Sweden Some Dec. / Christmas Traditions. (#1-5)

1.Advent 

Swedish people really like their Advent calendars and Advent. There are many different types of calendars. You have the normal ones that have candies or goodies in them, but you also have other types. For example, one that gives a short little rhyme or poem about the holidays, or another that gives hints about the children's special (talked about later). Advent also refers to the four Sundays before Christmas that are supposed to spend with friends and family. On each Sunday you also light one candle for each Sunday that has passed.

2. Lucia/ Lucia Bullar

This tradition is actually quite strange for a couple of reason. Lucia is a Catholic Saint and Sweden was majority Protestant before they became majority atheist. Also, the actual Lucia comes from Italy from the Roman times. Though all of this Sweden and the other Nordic countries do celebrate her quite heavily. Normally when kids are young, they all are part of the Lucia concert, and of course, all the little girls are Lucia. However, as they get older, it becomes a little bit, for lack of a better word, dignified. There will then only be one Lucia, and the Lucia Girls (her helpers) and the men can't be left out, so they become they star boys. (Dubbed the KKK of Sweden by my host father and I see picture below for why.) Obviously, there can be no tradition without special food, so for the holiday season, and especially Lucia Dagen people make and serve Lucia Bullar (see below). I would give them a 6.5 out of 10 on my food scale. P.S. my school concert will also be below filmed by yours truly.

Lucia Bullar

Star boys

3. Special Drinks Julmust/ Glögg

During this season different special holiday drinks out. One of which I fell in love with Julmust, it is a Christmas flavored and is sooooooo good. It comes out only for Dec., but I have heard it comes back under a different name during Easter. Swedes also drink a lot of glögg during Christmas season. Glögg is spiced/mulled wine, and it is also amazing. It is normal severed in little cups, and you mix almonds in with it. NOW STOP! Before I get a bunch of comments about how I'm not supposed to drink with rotary blah blah blah, this is part of the culture soooooo SHUT IT! Good now that that's out of the way I had two types of Glögg. A low alcohol one (multiple time) and I "high" one (once). And yes I preferred the higher one, but not for the reason that you would think. The low one was really really sweet, and that's normally not my cup of tea. I think this also consequentially made it have a better taste. 

4. Gävle Goat/ Goats in General

In Gävle there is a giant goat made of straw, this wouldn't be a big deal or anything eventful other than in 1966 a vandalizer burnt down the goat. Now there a tradition of cat and mouse in the town where the city to try to stop people from burning it down.  It turned into quite an event with people almost always getting arrested, security cameras, and some crazy stories. For example one year someone used a flamethrower for to get the cities goat. ;) Get it? Okay not funny, but this is a serious thing now with almost all betting sights having a bet on when the goat will be burnt down. Since 1966, I think my host parents said the goat only last the whole season twice. Now for the less hot part of this point. ;) Goats are associated with Tomten (Santa Claus) in the same way reindeer are with Santa.

5. Julboard

There is special food for Christmas here in Sweden called Julboard, but I didn't get to experience it because in my host father's and mother's words, "It's all nasty.... well most of it." And also my host aunt and uncle were in Åre with us so we couldn't have pork because they are Muslim. This was okay with me though because I loved their and my host families company and that's was worth more to me than and traditional food.