Christmas in Sweden

God Jul och Gott Nytt År!
(Good Yule and Good New Year!)

Christmas in Sweden is a culturally strong event. The season of Christmas lasts a month, starting with the celebration, or procession, of Sankta Lucia on December 13th, and ending the season with "Twentieth Canute", or 20 days after Christmas on January 13th, in a final celebration.

(See previous posting on the celebration of Sankta Lucia.)

Preparations
The julgrann, or Christmas tree, is often set up and decorated following the Santa Lucia celebration. Swedish Christmas trees are often decorated with candles, apples, Swedish flags, small gnomes and straw ornaments. If the room is big enough, the tree will be set in the middle and everyone joins in a circle around it to dance and sing favorite Christmas carols.

The house may be filled with the smell of favorite yuletide baking, including pepparkakor, or gingerbread cookies, shaped round or as a heart, star, or goat and saffron breads and sweet rolls. A lighted star or candle will often be placed in the windows of Swedish homes. The advent candles, lit on the four Sundays prior to Christmas Eve, are also common in many homes.

Christmas Eve
Julafton, or Christmas Eve, is the pinnacle of the Swedish yuletide celebrations. Stores close early and families come together to celebrate. The Christmas Eve dinner is usually a smorgasbord, or buffet with julskinka, or Christmas ham, lutfisk, or dried codfish, and ptoatoes and many vegetables. Dessert involves many different kinds of sweets, including risgryngrot, a special rice porridge with an almond hidden in it. Tradition has it that the person who finds the almond in his or her bowl will marry in the coming year. Yuletide drinks include glogg, a hot and spicy wine, and julmust, a soft-drink somewhat similar to root-beer.

After Christmas Eve dinner, a friend or family member dresses up as Jul Tomten or Christmas gnome. Swedish legend says that Tomten rides through the countryside with his julklappar, or gifts, on a sled which is pulled by a goat. Tomten, wearing a white beard and dressed in furry robes, enters the home after knocking on the door and distributes gifts from his sack. Sometimes the gifts are given with a funny rhyme that hints at the contents.

Christmas Day and 2nd Day Christmas
Since the gifts were received and opened the night before, many Swedes will attend Jullotta, a special Christmas church service, held early Christmas morning. The nativity story is told and favorite hymns and carols are sung. The rest of the day is spent in celebration with the family by eating, playing games, etc. Since this is so enjoyable, Swedes have chosen to do it all over again in the celebration of 2nd Day Christmas, also an official holiday.

The Twentieth Day of Christmas
On the 13th of January, which is 20 days after Christmas Eve and one month after the Feast of St. Lucia, was designated by King Canute to be celebrated as the yuletide finale. January 13th is known as Canute's Day, or Twentieth Canute. On this day, the tree will have its final moments of glory, as everyone comes together again to dance and sing around it. Afterwards a feast or party, the tree is taken down and the holidays are officially over.

See also these posts on Swedish Christmas traditions:
http://joychristmas.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-swedish-christmas.html
http://joychristmas.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-around-world-sweden.html
http://joychristmas.blogspot.com/2010/12/night-time-walks-heavily-round-farm-and.html
http://joychristmas.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-santa-lucia-sweden.html
http://joychristmas.blogspot.com/2010/12/vitae-lux-light-of-life-lux-aurumque.html