SWEDISH TRADITIONS

WINTER

On the morning of December 13th, well-before daybreak, a young girl rises from bed and dresses herself in white. Donning a crown of lighted candles, she sings about the darkness of winter and the light about to return. With this song, she awakens her family.

This is a scene repeated in thousands of homes throughout Sweden. The girl is usually the oldest daughter of the house, and after she wakes her family, she serves them coffee and saffron-flavored rolls. Whatever her name, both she and the day are known as Lucia. Later, the ceremony will be repeated at offices and workplaces throughout the country, with young women as Lucias.

Lucia is a hybrid of medieval Swedish and post-Reformation German traditions, and it marks the beginning of the Christmas period -- the defining feature of the Swedish winter. It is at this time that the greatest smörgasbord appear, with the most lavish on Christmas Eve. The feast will probably include herring and pickled beets, salmon, small meatballs, sausages, liver pate, and seasonal specialties such as browned cabbage and lutefish. The centerpiece of the meal is a generally a large ham, and ris a'la malta for dessert.

Unlike Christmas Eve, New Years Eve is a time when Swedes go out and splurge at a fine restaurant. After dinner, the restaurants empty out and the streets, bars and clubs fill up. The evening culminates outside, with the flash and boom of fireworks.

Winter is also a time when the country takes to the ski slopes. The long winter creates ideal ski conditions from November to May, with midnight sun shining in Lapland until mid-June. Sweden is one of the few places in the world where resorts actually guarantee snow ahead of time. No snow, and you get your money back. Given such reliable conditions, it is no wonder that winter activities here have evolved into such varied pursuits as snowboarding, parascending, paragliding, snow-scooter and dog-sled and reindeer safaris, ice-surfing, yachting, and ice-climbing.

Spring

The dark nights of the Swedish winter are long, and the approach of Spring and light unleashes a spirit of renewal. As natural forces stir life from the earth and people from their winter mindset, the supernatural is at work, too. People once believed that spring was a time when evil forces spread mischief across the land, and today the benevolent remnant of this myth can be seen in the tradition of the "Easter witch. "

On the Thursday before Easter, young girls paint their faces, put on scarves and long skirts, then roam from house to house collecting candy. On the hillsides, people light bonfires to scare off the evil spirits, and the blasts of firecrackers can be heard as revelers simulate shooting witches from the sky. Intertwined with the supernatural festivities is the traditional Christian holiday. The Swedish symbol of Easter is a birch twig decorated with colored feathers, and as the holiday approaches these colorful charms fill the markets, along the ubiquitous candy Easter eggs.

Following Easter comes another tradition steeped in ancient belief, Walpurgis Night. On this night, April 30th, crowds of Swedish men and women gather on hilltops around roaring bonfires. Many wear white caps with lyre emblems, the symbol of present and former students, and as the fires blaze they sing songs applauding Spring's arrival. Originally, the fires were meant to scare off witches, but today they remind distant watchers of a warmth soon to come. The traditional meal on this evening is gravlax - fresh salmon marinated in salt, sugar and fresh dill.

Summer

Summer days are long and warm and light in Sweden. In the northern reaches, the sky darkens briefly to twilight, then lightens again. There is something alluring about an evening that knows no darkness. You get the calmness of night without its pathology, and you can see the people you are with. It's hard to imagine a better time for a party, and for Swedes the Midsummer party is always the best. Midsummer celebrations occur on the Friday and the forthcoming weekend closest to June 24, the "official" Midsummer's Day. As this weekend approaches, thousands and thousands of Swedes head for the country, where they arrive at an open field. There, they raise a "Midsummer pole," or a maypole, which is decorated with leaves and flowers, flags and fetishes. They dance and sing around the pole, play traditional games, consume enormous amounts of food and drink, and let the evening take them away. The late evening often ends with a swim in the sea or a sunwarmed lake, since the water temperature is often agreeable and Sweden is surrounded by water both inland and along the coasts. In the cities, the parties take place in parks or communal spaces, and long tables are laid out for food and beverages.

Another summer tradition is the crayfish party. Like its name implies, the guests of honor at this party are the crayfish which are devoured by the dozens. This tradition began in the late 19th century, when heavy exportation threatened Sweden's crayfish populations. A ban on harvesting was instituted, and it ran until August - when the locals celebrated its end by throwing crayfish feasts. Later, a disease annihilated virtually all of Sweden's rare crayfish, and today Sweden is the largest crayfish importer in the world (although the Swedish crayfish is still the most sought after because of its taste).

In Gotland, early August means Medieval celebrations, and in Stockholm it means outdoor living i.e. cafés, outdoor dining, excursions to the Archipelago and picnics in one of the many parks. Stockholm's water is among the purest found within a world city, and it is completely safe to swim and fish in.

Fall

Towards the end of August, the Swedish sky begins to darken again, and the rythms of the world change. Migrating birds sail by in vee formations. In the rivers of the south, the eels begin their own journey to the Sargasso Sea. Eventually, the skies grow so dark that the eels can no longer see the fishing nets, and they are easily caught. In Sweden, there can be only one way to mark such a phenomenon: an eel party. Similar in spirit to the crayfish parties, eel parties feature eel as the main delicacy, and it is served in every form: smoked, grilled, stuffed, and more. Restaurants typically throw contests to see who can lift the most live eels out of a barrel, and crown the winner the "eel king." Another fall culinary special is surströmming, or fermented Baltic herring, which is popular in the north. Surströmming parties are also very common at this time, and the tradition comes from the simple fact that at one time it was cheaper to preserve fish by fermenting it than by storing it in salt.

Fall is also a time to visit the woods or the parks and experience the changing of the leaves. Mushroom picking (for the experienced), as well as the picking of lingonberries and sweet, exotic cloudberries, are popular. Sweden's last major fall tradition is the eating of goose in the southernmost province of Skane on November 10th, St. Martin's Day. This is the time when geese are at their fattest, and the meal in honor of the saint is accompanied by a disputed sweet and sour "black soup," and an impressive meringue tower called a spettkaka (a cake made of egg yolks and sugar).

To the courtesy of "The traditions of Sweden"

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