How is Swedish Christmas celebrated? Old Walt Disney fairy tales and puzzle gifts

Swedes spice up their wait for Christmas not only with St. Nicholas but also with St. Lucia.

Who and when brings children gifts?

What do most Swedes watch on TV each year?

What does the Christmas Eve menu look like?

Find out how Christmas is celebrated in Sweden.

When is Christmas celebrated in Sweden?

While the first Sunday of Advent marks the official start of the Swedish Christmas season, the celebrations really begin on December 13 with the celebration of Sankta Lucia (Saint Lucia). Lucia, reminiscent of the deeds of an Italian martyr, is a celebration of light.

In the cities, processions appear, led by a white-clad Lucy with a crown of candles on her head. A procession carrying candles or wearing a conical hat is similarly dressed. The specialty is lussekatt, a saffron-flavored sweet bun sprinkled with raisins.

Christmas in Sweden is called Jul, so you wish your loved ones a God Jul. But the main day of Swedish Christmas is Christmas Day, when the whole family gathers for a decadent Christmas dinner, followed by the unwrapping of presents.

The end of Christmas in Sweden falls on January 13, called Tjugondag Knut. On January 13th, families remove the decorations and dance around the Christmas tree before removing it.

Do you know Swedish Christmas traditions?

From November onwards, Christmas markets often appear all over the country. From December 1, the days until Christmas are counted down on the advent calendar. The four Advent Sundays are usually spent together over a cup of punch, gingerbread, or pepparkakor.

Other popular Christmas traditions include building gingerbread houses (pepparkakshus) decorated with sugar decorations and making Christmas cookies.

In Sweden, watching old Disney cartoons on Christmas Day afternoon is a popular and influential tradition. Since 1959, a Disney special known as “Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul” (Donald Duck and his Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas) has been broadcast on television every year. The special features include clips from classic Disney movies, including Snow White, Cinderella, Robin Hood, and Mickey Mouse shorts.

Who brings the children’s presents?

Jultomten or Tomte, a Christmas elf with a red cap and a thick white beard, carries the gifts in Sweden. Presents are always placed under the tree and unwrapped after dinner on Christmas Day.

One of the gift-centered traditions is gift wrapping. The packaging is as simple as possible, using string and plain paper, and the giver usually adds a funny poem or riddle to the package as a hint as to what is inside.

A few hundred years ago, there was also the tradition of Julklapp, or Christmas knocking, where a friend or neighbor’s door was knocked on, and a small gift, often made of straw or wood, was left on the doorstep.

What is eaten in Sweden at Christmas?

The traditional Swedish Christmas table, or julbord, consists of julskinka (Christmas ham), meatballs, liver pate, sill (pickled herring), revbenspjäll (oven-roasted pork ribs), gravlax (smoked salmon), prinskorv (sausage), potatoes and rödbetssallad (beetroot salad).

A relatively new dish on the table in the 1940s is Jansson’s frestelse, potatoes with cream, onions, and anchovies baked until golden. Each household adds its favorite dishes to these basic julbord ingredients.

The food is served buffet style, but there is a specific order to be followed when choosing what to eat. You usually start with cold fish and meat, followed by hot dishes.

Standard drinks include julöl (a dark seasonal beer), the carbonated soft drink julmust, a warm punch called glögg, and, of course, the traditional schnapps.

A traditional dessert is risgrynsgröt, a rice pudding with hallonsylt (raspberry jam) or cinnamon sprinkled on top. It is often eaten in the evening after people have exchanged gifts. If the risgrynsgröt is left over, it can be mixed with whipped cream after cooling and eaten with a warm fruit sauce. It’s called ris a la malta.

Swedish Christmas also includes various sweets, such as butterscotch, known as knäck and chocolate truffles.

How to prepare traditional Swedish snaps?

Snaps are vodka (originally brännvin) with the addition of herbs and spices. This was originally done to cover up the bad taste of vodka, but today, Swedish vodka is among the best in the world. The Swedes liked spiced vodka very much, so snaps remained very popular. They are traditionally served in tall, long-stemmed glasses with a volume of 60 ml.

Ingredients:

• one bottle of vodka (or brandy)
• 1 teaspoon of aniseed
• 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon of cane sugar
• zest of 1 lemon

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a wide glass.
2. After a few hours, remove the lemon peel.
3. Try to peel the lemon in one long spiral to make it easier to fish it out of the jar later.
4. After 3 days, strain into a sterilized bottle.
5. Leave to age for at least a week and then taste.
6. If the drink seems too spicy, dilute it with more plain vodka.

Always serve Snaps cold.

What places to visit in Sweden at Christmas?

Does he love snow? Then Christmas in Sweden will be the most beautiful gift for you. Just be prepared that the days are very short here in December; it’s dark for the rest of the time.

• Abisko—One of the most beautiful destinations in Sweden is Lapland, where the village of Abisko is located surrounded by mountains. It is the most recommended place to enjoy the sight of the northern lights. In addition, you can also try snowmobiling or dog sledding.

• Stockholm – Stockholm’s Gamla Stan district is the epitome of medieval architecture, Swedish history and culture. A Christmas walk through the historical backdrops illuminated by many lights is a real experience.

• Gothenburg is known above all for its beautiful Christmas markets, which rank among the best in Scandinavia. The most famous ones take place in the Liseberg amusement park, where a number of interesting Christmas-themed shows are presented.