Life of Swedish people

Over 70% of Swedes belong to the Lutheran Church of Sweden,[1] but seldom go to church.
Attendance is a bit higher among members of free churches such as Pentecostalists and the
Salvation Army. Christenings, weddings and funerals are usually made in church, although civil
weddings are generally accepted - especially for subsequent marriages. Around half of Swedes
are confirmed,[1] usually at the age of fifteen. Other celebrations are studenten ("the student",
originally studentexamen, "the student's degree") - the graduation from secondary school, and
decennial birthdays.

The week in Sweden

Saturday is associated with candy.

Swedish weeks begin on Mondays. Most Swedes keep track of week numbers for long-term
planning.
Sweden is one of the few countries in the world where most retail stores, at least in cities, are
open all week. Laws regulating activities on Sundays were abolished during the late 20th
century.
A dish which for most Swedes is seen as typical, though the tradition of it is rarely followed, for
Thursdays is pea soup followed by pancakes with jam as dessert.
Many Swedish children are allowed to eat sweets only on Saturdays[citation needed] - lrdagsgodis
("Saturday Candy"). This tradition is intended to prevent dental caries, but its history contains
questionable medical ethics - it is the result of the Vipeholm experiments[citation needed], in which
mentally challenged patients were tricked to be test subjects of painful experiments in dental
health.
Swedish alcohol habits vary greatly during the week - Swedes expect each other to be
completely sober during work hours (even one beer for lunch is taboo), but many people drink
heavily during weekends. See also alcohol in Sweden.

The year in Sweden

Sweden, especially Norrland, can have extreme seasonal differences. This has affected the
festivities, as many of them commemorate the turn of seasons. Many holiday celebrations take
place on the eve - the day before the holiday proper (for instance Walpurgis night and Christmas
Eve).

New Year celebration

New Year is celebrated with fireworks, starting at midnight on New Year's Day, and sparkling
wine and lots of snacks, usually after a shellfish dinner late on New Year's Eve.
In recent years, many people start the fireworks already on New Year's Eve or even many days
before. This has led to much debate, since it is not only in violation of the tradition but many
people also find it disturbing or even frightening to have fireworks go off for days instead of
only in the half hour or so after midnight on New Year's night.
On New Year's Eve, Sveriges Television (SVT) shows the classical comedy sketch Dinner for
One, Grevinnan och Betjnten. There are also often special shows commemorating the ending of
the TV year, showing highlights from the year. TV also broadcast popular movies on this night.
At midnight, SVT shows the celebration in Skansen in Stockholm, where a prominent actor reads
Edvard Fredin's translation of Alfred Tennyson's Ring Out, Wild Bells On New Year's Day. SVT
also used to show the British half-hour comedy The Plank and the ski jumping contest in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but they have been withdrawn. On New Year's Day, SVT shows The
New Year Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The film Ivanhoe was broadcast by
SVT on New Year's Day earlier, but the commercial channel TV3 has taken over the tradition.

Winter

A semla, eaten from Fat Tuesday until Easter

Valentine's Day, Alla hjrtans dag, "All Hearts' Day", is recognized by merchants, but not taken
very seriously.
Schools have a one-week break during February called sportlov ("sports break"). This break
originated in the coke rationing of World War II, but today it is more of an incentive for exercise

through winter sports. The break occurs between week 7 and 10 depending on county, to spread
utilization of Swedish ski resorts.
Swedes celebrate Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday, Fettisdagen) 41 days before Easter (rather Palm
Sunday, since the fasting was forty days, Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Saturday,
Sundays not included). This is celebrated by eating a special pastry called semla. Lent is
honoured by a minority of Swedes. The annual premire of semla-eating has crept all the way to
early January.

Spring

A Walpurgis fire.

A May Day demonstration in Stockholm by the Left Party, 2006.

On the 25th of March on the Christian holiday of Annunciation the Swedes eat waffles, as the
day is called the "Waffle Day". This is in fact due to a misunderstanding of the phrase
"vrfrudagen" which means "Our Lady's day", which sounds like "vffeldagen", meaning
"waffle day."[2]
Easter (psk) is celebrated in Sweden. The belief in witches travelling to Blkulla on Maundy
Thursday (originally for a sabbath with the Devil) is honoured by children dressing up as witches
(pskkrring), knocking the doors in the neighbourhoods requesting treats (much like the trick or
treat during Halloween in many English-speaking countries). Good Friday used to be an
extraordinarily calm day when all businesses were closed down to commemorate the passion of
Christ, but today it is more of an ordinary holiday.
It is customary to eat boiled eggs as well as chocolate eggs and other sweets, and to hand out
simple gifts in paper eggs. Easter decorations in the shape of chickens, easter bunnies and
witches are popular, and also feathers in bright colours.

April Fools' Day on 1 April frsta april most people try to trick each other. If succeeded you say
April, april din dumma sill jag kan lura dig vart jag vill meaning April, april you stupid herring,
I can trick you where ever I want (to)
On the last day of April Walpurgis Night (Valborg) is celebrated throughout Sweden to greet
spring. This is done by igniting large bonfires and singing songs celebrating the coming of
springtime. This is also an occasion when Swedish youngsters and particularly university
students drink large amounts of alcohol.
1 of May(Frsta maj), like the 1 of April most people try to trick another if succeeded you say
Maj, maj mne, jag kan lura dig till Skne meaning May, may moon, I can trick you to (go to)
Scania.
May Day is a public holiday, and celebrated by the Swedish labor movement with
demonstrations and political speeches.
Since Ascension Day, Kristi himmelfrdsdag, occurs on a Thursday, the subsequent Friday is a
klmdag, "squeezed day", taken off from work by many Swedish people. Pentecost, pingst, often
coincides with weddings and confirmations.

Summer

Midsummer's Eve is always on a Friday.

The Swedish National Day on June 6 is a public holiday as of 2005, but so far there are few
established traditions for this day. The celebration of this day begun as the Day of the Swedish
Flag, ca 1900, and the day is chosen in commemoration of the election of Gustav Vasa as King of
Sweden on this date in 1523.
The second most important festivity in the Swedish calendar, or perhaps for many the most
important, is Midsummer, midsommar. Midsummer's Eve is celebrated on the eve of the Friday
between the 20 and 26 June. Most Swedes try upon this day to get to a place in the countryside
where they can eat pickled herring, boiled potatoes and sour cream as well as strawberries and
brnnvin. A maypole is often erected around which, at least if there are children present at the
celebration, dancing is performed. Houses are often decorated in birch twigs.

The minimum vacation each year is five weeks, and most Swedes take all of July off - the
"industrial vacation".
In early August, there is the krftpremir (crayfish premire). It used to follow the crayfish
fishing season, but as most crayfish are imported, the exact dates of crayfish parties have become
more flexible.

Some Swedes eat surstrmming, fermented Baltic herring, in late August. The rest keep distance.
A few weeks later comes the surstrmmingspremir sporting the most exotic food in the Swedish
cuisine.

Autumn
Halloween in an American style was imported to Sweden during the 1990s, and is now widely
celebrated among children and youth, with another opportunity to collect sweets from
neighbours. However, unlike the US it is celebrated the same day as the Church of Sweden
celebrates the All Saints' Day, alla helgons dag, (defined as the Saturday between October 31
and November 6) and is mostly observed by older kids in the later teens as an excuse for having
drinking parties. The coincident with All Saints has caused some controversy, since the latter is
supposed to be a solemn remembrance of the dead.
On the 11th of November, the people of Skne celebrate Mrtensgs in remembrance of Martin
of Tours, by eating goose. This tradition has little recognition in the rest of Sweden.

Christmas

The Gvle goat.

A julbord with Christmas dishes.

Swedes prepare for Christmas, jul, with Advent candles and opening Advent calendars. St. Lucia
Day, Luciadagen on December 13, is a typically Swedish occasion. During Advent it's also
common with Glggfester mulled wine parties where friends visit each other's homes and drink
mulled wine and have gingerbreads.
Traditional Christmas decorations include a Christmas tree, Yule Goats of straw (such as the
Gvle goat), tomte and angel figurines and nativity scenes. Decoration has been influenced by
Anglo-Saxon traditions, though extensive, blinking Christmas lights as common in the United
States are considered to be a bit kitschy.
Many restaurants serve julbord (the Christmas version of smrgsbord) throughout December.
Most Christmas traditions take place as families and relatives gather on Christmas Eve.
Jultomten, Santa Claus, visits many homes handing out presents, coincidentally when one family
member is absent to buy the newspaper. There is no celebration on Christmas Day this is because
the children of Sweden would pester their parents for their Christmas present early every year
until finally Sweden's defeated parents decided to spite the children and give them all of their
presents early to teach them a lesson, unfortunately this has failed. Also celebrated on 25th of
December is julotta, a divine service in the morning commemorating the birth of Christ, and it is
especially Swedish since it is only celebrated in Sweden and some places in Finland and Norway.
Unlike many other Christian countries, cinemas are not closed on Christmas Day. On the
contrary, many major films premiere on this day and it has become tradition for many to go to
the cinema with the whole family on this night. The second day of Christmas Annandagen is a
public holiday and typically the party day. In small and middle sized towns in Sweden, the
Christmas Day and second day of Christmas are traditionally the Homecoming days, when
people visiting their hometowns get together and party.
Christmas television
Television (see television of Sweden) has been an important part in Swedish Christmas and New
Year celebration, since SVT was started in 1956, which might seem natural with all the stress
before the holidays, the darkness and cold outdoors, and the involuntary loneliness of many.
Each Advent, from December 1 to December 24, Sveriges Television features SVT's Christmas
calendar ("The Christmas calendar"), a daily drama series for a family audience. The Nobel
Prize ceremony on December 10 is also broadcast.
At 15:00 on Christmas Eve, Sveriges Television airs Kalle Anka och hans vnner nskar God Jul
(From All of Us to All of You), commonly referred to as Kalle Anka - Donald Duck. (Donald is
by far the most popular Disney cartoon in Sweden.) This one-hour show mostly contains clips
from classical Disney films, such as Robin Hood and The Jungle Book (with the song The Bear

Necessities), as well as promotional clips for recent Disney films, concluded with the song When
You Wish Upon A Star. The show is one of the highest-rated Swedish television programs, only
rivalled by international sports events and the Eurovision Song Contest, and most Swedish
people can recite much of the show.
Another traditional Christmas broadcast is Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons Julafton
(Christopher's Christmas Mission).