift for each in our family). Then Tomte left (or changed anyway :-)) and one at a time we opened that gift. Typically they would continue to open the rest at that pace, but because of the numbers involved (20 people at their house this year) they adjusted their routine. After the first gifts, the kids distributed the rest and it was a free for all opening.
Tomte traditionally looks more like the one one the sack-- but American-style has gradually infiltrated.
After presents, we watched another Swedish classic Christmas cartoon-this one about an intern at the post office who decides to waylay all the packages being sent to spoiled rich people (like directors and engineers :-)) and pass them out in the slums instead. We listened to a little more music and then it was time to take our kids home so that American Santa could do his work.
Our minimalist Christmas tree and home-made nativity-- didn't want to drag too many things with us
Yes, he did find us in Sweden. And managed to make a few deliveries in spite of our skinny chimney with its 90 degree bend. :-) Christmas morning we enjoyed our usual American stockings, present opening and cinnamon rolls. So we were able to have both a Swedish Christmas and an American one.
And thank you to American family and friends who ignored our warnings that shipping to Sweden was way too expensive and sent us things anyway. It was fun to get a taste of home. :-)
We are really enjoying the opportunity to experience Jul (that means Christmas, not July-- very confusing at first) in Sweden. It is fun to experience the different traditions and decorations.
The center of our town is all lit up for Christmas and is very pretty.
Decorating for Christmas is more understated here than in the US. I really like the simple elegance. You don't see big inflated Santas or lots of color. Most of the lights are white. While you see a few lights on the outside of houses or yards, mostly people light up their windows. One very popular decoration is the Christmas star. Most are paper and they come in many different sizes and styles. They are placed over a hanging light bulb or on a standing light like a lamp shade. They are very popular and very beautiful.
Stars in a store window
A typical house in our neighborhood
Wreaths of various shapes and sizes are also popular. I've seen quite a few wreaths made of moss-- sounds kind of weird but they can be quite pretty.
The other really common decoration is the Advensljusstake-- or Advent light holder. They are usually shaped in a triangle with 7 electric candles in them. You also see one of these in nearly every home
A typical Adventsljusstake
An apartment building in town with many Adventsljusstake.
I don't understand why these electric advent candles have seven candles. Most families also have a set of real candles that they use to mark Advent, but in that case there are only four candles. Starting four Sundays before Christmas, a new candle is lit each week to count down until Christmas. Even at school, they light real advent candles.
An example of Advent candles
A sort of strange Swedish tradition is the Julbock-- a Christmas goat that if I understand correctly predates Santa as the gift deliverer at Christmas time.
Julbocks are usually made of straw and come in many different sizes.
Someone got creative and made one out of evergreen branches for their yard
There is a town in Sweden that builds a huge julbock in their town square every year. Then the tradition is that half the people try to protect it and half try to burn it down and people wager on how long it will last. Some years it makes it until Christmas. This year it was burned the very first week of December. (And yes, if you are wondering, it is a punishable crime to burn it down).
The Swedish Santa is called Tomte. ( Forgive me if I get any of this wrong, I am far from an expert on Swedish culture. I'm just sharing what we've been told.) There isn't just one-- they are gnomes that live under houses or in the woods. Historically they were believed to protect the farm and animals if you gave them a gift (rice porridge). Gradually it merged with Santa traditions and Tomte became the gift deliverer at Christmas time.
Tomte
Another example
On Christmas Eve, Tomte does not come down the chimney while the children are asleep. Instead, he knocks on the door during the day's festivities. He comes in and tells jokes and often makes the children sing songs or otherwise perform to get their gifts. While Tomte is looking more and more like Santa all the time, the traditional Tomte is a rougher character, kind of like a tramp. As one friend said, "He's an ugly sucker! Scares the heck out of kids!"
Sankta Lucia program at work
December 13 is Sankta Lucia Dag (St. Lucia Day). It is very widely celebrated in Sweden. Towns, schools and even work places have processions. Both our kids watched processions at their schools. T and I were able so see one at his work. A school choir came and did it for them, and we hear that is common. It is a beautiful tradition. The girls all wear white dresses with red ribbons around their waists. The boys wear white robes (they sometimes wear conehats decorated with stars but these boys did not-- I can't blame them.) They all carry candles. The procession is led by one girl who represents St. Lucia and has a crown of candles in her hair. And yes, they are real candles (except at G's school where the 6-year-olds did the program and they used battery-powered). They walk in singing the traditional Sankta Lucia song, then perform a number of other Christmas songs and then walk out again.
Apparently the procession also sometimes includes tomten and pepparkaksgubbar (gingerbread men) but they don't seem as common. G was the only one who saw those in a procession. We found it interesting that they sang many religious songs-- something you'd be very wary of doing at a school or workplace in the US. That is quite ironic since there are many more people that are religious in the US. Sweden is a very secular country and though St. Lucia was a martyred Christian saint and they sing songs about Mary and Jesus, they don't view any of it as religious. To them, it is just tradition. And the Sankta Lucia holiday is mostly about light in the dark winter to them.
Last weekend we experienced our first Swedish Christmas party. Thaniel's work had their annual company Christmas party (Tollo Julfest). Thaniel hadn't told me any more than when it was, so I was surprised as we got close and I found it was being held at Bäckaskog slott. Bäckaskog was first built as a monastery in the 1200s then added on to and turned into a castle in the 1500s. It is now a restaraunt and hotel-- and has a reputation for being haunted. We were told that when a King died, they shot his horse. One such horse met his fate at Bäckaskog and the horse still haunts the place along with the ghosts of some of the monks who died there. :-)
It was dark when we got there, so I borrowed this picture off the web so you can get an idea of the exterior of the building
The party began in the wing of the castle that had held the livestock. :-) They had glögg (a hot, spiced cider) and pepparkaka (basically Swedish gingerbread cookies) as everyone greeted each other. One of the things that feels odd to us in Sweden is that there is much more hugging than we are used to. Men, women, coworkers, etc. often hug in greeting and farewell. Also, everyone is on a first name basis in Sweden-- that is part of the we are all equal vibe that is Sweden. When we'd asked what we should wear, we were told "whatever you want." We were glad we'd chosen to dress up. Most of the men were in suits or at least shirts and ties and most of the women were in dresses. In Sweden, people dress more casually for work than in the US, but they seem to enjoy dressing up for social occasions.
Trough in the "barn"
After a while, the party moved across the courtyard to the main part of the castle for dinner. As we got up to the seating area, we found there was a list of table assignments on the wall and once we got to our assigned table, place cards for each person. You were seated across from your date and then the couples were arranged in the tradional manner so it went girl, boy, girl, boy. We noticed that no one was sitting down. We are getting pretty good at playing follow-the-leader, so we didn't sit either. Everyone stood behind their chair for the next 15 minutes or so until everyone had gotten to the dining room.
In the dining room. Swedes counter their dark winters by lighting lots of candles.
Dinner was a traditional Swedish Christmas smorgasbord. Yes, that word is a Swedish word. Translated it means sandwich table. :-) There was a table of various kinds of cold fish--herring, eel, salmon, and something with claws; a table of warm foods like meatballs, small sausages, and potatoes; a table of cold meat cuts like the very traditional Christmas ham; and then a table with bread and cheeses. Since the castle was trying to reflect its historic roots, the meat choices were interesting. In addition to typical ham, they served wild boar, moose and reindeer. Sorry kids, Rudolph is no longer available to pull the sled! There weren't many fruits or vegetables-- grapes with the cheese, some potatoes and some pickled beets. We tried most everything except for the fish. We would have tried at least a little of that, but it was very popular and we didn't feel like standing around waiting for food neither of us are very fond of.
The cold cuts--ham, wild bore, moose and reindeer. The reindeer is second from the front.
Fish and eel
Next, very Swedish experience. Next to the places at the table was a printed sheet of song lyrics. Every so often someone would get everyone's attention and then the whole group would join in singing one of the songs, typically followed by a drink for those who partake. Swedes like to sing! I've definitely never experienced that before at a big dinner.
Sing-along lyrics
Once again, despite all the stories in our "cultural training" about Swedes being reserved, we had many nice conversations with people Thaniel did and didn't know. People seem very curious to learn what an American family thinks of living in their country.
Dessert was traditional rice pudding. Apparently that is what you leave for Tomte (Swedish Santas-- but they are little gnomes that live in the woods or under your house, not some guy from the North Pole) instead of milk and cookies.
Typical Swedish Christmas decorations-- real flowers, candles and pretty stars.
After dinner, it was back to the barn for Fika. Swedes love Fika, which is coffee and sweets. We passed on the coffee, of course, but enjoyed the sweets. Then they had a live band and dancing. As is often the case in Sweden, the band sang American songs in English-- mostly old 70s rock. I found it particular funny for us when they sang "Country Roads." Dancing in Sweden seems to be more like the US was 20 years ago-- meaning people still actually dance rather than just bob to the music. We danced a little (too out of shape to dance a lot!) and visited with people, and before we knew it found it was way past our bed times.
Fika and dancing
We could have actually stayed overnight at the hotel. The company had included that in the party which we found odd. But since we live just 20 minutes away, we opted to just go home and sleep in our own comfy bed-- and make sure our kids were settled into theirs.
