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