Saint Knut's Day
Saint Knut's Day | |
---|---|
13 January | |
Frequency | annual |
Saint Knut's Day[2] (Swedish: tjugondag jul, lit. 'twentieth-day Christmas'; tjugondag Knut, lit. 'twentieth-day Knut'; or knutmasso;[3] Finnish: nuutinpäivä, lit. 'Knut's Day'), or the Feast of Saint Knut, is a traditional festival celebrated in Sweden and Finland on 13 January. It is not celebrated on this date in Denmark (the Knut day was moved in Sweden, not in Denmark[clarification needed]) despite being named for the Danish prince Canute Lavard, and later also associated with his uncle, Canute the Saint, the patron saint of Denmark.[4][5][6] Christmas trees are taken down on tjugondag jul, and the candies and cookies that decorated the tree are eaten. In Sweden, the feast held during this event is called a Knut's party (julgransplundring, literally 'Christmas tree plundering').[7]
Origins
As his name day roughly coincided with Epiphany (the "thirteenth day of Christmas"), Knut's Day and Epiphany were conflated to some degree. In 1680, Knut's Day was moved to 13 January and became known as tjugondag Knut or tjugondedag jul (the 'twentieth day of Knut/Christmas').[9]
Finland
On nuutinpäivä, a tradition has been observed which is somewhat analogous to the modern Santa Claus, where young men dressed as
In Finland the Nuuttipukki tradition is still kept alive in areas of Satakunta, Southwest Finland, Ostrobothnia and very much so on the Åland Islands. However, nowadays the character is usually played by children and now involves a happy encounter.[12]
Sweden
In Sweden St. Knut's Day marks the end of the Christmas and holiday season. It is celebrated by taking out the Christmas tree and dancing around it. Nowadays, the feast is mainly for children.[7]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-64143-504-8.
- ^ "St. Knut's Day definition of St. Knut's Day in the Free Online Encyclopedia". Encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ Karlsson, Kenneth. "Knut Photos". Knutmasso Museum. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Tjugondag Knut" [St. Knut's Day]. www.nordiskamuseet.se. Nordic Museum. 2013-02-26. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ISBN 978-9100136567.
- ^ "Knut kör julen ut" [Knut drives out Christmas]. www.firajul.nu. FiraJul. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Julgransplundring: Rocking around the Christmas Tree". Your Living City. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ Bricka, Carl Frederik (1897). Dansk Biografisk Lexikon. Vol. XI. Maar – Müllner. p. 45.
- ^ SELIBR 8372769.
- ^ YLE: Nuutinpäivä korjaa joulun pois (in Finnish)
- ^ "Nuuttipukin naamari". Nba.fi. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ "Satakunnan Kansa". Satakunnankansa.fi. 13 January 2011. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.