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December has become one of our favourite months because it announces the Advent and the merry festivities yet to come. It's a cold month and yet so warm when we sit by the fire, sip a warm beverage and talk to our beloved ones by the adorned Christmas Tree.
All Christian countries celebrate winter and the birth of Christ in this cozy, family atmosphere and Sweden, the queen of winter celebrations, could not be missing from all that.
Sweden's temperature falls below 0 C (on an average 13F) during winter and Swedes start celebrating their winter holidays on Dec 13th on St. Lucia’s Day. Lucia was an Italian girl from Sicily who plucked her eyes out but was given a new pair by God. She got engaged to a young man and her father gave her a bridal gift, which she donated to church for God to spare her dying mother. When her fiance found out about that, he accused her of being a witch and
ordered that her burned at the stake. Legend has it that the light that shone around her was so bright that all the villagers were blinded. Fire did not burn Lucia so her fiance killed her with his sword.
On Dec 13th, young girls wear headdresses of green wreaths decorated with lighted candles and serve coffee and special buns to older family members. There are parades and celebrations in most communities. Only one girl can take Lucia’s place every time in the parade. There are maids who hold a candle in their hand and starboys who wear very long dresses, a pointy hat with stars and hold a stick in their hand. You can see gingerbreadmen and Santa Clauses in the parade as well.
Celebrations continue as in other Christian countries: Christmas Eve on the 24th with food and presents, midnight mass between the 24th and 25th, Christmas Day on the 25th. On the 25th, a morning mass takes place at 5-6 am and nothing else is celebrated for the ret of the day. Finally, there’s New Year’s Eve on the 31st.
Typical cuisine this time of the year is rather heavy: ham, meatballs, small sausages, Brussels sprouts, herring with different sauces, omelets, Janson's temptation (grated potatoes, anchovies and cream, all baked in the oven),
Legumesallad (peas, carrots, mayonnaise and cream), Coleslaw (white cabbage, mayonnaise, cream and crushed pineapple.)
Different activities take place in Sweden. Moose hunting is one and it takes place in the fall. Swedes are particularly fond of moose. They eat its meat and use its skin to make shoes. Ice games are something else that Swedish people love doing. Winter brings cold weather that freezes the waterways. Parks have ice-skating rinks and steep runs for skiing and tobogganing.
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