Christmas Blogging: Sweden

Nothing in families’ lives is perhaps more colored by traditions than the way we celebrate Christmas… IF we do it, that is. (We are happy to see people from all over the globe with the twelve languages on Kindo.)

Diversified nationalities and religions backgrounds don’t only exist among our users, but also in the actual Kindo Family office. When we soon are to blow out the candles here for some holiday leave, one thing we have in common is how we all plan to go back and spend some time back home. During the rest of the week, we’ll therefore send you some season greeting cards from our different countries. First out is Sweden:

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Martin’s here! Last week in the office, I tried to tell the other guys about our Saint Lucia tradition, the 13 of December. For me, about then is when the whole Christmas thing starts. In traditional celebrations in schools and offices, Saint Lucy typically comes as a young woman with lights and sweets early in the morning. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia. More on that here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lucia_Day

Otherwise, the big celebration day in my country is the Christmas Eve. My family has a big Christmas tree inside, which we decorate the night before. The traditional dish we eat is a big smorgasbord, with the grilled ham, herring and meat balls as my favorites. My sister uses to play the horn in the church and my family goes and listen to her and take part of the ceremony. Not all Swedes are as keen on this anymore though…

One huge Swedish tradition is actually to watch “Christmas Donald Duck” at 3PM, a one hour Disney compilation, an idea that probably originates from the days when TV only sent animated film once a year. After that, many people give each other Christmas gifts. When we were younger, Santa knocked on the door and delivered them. In the evening, my family eats the rice porridge. The one who finds one of the almonds in the food has to make up a rhyme instantly. The rest of the day, we eat chocolate and play games. For me, Christmas is all about seeing the family. This year, it’ll be extra fun since it’s the first time for my sister’s new born twins!

Posted by Morbror Martin in Culture, Design, Family, Internationalization | Trackback |