Swedish festivities
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Life of Swedish people
Over 70% of Swedish people belong to the
("the student", originally studentexamen, "the student's degree") - the graduation from secondary school, and decennial birthdays.The week in Sweden
Swedish
Sweden is one of the few countries in the world where most retail stores, at least in cities, are open all week. Laws regulating activities on Sundays were abolished during the late 20th century.
A dish which for most Swedes is seen as typical, though the tradition of it is rarely followed, for Thursdays is pea soup followed by pancakes with jam as dessert.
Many Swedish children are allowed to eat sweets only on Saturdays
Swedish alcohol habits vary greatly during the week - Swedes expect each other to be completely sober during work hours (even one beer for lunch is taboo), but many people drink heavily during weekends. See also
The year in Sweden
Sweden, especially
New Year celebration
New Year is celebrated with fireworks, starting at midnight on New Year's Day, and sparkling wine and many snacks, usually after a shellfish dinner late on New Year's Eve.
In recent years, many people start the fireworks already on New Year's Eve or even many days before. This has led to much debate, since it is not only in violation of the tradition but many people also find it disturbing or even frightening to have fireworks go off for days instead of only in the half-hour or so after midnight on New Year's night.
On New Year's Eve,
Winter
Valentine's Day, Alla hjärtans dag, "All Hearts' Day", is recognized by merchants, but not taken very seriously.
Schools have a one-week break during February called sportlov ("sports break"). This break originated in the coke rationing of World War II, but today it is more of an incentive for exercise through winter sports. The break occurs between week 7 and 10 depending on county, to spread utilization of Swedish ski resorts.
Swedes celebrate
Spring
On the Christian
It is customary to eat boiled
April Fools' Day (första april) is celebrated on 1 April by playing practical jokes on friends and family. If the practical joke succeeds, you say "April, april din dumma sill, jag kan lura dig vart jag vill", which translates to "April, April you stupid herring, I can trick you wherever I want (to)".
On the last day of April, Walpurgis Night (Valborg) is celebrated throughout Sweden to celebrate the arrival of spring. This is done by igniting large bonfires and singing songs celebrating the coming of springtime. This is also an occasion when Swedish young adults, particularly university students, drink large amounts of alcohol.
May Day (första maj) is a public holiday, and is celebrated by the Swedish labour movement with demonstrations and political speeches.
Since
Summer
The
The second most important festivity in the Swedish calendar, or perhaps for many the most important, is
The minimum vacation each year is five weeks, and most Swedes take all of July off - the "industrial vacation".
In early August, there is the kräftpremiär (crayfish première). It used to follow the crayfish fishing season, but as most crayfish are imported, the exact dates of crayfish parties have become more flexible.
A few weeks later comes the
Autumn
Halloween, the ancient Celtic Irish festival, was imported via the US to Sweden during the 1990s, and is now widely celebrated among children and youth, with another opportunity to collect sweets from neighbours. Halloween is celebrated each year on 31 October. The Church of Sweden celebrates All Saints' Day, alla helgons dag, (defined as the Saturday between October and 6 November, unlike the original Roman Catholic day on 1 November) and is mostly observed by older children in the later teens as an excuse for having drinking parties. The coincident with All Saints has caused some controversy, since the latter is supposed to be a solemn remembrance of the dead.
On 11 November, the people of
. This tradition has little recognition in the rest of Sweden.Christmas
Swedes prepare for
Traditional Christmas decorations include a
Many restaurants serve
Christmas television
Television (see
Each Advent, from 1 to 24 December,
At 15:00 on Christmas Eve,
Another traditional Christmas broadcast is
See also
- Holidays in Sweden
- Flag flying days in Sweden
References
- ^ a b "Facts About the Church of Sweden". Retrieved 2008-12-26.
- ^ "Godis är inget vi skojar om". 25 January 2014.
- ^ Lundqvist, Ida (5 December 2010). "Vipeholmsexperimenten" [Vipeholm experiments]. P3 Dokumentär. Sveriges Radio.
- Radio Sweden