Holiday Culinary Inspirations from Sweden

Sweden’s holiday celebrations include some of the most unusual and delicious cuisine, beverages, and desserts you’ll ever find.

Courtesy of kungsomen.se

The darkest month of the year in Sweden, December is a month for celebration. In addition to Advent, the four weeks preceding Christmas, also known as Jul, Lucia Day falls on December 13. This holiday commemorates St. Lucia of Sicily, who was murdered for her religious beliefs. Lucia is depicted wearing a long, white dress or robe with a red sash or ribbons, with a wreath of candles and lingonberry leaves on her head.

On Lucia Day, the women of each home traditionally serve ginger cookies and lussekatter (saffron or St. Lucia buns) to their family before dawn. Churches and schools hold Lucia processions, where a woman dressed as Lucia leads girls dressed in white, as well as boys wearing cone-shaped hats, to an area where more lussekatter, ginger cookies, and glögg, which can be either mulled wine or a hot drink made with apple juice and berry syrup, are served.
  

Courtesy of Norrsken

During the weeks of Advent, families make desserts and sweets such as knäck (toffee with chopped almonds), buttery caramels, marzipan, and Christmas cookies. Other homemade Christmas cuisine includes pickled herring and pigs’ feet, meatballs, potato sausage, and pâté. Families work tirelessly during Advent to prepare for the largest feast of the year on Christmas Eve, or Julafton. Lunch on Christmas Eve is a smorgasbord of the meats, sweets, and breads the family has spent the last few weeks preparing.

For the Christmas Eve evening meal, families traditionally serve lutefisk, dried codfish with a dipping sauce, as the main dish. Julgröt, a porridge much like rice pudding, is also served, with one porridge containing an almond that brings luck to the person who finds it. Christmas Day feasts include Christmas pike or roasts of duck or goose, depending on local traditions. 

As the holiday feasts in Sweden typically feature several different meats, side dishes, and sweets for dessert, if you travel during Christmas, be prepared to sample a variety of treats, and rest assured that you’ll never go hungry. 

Enjoy the Magic of German Christmas Markets

If you’re looking for an enchanting, unique way to celebrate the holidays, consider traveling to a German Christmas market. Held throughout Germany, these festive holiday fairs are becoming more popular every year. Visitors enjoy the magic of Christmas with mulled wine, hot chestnuts, gingerbread, and handmade gifts such as woodcarvings, candles, and marionettes. 

Christmas markets normally open during the last week of November and run every day through Christmas Eve. For variety and the ultimate Christmas magic, visit at least two Christmas markets in different cities. Three of the most popular Christmas market cities are Baden-Baden, Cologne, and Munich.

Baden-Baden

Surrounded by dense forests and mountains, Christkindelsmarkt, Baden-Baden’s Christmas market, is a romantic, fairy-tale place to celebrate the holidays. Choirs and bands serenade you throughout the day as you browse dozens of festively decorated stands with handmade arts and crafts, jewelry, silver, and toys. Be sure to sample the wide variety of traditional holiday cuisine, sweets, and drinks as you shop.  

A live nativity scene, complete with a life-sized manger, animals, and actors, sits in front of the Kurhaus and brings the magic of Christmas to life.

Cologne

The seven picturesque Cologne Christmas markets celebrate the season in style and offer something for everyone. The oldest market is on Neumarkt, with artisan products and old-style booths, while the Rudolfplatz enchants with fairy-tale figures and festive decoration. The Alter Markt sits in front of the old town hall and features a puppet theater and a variety of toy stands.

Whether you’re browsing for trinkets on the Floating Christmas Market or enjoying mulled wine and a spiced apple at the Medieval Christmas Market in front of the Chocolate Museum, every market has its own personality, and you’ll want to visit them all. Listen to a variety of music at the Christmas concerts at the market in front of the Cologne Cathedral as you marvel at the largest Christmas tree in the region.

Munich

A 350-year-old tradition, Munich’s Christkindl Markt sits in front of the old town hall and Frauenkirche church. With its more than 160 decorated booths, expect to see traditional Bavarian craftwork, exquisite crystals, and handmade traditional toys. Enjoy Christmas concerts on the balcony of Munich’s town hall.

The Christmas Markets of Germany are perfect for anyone wanting to get right away for a real traditional and romantic holiday celebration. You’ll enjoy a festive atmosphere, plenty of music and food, and handmade, quality craftwork gifts.

Holiday Celebrations Worldwide

Christmas is celebrated in many countries worldwide, with each country having unique customs and traditions. Australia, Mexico, and Great Britain are highlighted here.

Australia

In Australia, December 25^th falls during the summer, so people often spend part of Christmas Day at the beach or camping, and Bondi Beach near Sydney is a popular Christmas destination.

As we do, Australians set up Christmas trees and send out greeting cards, and children excitedly look forward to a visit from Santa, whose sleigh is pulled by six white boomers, or large kangaroos. On Christmas Day, family and friends exchange gifts, and the Christmas feast is often light fare such as salads and seafood, with traditional desserts such as Christmas pudding and Christmas cake with currants and raisins.

Boxing Day, December 26, is an important day for sports fans. The Boxing Day Test pits the Australian cricket team against an international touring team and takes place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Also on Boxing Day, the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, a highly prestigious ocean race, begins.

Mexico

Christmas, or Navidad, celebrations in Mexican neighborhoods begin December 16 with Las Posadas. This celebration represents the journey and tribulation Mary and Joseph endured the night of Jesus’ birth. Each night of the Posadas, a group approaches a home to ask for lodging for Mary. After they are refused, they plead for help a second time. The homeowner invites them in, where a manger scene, or nacimiento, is waiting and the group prays and sings.

Soon afterward, the children try to break a piñata, a container filled with candy and toys. The piñata hangs from a tree, and the blindfolded children try to hit the piñata with a stick to break it and release the goodies. On Christmas Eve, Christ’s birth is announced at midnight with fireworks and bells. Many Mexicans attend midnight mass, and then feast on common Mexican foods such as tamales, rice, and menudo.

Great Britain

With centuries-old traditions still celebrated today, Christmas is Great Britain’s most popular holiday. Many Christmas traditions found in the U.S. originated in Great Britain, such as sending Christmas cards and decorating our homes. Mistletoe was thought to have miraculous powers, and our custom of kissing under the mistletoe comes from an ancient pagan tradition. Prince Albert introduced the Christmas tree to England in the mid-1800s.

As in the U.S., Christmas Eve finds carolers strolling around neighborhoods, and children hang stockings for Father Christmas to fill. Christmas Day begins with opening presents, and Christmas dinner traditionally includes roast chicken, turkey, or goose with potatoes and stuffing, followed by mince pies and Christmas pudding. One difference in the dinner celebration involves Christmas crackers, which are paper tubes full of gifts such as paper hats and toys. As two people pull it open, it cracks. After dinner, Britons listen to the Queen’s Christmas Message on radio and television.  

At Christmas, traditions are often as meaningful as the reason for the holiday itself. What did you find fascinating about the customs of these countries?