Wishing you a peaceful and fulfilling 2024!
Happy New Year 2024!
Month: December 2023
Advent Calendar – Dec 24: Kalle Anka
Window 24. As I am following the Swedish system of advent calendars, today is the last window, not the 25th as in the UK. So here is the final word: Kalle Anka. This is the Swedish name for Donald Duck – a Disney character with a strong, and unexpected, connection to Swedish Christmas.
Traditional Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve in Sweden get off to a slow start usually. It all begins with a Christmas breakfast, consisting of rice porridge, wort bread, ham and Christmas cheese, amongst other things. After breakfast, some people go for a walk, some go to church, others begin the preparation for the Christmas julbord (buffet).
When to eat julbord differs from family to family. For some, it’s at lunch time, for others it more towards late afternoon. One surprising time marker is Kalle Anka (Donald Duck).
Every Christmas Eve since 1960, the Disney show ‘From All of Us to All of You’ featuring Donald Duck and his friends has been broadcasted on Swedish television at 3pm (now 3.05pm). Every single year. A very weird tradition for someone like me who grew up listening to the Queen’s speech on Christmas Day at 3pm. In the UK we have the monarch. In Sweden, Donald Duck.
So the discussion in Swedish homes is ‘should we eat before or after Kalle?’.
Today, Kalle Anka is watched as a sentimental tradition, or as background noise on Christmas Eve. But in the 1960’s when it began, it was the only time of the year that cartoons were shown on tv, so it was a Christmas treat. Since it’s been broadcast for almost 60 years, it is an integral part of what many Swedes associate with Christmas.
After Kalle Anka och julbord, it’s time for a visit from Tomten with gift-giving. This is followed usually by more food and drink. Some people conclude the day with a Midnight service at their local church.
Christmas is, like many places around the world, a time of overconsumption. Enormous amounts of food are left over and eaten during the following days.
In Sweden, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are both Public holidays – and the official end of Christmas is January 13th. Then it is time to traditionally throw out the Christmas tree. The lights in the windows have usually disappeared by February.
And as the daylight slowly returns to Sweden, people start planning for the lighter and warmer time of the year. And Christmas fades into memory…until next December.
Advent Calendar – Dec 23: Dan före dopparedan
Window 23. Today’s words are ‘Dan före dopparedan‘ – which translate somewhat curiously as ‘the day before dipping day’. Or, the day before Christmas.
I always thought that the name ‘dopparedan’ (dipping day) for Christmas Eve was somehow a reference to John the Baptist.
But I was wrong.
It actually comes from the Medieval Swedish tradition of dipping and drenching bread in the stock juices in which the Christmas ham has cooked, and eating it.
This traditional practice is called ‘dopp i grytan’ and originated in agricultural communities. People dipped their bread as a little snack while they made final preparations for the celebrations later in the evening. Some people still do this today.
Because Christmas Eve was called ‘dopparedagen’, the 23rd Dec became known as ‘dan före dopparedan’ – the day before the day of dipping bread.
Today’s ‘dan före dopparedan’ is more to do with making the final stressful arrangements for tomorrow. Final baking is done, last-minute Christmas presents are bought, a visit to Systembolaget (alcohol shop) is made. Long queues are to be expected.
And then, darkness and calmness descends over houses and homes all around the country. The evening before Christmas Eve is called ‘uppersittarkväll’ and Swedish families traditionally gather to wrap presents, play tv bingo, play games and write Christmas present rhymes.
It is also the evening when traditionally people put up final decorations and dress the Christmas tree, although this happens earlier for many families.
Once everything is finalized, hopefully there is a moment of relaxation to be had with a glass of warm glögg and a pepparkaka.
And then, it’s time to head off to bed in anticipation for the big day tomorrow – dipping day!
Advent Calendar – Dec 22: Tomten
Window 22. Today’s word is ‘Tomten‘ – who is the Swedish equivalent of Santa Claus.
Around the world, Santa is based on the mythology of St Nikolas – the Greek/Turkish patron saint who’s legend morphed in the USA from the Dutch immigrants’ Sinterklaas to the jolly figure who rewards good children that we see today.
The Swedish symbol of Tomten is partially based on St Niklas and the American depiction of Santa Claus. However, he is also based on a goat and a mythical sprite.
Let’s travel back to rural Sweden hundreds of years ago. Here, in the countryside, Tomten was a kind of sprite (hob, gnome, pixie) who lived on the farm and made sure that the farm had good luck.
Tomten was described as a little man, dressed in sackcloth and with a beard. He usually lived in the barn and was shy, mischievous, and irritable – and also vengeful. To keep Tomten happy, the farmer would leave out rice porridge for him to eat – a food that became known as ‘tomtegröt’ and that is still eaten for Christmas breakfast in Sweden today.
With industrialization in the late 1800’s, Sweden started to become inspired by the German St Nicholas, and in modern minds he merged with the rural sprite to become ‘jultomte’ – the gift-bearing sprite.
Popular Christmas cards by Swedish artist Jenny Nyström depicted this new version of Tomten in 1874 and strongly influenced the Swedish way of seeing jultomte. He was dressed in red hat, with a fluffy white beard. He is also seen to have many little helpers – known as ‘tomtenissar’ (a kind of elf).
And in 1881, a poem by Viktor Rydberg called ‘Tomten’ strongly cemented his transformation and associated the figure with mid-winter and Christmas time.
Prior to this concept of Jultomte/Tomten, gifts were brought in Sweden by the Christmas goat. Straw goats are still a part of Christmas decorations in Sweden and can be found hanging in Christmas trees or standing at the foot of the tree.
In Sweden today, Tomten arrives on Christmas Eve, usually in the late afternoon. He delivers gifts to families, usually with the introduction of ‘Ho, Ho, Ho are there any good children here?’
Strangely, he always seems to arrive just when a member of the family (often dad) has gone out to the shops or gone for a walk.
Advent Calendar – Dec 21: Julvärd
Window 21. Today’s word is ‘Julvärd‘ which translates as Christmas host.
The term Christmas host is not referring to the religious bread that represents the body of Christ. Although you’d be forgiven for thinking so at this time of the year.
No, the Christmas host is a personality on tv who guides the viewers through the proceedings on Christmas Eve.
For 27 years the ‘julvärd’ was the same person – a man called Arne Weise – and he is, for many Swedes, eternally associated with Christmas Eve.
But since 2003, a new host is announced every year and it is considered a great honour to be given the role. This year the ‘julvärd’ is popular comedian and actor David Batra.
While the role of ‘julvärd’ might seem trivial, it is actually very important. The Christmas host is present throughout the whole day and introduces the programs. He or she also talks about the value of Christmas and what it means. And not least, the ‘julvärd’ keeps lonely people company by inviting themselves into living rooms up and down the country.
The ‘Julvärd’ can be seen on SVT – Sweden’s Public Service Television – and is usually broadcast live.
Advent Calendar – Dec 20: Jullåt
Window 20. Today’s word is ‘Jullåt‘ which translates as ‘Christmas song’. The ‘å’ letter in Swedish is pronounced something like ‘or’.
Obviously, the Christmas song is not unique to a Swedish Christmas. Like many other countries around the world, the playing of Christmas music starts in shops sometime in November and probably gives the shop assistants PTSD by the time Christmas has actually arrived.
The big international songs are popular in Sweden. According to the top list released by STIM (Sweden’s Music Copyright Protection Organisation), the most played international songs on Swedish radio are Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’, ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ by Mariah Carey and Band Aid’s ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’.
However, there is also a plethora of Christmas music in Swedish to torment us – classic, carols, hymns, psalms and pop. Many of the songs have predictable titles about Christmas time and lighting candles. The top three most-played Swedish songs are called ‘Tänd ett ljus’ (Light a candle), ‘Jul, jul, strålande jul’ (Christmas, Christmas, glorious Christmas) and ‘Mer jul’ (More Christmas).
But there are also some songs with rather strange titles. Here are just a few of them:
- Hello (Christmas) goblins
- The fox rushes over the ice
- Our Christmas ham has escaped
- Three gingerbread men
- The Christmas goat
- Staffan was a stable boy
- Drunk again at Christmas
- The gnomes’ Christmas night
A popular tradition at Christmas is to go to one of the many Christmas concerts that take place up and down the country. These concerts can be for example choir concerts, church concerts, school concerts or professional shows with famous Swedish singers such as Carola and Måns Zelmerlöw.
I myself am performing with my choir in a Christmas concert this evening in Stockholm and our special guest artist is the inimitable winner of Sweden’s Drag Race – Admira.
If you’d like to listen to some Swedish Christmas music, check it out here
Advent Calendar – Dec 19: Julklappsrim
Window 19. Today’s word is ‘Julklappsrim‘ which translates as ‘Christmas present rhyme’
If you receive a gift at Christmas time,
You’ll find in Sweden that it comes with a rhyme.
The packets are wrapped, the present to hide
And a poem describes all the contents inside.
You see, Swedes write poems on the label
Sometimes direct, sometimes a fable.
They sit in a workshop creating their verse,
It needs to be brief, but not at all terse.
The poem is read, the packet ripped open
And you see what you got, but it still leaves you hopin’
For a phone or a trip or a book about crime,
Wrapped up with a Swedish Christmas rhyme.
Advent Calendar – Dec 18: Skumtomte
Window 18. Today’s word is ‘Skumtomte‘ which translates as ‘Marshmallow Santa’.
January is a month when it is often jam-packed at gyms up and down Sweden. This is usually due to the amount of food, snacks, and alcohol consumed over the Christmas and New Year period. The festive season is also one of the times of year when a lot of sugar and sweets are consumed.
One of the most popular sweets in yuletide Sweden is the ‘skumtomte’ – the marshmallow Santa. The skumtomte is traditionally pink and white and strawberry flavoured.
Thanks to the wonders of product development, new limited flavours have appeared in recent years: apple and cinnamon, blueberry, mint and gingerbread being some examples.
They have been manufactured since 1934, and every year over 194,000,000 are consumed in Sweden and Finland. It seems like it wouldn’t be Christmas without a jultomte.
Other sweet things that Swedes eat around Christmas are:
- Ischoklad – ‘ice chocolate’ – chocolate with coconut fat in tiny cupcake forms
- Ris a la Malta – a cold rice dessert with cream, vanilla and mandarines
- Risgrynsgröt – rice porridge with sugar, cinnamon and milk
- Knäck – butterscotch
- Kola – toffee
- Fudge – fudge
- Marsipangris – marzipan pig
- Lussekatt – saffron bun
- Polkagris – Candy cane
- Chokladtryffel – chocolate truffle
- Dadlar – dates
- Fikon – figs
- Pepparkaka – ginger biscuits
- Gröna kulor – marmalade balls
- Aladdin and/or Paradis – popular boxes of chocolates
So, get eating – the gym can wait until 2024!
Advent Calendar – Dec 17: Årets Julklapp
Window 17. Today’s word is ‘Årets julklapp‘ which translates as ‘Christmas present of the year.’
Every year, Sweden’s trade research institute nominates an item that is the ‘Christmas present of the year’. This item should have sold in large quantities and/or represent current trends in Swedish society.
The first item to be granted this status was in 1988 and it was the baking machine. Since then, various items have been the CD player, VR glasses, the tablet, the spike mat, the book, the food home delivery service, the robot hoover, the woolly hat and the wok.
So this year, what is it?
Reflecting rising living costs, inflation and recession, this year’s present encourages cheap entertainment – it is a board game (or other forms of ‘parlour game’.
Advent Calendar – Dec 16: Julbord
Window 16. Today’s word is ‘Julbord‘ which literally translates as Christmas table.
The word ‘smörgåsbord’ (buffet) is one of the words from the Swedish language to have the biggest international reach. The ‘julbord’ or Christmas table is the ‘smörgåsbord’ that is traditionally eaten in homes and restaurants on Christmas Eve – the day Swedes celebrate Christmas.
In the lead up to Christmas, organisationens often take their employees out somewhere for a ‘julbord’.
The ‘julbord’ is an interesting concept – a potpourri of dishes, hot and cold. Not all Swedes enjoy everything on the table, but the dishes still have to be present in the name of tradition.
So, what’s on the Swedish ‘julbord’? Here are some common savoury dishes:
- Julskinka – Christmas ham
- Inlagd sill – pickled herring of various sorts
- Köttbullar – Swedish meatballs
- Prinskorvar – cocktail sausages
- Janssons frestelse – potato and anchovy gratin called Jansson’s temptation
- Gravad lax – cured spiced salmon
- Kallrökt lax – cold-smoked salmon
- Varmrökt lax – warm-smoked salmon
- Kalvsylta – jellied veal
- Knäckebröd och ost – crispbread and cheese
- Sillsallad – herring salad
- Lutfisk – whitefish in lye
- Dopp i grytan – ‘dip in the pot’ – bread dipped in the broth that the meat is cooked in
- Cabbage of various colours – most commonly red
- Vörtbröd – Christmas bread flavoured with wort
- Revbensspjäll – spare ribs
- Ägghalvor – halved boiled eggs topped with shrimp or caviar
The ‘julbord’ is a banquet, and its history dates back hundreds of years. Around the country there are regional variants to the standard dishes. For example, in county Skåne, they often add eel, and in Bohuslän they add ‘äggost’ – egg cheese! Many regions around Sweden have brown beans and different local sausages on the their Christmas buffet.
All of this food is traditionally washed down with beer, julmust, and snaps.
You have to be careful not to overindulge, if possible because afterwards comes coffee and dessert. A traditional dessert is called Ris a la Malta, which is fluffy rice in whipped cream and tangerines. At Christmas tables organised in restaurants, they normally have a ‘gottebord’ which is another smörgåsbord consisting solely of sweets and desserts. Common contents are toffee, fudge, gingerbread biscuits, marzipan, ‘lussekatter’, dried fruits, cheese, and chocolates.
Watching the Swedes 