How we celebrate

Christmas in Sweden

Advent

On the first Sunday in Advent it is traditional to put up Christmas decorations both in the home and around town. We usually decorate our homes with stars and tomtar – Christmas gnomes who can look a lot like Father Christmas himself. Out in the town, the streets and shop windows are decorated with tomtar, and Father Christmases, lights, stars and other things that are associated with Christmas.

A very common decoration you can see in every house is the advent star. The design of the stars varies, they are most often made of paper, wood or ceramic.

In every town and village you can find a Christmas tree. In gardens where they don’t have a Christmas tree people decorate trees and bushes with electric lights.

The candleholder with seven candles is common.

One Swedish tradition is the Christmas calendar, a children’s TV series, made new for each year. It is very much appreciated by all the children in the country, who follow every episode from the first of December all the way to Christmas Eve.

Children also have a Christmas calender in their homes where they open one shutter each day from the 1 st of December till the 24 th.

In the beginning of December, it is usual to bake lussekatter and peppar kakor – sweet saffron buns and ginger snaps. Some people also make a gingerbread house.

A nice December tradition is to meet with friends to drink GLÖGG, a hot spicy drink, and eat ginger snaps, saffron buns and other pastries.

On December 13th, over the whole country, we celebrate Lucia. Lucia’s choir consists of stjärngossar and tärnor – star boys and maids – Lucia’s attendants, and Lucia herself, of course.

Lucia – The Eve of

St Lucy

Lucia and her choir sing Christmas songs and songs written specially for Lucia.

The star boys are also dressed in white and wear cornet hats.

On Christmas Eve, when the presents lie under the Christmas tree and the children have seen Disney Time on the TV, then the children sit and wait for Father Christmas to come.

Sweden wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!