Fun and festivities in Sweden - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

In the culture of Sweden, despite the adoption of Christianity, traces of paganism are seen, and therefore the Swedes celebrate both religious and folk festivals with the same scope. One of the main church holidays is the Lutheran Easter. On the holiday, local people compulsorily paint eggs. Many festive services take place in the churches. On Thursday before Easter, young children are usually dressed like sorceresses. They walk the streets, give out greeting cards and receive candies and sweet stuffs in return. It was believed that they go to the coven with the devil, but such a belief has remained far in the past. Adults especially for this day make eggs from papier-mâché and present these Easter souvenirs to children.

To the celebration of Christmas and the New Year, Swedes are also particularly suited. It is customary to celebrate the New Year at home, with the family. They watch TV, where enthusiastic verses are read - spiritual verses. At midnight, the house is literally poured with bells ringing from local churches, after which you can congratulate each other and neighbors on the holiday, wish all the best and exchange gifts. On Christmas, heads of families themselves dress up like Santa Claus and congratulate their family members on the holiday, and children are given a bag full of gifts. The main Christmas drink is mulled wine or glogg (a local variety of Grog).

On December 13, Saint Lucia Day is celebrated, a holiday that you will not meet in any other country. The day is dedicated to the Italian martyr Lucia, who died in the 4th century, but it has little in common with the life story of this saint. It was believed that this day is the shortest in the year. On St. Lucia Day, children get up before their parents and go to the kitchen to cook breakfasts for them from cookies and chocolate. Before they congratulate their parents on the holiday, they are surely dressed up in festive costumes: girls wear white dresses, and boys wear costumes of astrologers. On this day it is also customary to visit school teachers and congratulate them, pay tribute to all adults. In the churches, festive psalms are sung and children perform festive songs and hymns. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

On the longest day of summer - the day of the summer solstice, another holiday is celebrated, connected with pagan rituals. Midsummer is widely celebrated by all locals and is particularly popular with young people. Summer in Sweden is quite short, and therefore Swedes are able to enjoy every warm day. On the longest summer day in the countryside, they kindle high bonfires, which help them drive away the evil spirits. In cities, bonfires are not made, but Swedes also gather together at one common table and sing folk songs. On this day, it is customary to guess. On the eve of this holiday, girls tear buds of seven different flowers and put them under their pillows, and they should dream of their betrothed. In the center of the holiday is the "May tree", decorated with branches, flowers and ribbons.

Among other unusual holidays in Sweden, it is worth highlighting the Day of the Holy Knout, celebrated on January 13. In the south of Sweden, they make a straw effigy, dress them up in rags and put them in the neighbor's house. When a neighbor opens the door, a scarecrow falls into his arms, which causes a lot of laughter and fun. On this day it is customary to throw out Christmas spruce, the process is accompanied by folk festivals. Also in Sweden are widely celebrated holidays of the royal family, in particular, the birthday of the king, which is traditionally celebrated on April 30. On December 10, the Nobel Day is celebrated. The holiday is one of the key holidays in the cultural life of the country. On this day, the most prestigious peace prize is awarded in various fields. The event takes place in the town of Stadshuset.

In Sweden, every year there is a huge number of festivals, including music festivals. The most popular of them is attended by more than 100 thousand people. In Pitea, the festival of Dances and Smiles is hosted annually. For 3 days the city turns into a huge site for music, dancing and enjoying life. Celebrities perform on the concert stage, the organizers arrange spectacular shows, and entrance is absolutely free. In the city of Amal in July, there is a more peaceful festival “Blues”, perfect for visiting with the family. Fans of heavy music should definitely visit the crazy Swedish rock music festival held in the city of Olofstrom.