Life of Swedish people

Over 70% of Swedish people belong to the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

, but seldom go to church. Attendance is a bit higher among members of free churches such as

Pentecostalists Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

and the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

. Christenings, weddings and funerals are usually made in church, although

civil wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage v ...

s are generally accepted - especially for subsequent marriages. Around half of Swedes are confirmed, usually at the age of fifteen. Other celebrations are '' studenten'' ("the student", originally ''studentexamen'', "the student's degree") - the graduation from secondary school, and decennial birthdays.

The week in Sweden

Swedish

week A week is a unit of time equal to seven days. It is the standard time period used for short cycles of days in most parts of the world. The days are often used to indicate common work days and rest days, as well as days of worship. Weeks are of ...

s begin on Mondays. Most Swedes keep track of week numbers for long-term planning. Sweden is one of the few countries in the world where most retail stores, at least in cities, are open all week. Laws regulating activities on Sundays were abolished during the late 20th century. A dish which for most Swedes is seen as typical, though the tradition of it is rarely followed, for Thursdays is

pea soup Pea soup or split pea soup is soup made typically from dried peas, such as the split pea. It is, with variations, a part of the cuisine of many cultures. It is most often greyish-green or yellow in color depending on the regional variety of pe ...

followed by

pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying w ...

s with jam as

dessert Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and most parts o ...

. Many Swedish children are allowed to eat sweets only on Saturdays - ''lördagsgodis'' ("Saturday sweets"). This tradition is intended to prevent

dental caries Tooth decay, also known as cavities or caries, is the breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria. The cavities may be a number of different colors from yellow to black. Symptoms may include pain and difficulty with eating. Complicat ...

, but its history contains questionable

medical ethics Medical ethics is an applied branch of ethics which analyzes the practice of clinical medicine and related scientific research. Medical ethics is based on a set of values that professionals can refer to in the case of any confusion or conflict. T ...

- it is the result of the '' Vipeholm experiments'', in which mentally challenged patients were unwittingly used as test subjects of experiments in dental health. Swedish alcohol habits vary greatly during the week - Swedes expect each other to be completely sober during work hours (even one beer for lunch is taboo), but many people drink heavily during weekends. See also

alcohol in Sweden Alcoholic drinks in Sweden are as common as in most of the western world. Sweden is historically part of the vodka belt, with high consumption of distilled drinks and binge drinking, but during the later half of the 20th century, habits are more ...

The year in Sweden

Sweden, especially

Norrland Norrland (, "Northland", originally ''Norrlanden'' or "the Northlands") is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administ ...

, can have extreme seasonal differences. This has affected the festivities, as many of them commemorate the turn of seasons. Many holiday celebrations take place on the ''eve'' - the day before the holiday proper (for instance

Walpurgis night Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess ...

and Christmas Eve).

New Year celebration

New Year New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...

is celebrated with fireworks, starting at midnight on New Year's Day, and sparkling wine and many snacks, usually after a shellfish dinner late on New Year's Eve. In recent years, many people start the fireworks already on New Year's Eve or even many days before. This has led to much debate, since it is not only in violation of the tradition but many people also find it disturbing or even frightening to have fireworks go off for days instead of only in the half-hour or so after midnight on New Year's night. On New Year's Eve, Sveriges Television (SVT) shows the classical comedy sketch ''

Dinner for One ''Dinner for One'', also known as ''The 90th Birthday'' (german: link=no, Der 90. Geburtstag), is a two-hander comedy sketch, written by British author Lauri Wylie for the theatre. After featuring on the stage, the German TV broadcaster, Nordde ...

'', ''Grevinnan och Betjänten.'' There are also often special shows commemorating the ending of the TV year, showing highlights from the year. TV also broadcast popular movies on this night. At midnight, SVT shows the celebration in

Skansen Skansen (; "the Sconce") is the oldest open-air museum and zoo in Sweden located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was opened on 11 October 1891 by Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) to show the way of life in the different parts ...

in Stockholm, where a prominent actor reads

Edvard Fredin Nils Edvard Fredin (8 June 1857 – 27 June 1889) was a Swedish playwright, actor, reviewer, and translator. Biography Nils Edvard Fredin, who used the name ''Edvard'', was born in Stockholm in 1857. The child of an administrator, he was quite si ...

's translation of

Alfred Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

's ''

Ring Out, Wild Bells On New Year's Day Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

''. SVT also used to show the British half-hour comedy '' The Plank'' and the

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fina ...

contest in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but they have been withdrawn. On New Year's Day, SVT shows The New Year Concert of the

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its ...

. The film '' Ivanhoe'' was broadcast by SVT on New Year's Day earlier, but the commercial channel TV3 has taken over the tradition.

Winter

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...

, ''Alla hjärtans dag'', "All Hearts' Day", is recognized by merchants, but not taken very seriously. Schools have a one-week break during February called ''sportlov'' ("sports break"). This break originated in the coke rationing of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, but today it is more of an incentive for exercise through

winter sports Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold are ...

. The break occurs between week 7 and 10 depending on county, to spread utilization of Swedish ski resorts. Swedes celebrate Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, ''Fettisdagen'') 41 days before Easter (rather Palm Sunday, since the fasting was forty days, Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Saturday, Sundays not included). This is celebrated by eating a special pastry called

semla A semla, vastlakukkel, laskiaispulla, fastlagsbulle/fastelavnsbolle or vēja kūkas is a traditional sweet roll made in various forms in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Latvia, associated with Lent and e ...

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

is honoured by a minority of Swedes. The annual première of semla-eating has crept all the way to early January.

Spring

On the Christian holiday of Annunciation, Swedes celebrate by eating

waffles A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used ...

, as the day is called "

Waffle Day Waffle Day ( sv, våffeldagen , no, vaffeldagen, da, vaffeldag) is a tradition that is celebrated in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, on 25 March, which is also the Feast of the Annunciation, upon which waffle A waffle is a dish made from leave ...

" in Sweden. This is in fact due to a misunderstanding of the phrase "''vårfrudagen''", meaning "Our Lady's Day", which in turn sounds like "''våffeldagen''", meaning "waffle day.".Waffle Day in Sweden
{Dead link, date=June 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=no notice from Radio Sweden

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

(''påsk'') is celebrated in Sweden. The belief in

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

es travelling to '' Blåkulla'' on

Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday (also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names) is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the ...

(originally for a Sabbath with

the Devil Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...

) is honoured by children dressing up as witches (''påskkärring''), knocking on the doors in the neighbourhood requesting treats (much like

trick or treat Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". Th ...

ing during Halloween). Good Friday used to be an extraordinarily calm day when all businesses were closed to commemorate the passion of Christ, but today it is an ordinary holiday. It is customary to eat boiled

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

as well as

chocolate eggs Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civil ...

and other sweets during Easter. Adults hand out simple gifts in carton eggs to the children in the family. Easter decorations in the shape of chickens, Easter bunnies and witches are popular, and birch twigs decorated with colourful feathers (''påskris'') are popular as well.

April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...

(''första april)'' is celebrated on 1 April by playing practical jokes on friends and family. If the practical joke succeeds, you say "''April, april din dumma sill, jag kan lura dig vart jag vill",'' which translates to "''April, April you stupid herring, I can trick you wherever I want (to)".'' On the last day of April,

Walpurgis Night Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess ...

(''Valborg'') is celebrated throughout Sweden to celebrate the arrival of

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

. This is done by igniting large bonfires and singing songs celebrating the coming of springtime. This is also an occasion when Swedish young adults, particularly university students, drink large amounts of alcohol.

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

(''första maj'') is a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...

, and is celebrated by the Swedish labour movement with demonstrations and political speeches. Since Ascension Day, ''Kristi himmelfärdsdag'', occurs on a Thursday, the subsequent Friday is a ''klämdag'', "squeezed day", a day taken off from work by many Swedish people. Pentecost, (''pingst)'' often coincides with weddings and confirmations.

Summer

The Swedish National Day on June 6 is a public holiday as of 2005, but so far there are few established traditions for this day. The celebration of this day begun as the Day of the Swedish Flag, ca 1900, and the day is chosen in commemoration of the election of

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...

as King of Sweden on this date in 1523. The second most important festivity in the Swedish calendar, or perhaps for many the most important, is

Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr ...

, ''midsommar''. Midsummer's Eve is celebrated on the eve of the Friday between the 20 and 26 June. Most Swedes try upon this day to get to a place in the countryside where they can eat

pickled herring Pickled herring is a traditional way of preserving herring as food by pickling or curing. Most cured herring uses a two-step curing process: it is first cured with salt to extract water; then the salt is removed and the herring is brined i ...

, boiled potatoes and

sour cream Sour cream (in North American English, Australian English and New Zealand English) or soured cream (British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, ...

as well as strawberries and

brännvin Brännvin is a Swedish liquor distilled from potatoes, grain, or (formerly) wood cellulose. It can be plain and colourless, or flavoured with herbs and spices. Beverages labelled ''brännvin'' are usually plain and have an alcohol content betwee ...

. A maypole is often erected around which, at least if there are children present at the celebration, dancing is performed. Houses are often decorated in

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains ...

twigs. The minimum vacation each year is five weeks, and most Swedes take all of July off - the "industrial vacation". In early August, there is the ''kräftpremiär'' ( crayfish première). It used to follow the crayfish fishing season, but as most crayfish are imported, the exact dates of crayfish parties have become more flexible. A few weeks later comes the '' surströmmingspremiär'' sporting the most exotic food in the Swedish cuisine.

Autumn

Halloween, the ancient Celtic Irish festival, was imported via the US to Sweden during the 1990s, and is now widely celebrated among children and youth, with another opportunity to collect sweets from neighbours. Halloween is celebrated each year on 31 October. The

celebrates

All Saints' Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are kn ...

, ''alla helgons dag'', (defined as the Saturday between October and 6 November, unlike the original Roman Catholic day on 1 November) and is mostly observed by older children in the later teens as an excuse for having drinking parties. The coincident with All Saints has caused some controversy, since the latter is supposed to be a solemn remembrance of the dead. On 11 November, the people of Skåne celebrate Mårtensgås in remembrance of Martin of Tours, by eating

goose A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...

. This tradition has little recognition in the rest of Sweden.

Christmas

Swedes prepare for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

, ''jul'', with Advent candles and opening

Advent calendar An Advent calendar is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood ...

s. St. Lucia Day, ''Luciadagen'' on 13 December, is a typically Swedish occasion (Imported from Sardinia). During Advent it's also common with ''Glöggfester''

mulled wine Mulled wine, also known as spiced wine, is an alcoholic drink usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and sometimes raisins, served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. It is us ...

parties where friends visit each other's homes and drink mulled wine and have gingerbreads. Traditional Christmas decorations include a Christmas tree, Yule Goats of straw (such as the

Gävle goat Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Sw ...

tomte A (, ), tomte (), , or () is a mythological creature from Nordic folklore today typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season. They are generally described as being short, having a long white beard, and wearing a co ...

and

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

figurines and

nativity scene In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmas season, of art objects rep ...

s. Decoration has been influenced by Anglo-Saxon traditions, though extensive, blinking

Christmas lights Christmas lights (also known as fairy lights, festive lights or string lights) are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom g ...

as common in the United States are considered to be a bit

kitsch Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste. The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation wi ...

y. Many restaurants serve julbord (the Christmas version of

smörgåsbord Smörgåsbord () is a buffet-style meal of Swedish origin. It is served with various hot and cold dishes. Smörgåsbord became internationally known at the 1939 New York World's Fair when it was offered at the Swedish Pavilion "Three Crowns ...

) throughout December. Most

traditions take place as families and relatives gather on Christmas Eve. ''Jultomten'', Santa Claus, visits many homes handing out presents, coincidentally when one family member is absent to buy the newspaper. Also celebrated on 25 December is '' julotta'', a divine service in the morning commemorating the birth of Christ, and it is especially Swedish since it is only celebrated in Sweden and some places in Finland and Norway. Unlike many other Christian countries, cinemas are not closed on Christmas Day. On the contrary, many major films premiere on this day and it has become tradition for many to go to the cinema with the whole family on this night. The second day of Christmas Annandagen is a public holiday and typically the party day. In small and middle sized towns in Sweden, the Christmas Day and second day of Christmas are traditionally the Homecoming days, when people visiting their hometowns get together and party.

Christmas television

Television (see television of Sweden) has been an important part in Swedish Christmas and New Year celebration, since SVT was started in 1956, which might seem natural with all the stress before the holidays, the darkness and cold outdoors, and the involuntary

loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism which motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perceived lack ...

of many. Each Advent, from 1 to 24 December, Sveriges Television features '' SVT's Christmas calendar'' ("The Christmas calendar"), a daily drama series for a family audience. The

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

ceremony on 10 December is also broadcast. At 15:00 on Christmas Eve, Sveriges Television airs '' Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul'' (

From All of Us to All of You ''From All of Us to All of You'' is an animated television Christmas special, produced by Walt Disney Productions and first presented on December 19, 1958 on ABC as part of the ''Walt Disney Presents'' anthology series. Hosted by Jiminy Cricket ...

), commonly referred to as ''Kalle Anka'' - Donald Duck. (Donald is by far the most popular Disney cartoon in Sweden.) This one-hour show mostly contains clips from classical Disney films, such as ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

'' and ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, w ...

'' (with the song '' The Bear Necessities''), as well as promotional clips for recent Disney films, concluded with the song When You Wish Upon A Star. The show is one of the highest-rated Swedish television programs, only rivalled by international sports events and the Eurovision Song Contest, and most Swedish people can recite much of the show. Another traditional Christmas broadcast is '' Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons Julafton'' (''Christopher's Christmas Mission'').

References

Swedish culture