Christmas in Sweden History of Christmas in Sweden

Christmas in Sweden

History of Christmas in Sweden and Modernisation Christmas in Sweden is a blend of domestic and foreign customs that have been re-interpreted, refined and commercialised on their way from agrarian society to the modern age. Today, most Swedes celebrate Christmas in roughly the same way, and many of the local customs and specialities have disappeared, although each family claims to celebrate it in true fashion in their own particular way.

Christmas traditions & customs In Sweden, Christmas begins with the annual Saint Lucia Day. Each year on December 13, Saint Lucia is celebrated widely with candlelight and traditional candlelit processions. Lucia herself was Christian and died for her faith. The December 13 holiday honors her.

How St. Lucia day is celebrated in Sweden? The eldest girl in the family portrays St Lucia, puts on a white robe in the morning and is allowed to wear a crown full of candles. She serves her parents Lucia buns and coffee or mulled wine. In church, women sing the traditional St Lucia song which describes how Saint Lucia overcame the darkness and found light.

The night of St. Lucia In Scandinavian history, the night of St. Lucia was known to be the longest night of the year (winter solstice). During a dark winter in Sweden, the idea of light overcoming darkness, and the promise of returning sunlight has been welcomed by the locals for hundreds of years. The celebrations and processions on Saint Lucia Day are illuminated by thousands of candles.

As many say, it wouldn't be Christmas in Sweden without Saint Lucia Day.

Christmas trees are usually found in Swedish homes two days before Christmas. Decoration may include candles, apples, Swedish flags, small gnomes wearing red tasseled caps, straw ornaments. The houses may filled with red tulips and smell like pepparkakor, which is a heartstar, or goat-shaped gingerbread biscuit.

Christmas tree decoration

Christmas food The Swedish Christmas-table is a buffet-style version of the famous smorgasbord. Julmat, or Christmas-food is presented this way and its often traditional dishes like meatballs, prinskorv (prince sausage), salmon, janssons frestelse, Christmas-ham, herring, beetroot-salad, ribs, and different forms of cabbage that is served. Of course, the julbord has changed during the years and you may find all kinds of different dishes at the modern Christmas-table.

Julbord season Traditionally the julbord has been eaten divided into different "plates", the first one, much like the smorgasbord tradition, consists of seafood like pickled herring, salmon, eel and sometimes also shellfish. The second plate might be cold cuts like julskinka (Christmas ham), sometimes also roast beef and turkey is served.

The third plate is the hot one, dishes like Swedish meatballs, prinskorv, red cabbage, boiled potatoes, lutfisk (stockfish). In modern days however, the tradition of dividing the julbord into different plates its not very common, and the usual is to form your own plate after what you prefer.

After the julbord you may find risgrynsgrot (risgrynsgröt), which is porridge made with ricegrains and milk. The porridge is served together with milk, caster sugar, cinnamon and sometimes an almond. According to tradition the person who gets the almond will be married within a year.

What is Tomte? After the festive Christmas Eve dinner, someone dresses up as Tomte (Christmas gnome) who according to Swedish myth lives on a farm or in the forest. Tomte looks a little like Santa Claus and hands out the presents while doing funny rhymes.

Following Christmas in Sweden, there are Epiphany on January 6, and later Hilarymas on January 13, which ends the Christmas season in Sweden. Unfortunately, modern Christmas is quickly catching up in Sweden and Tomte is beginning to lose his original identity to the commercial "Santa" figures.

ST. LUCIA SAFFRON BUNS RECIPE Ingredients Ø Ø Ø 3/4 cup milk (175 ml) 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads 1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup (50 g) white, granulated sugar One 1/4 -ounce packet active dry yeast (check the expiration date on the package to make sure it's still good!) 3 1/2 to 4 cups (490 g to 570 g) all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Ø Ø Ø Ø The seeds from 3 cardamom pods, ground (optional) 1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 4 Tbsp, 56 g) unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup of sour cream (or quark if available) 2 large eggs Raisins Glaze 1 egg, beaten

METHOD 1 In a small pot, heat the milk, saffron, and 1 teaspoon of sugar together until the milk is steamy. Remove from heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Let cool until about 115°F, or warm to the touch, but not hot.

2 Sprinkle the yeast over the warm saffron-infused milk and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. 3 In the bowl of a stand-up mixer* whisk together 3 1/2 cups (490 g) of the flour, remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, salt and ground cardamom if using.

4 Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast milk saffron mixture, the eggs, the butter, and the sour cream. Mix the ingredients until well incorporated. 5 Switch to the dough hook of your mixer. On low speed start to knead the dough. Slowly additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, kneading to incorporate after each addition. Do this until the dough is still a little sticky to the touch, but does not completely stick to your hands when you handle it.

6 Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. (Note at this point you can make ahead and refrigerate overnight if you wish. ) Let sit in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size. (One way to tell that the dough is ready is that you poke your finger in it and it takes quite a bit of time for the indentation left by your finger to go away. )

7 When the dough has doubled in size, gently press it down and knead it a couple of times. Break off a piece and form it into a ball about 2 inches wide (60 to 70 grams if you are weighing). Roll the ball out into a snake, about 14 inches long. Then Curl the ends in opposite directions, forming an "S" with spirals at each end. Place on a lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough shapes double in size, 30 minutes to an hour.

8 Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Using a pastry brush, brush some beaten egg over the tops and sides of the uncooked buns. Place raisins in the centers of the "S" spirals. Place in the oven and cook for about 10 to 11 minutes (turning halfway through cooking to ensure even browning), until the buns are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before eating.

BON APPETITE!

SOURCES OF INFORMATION: http: //goscandinavia. about. com/od/knowledgesafety /qt/xmassweden. htm https: //sweden. se/culture-traditions/christmas/ http: //www. simplyrecipes. com/recipes/st_lucia_saffr on_buns/

Thank you for the attention! Evelina Valcheva XIg grade