My Swedish Christmas

Nothing beats a Swedish Christmas party, especially when it comes to drinking that alcoholic beverage, Swedes are famous for mixing.

In 1839, the first "Adventskranz" was made by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Hinrich_Wichern][b]Johann Heinrich Wichern[/b] , but with four white and 19 red candles on a wooden wheel (first pic, reconstruction) , which a few years later (1860, second pic, original painting) was ornamented with fir green.




Four (red) candles were used in private homes, mainly because there wasn't so much space like in churches.

Originally, this had been only an Evanglical tradition - the first "Adventskranz" with four candles in a Catholic church was lighted up in 1925 in Cologne. (In private homes perhaps earlier.)

1st of December and the first window in the Adventcalender.
The first advent calender was printed in Germany around 1900.
From 1920 they started to print with windows to open.
First calender in Sweden 1934.
The got comercially popular in USA in the 1950ies

In the old days all wool and linen should have been woven by now.
Another window tomorrow

According to the old farmer´s calender this was the day to finish the laundry.
Imagen to stand outside in december to do all the heavy towels, tablecloth and sheets.
The picture is from the 1930ies

Un huh. When the towels are soft enough to fold without breaking, they are dry enough to bring in.

Christmas and new years card by the famous Jenny Nyström

the first Christmas cards were commissioned by Sir Henry Cole and illustrated by John Callcott Horsley in London on the 1st of May 1843.
This day was to buy Christmascards. But not if the 3rd fell on a sunday. Stores were clesed sundays not so long ago.

Let us sneak a look on the fourth


Today the candles should have all been made.
The pictures show what we call either advent candleholder of Staffan candleholder
Staffan Stalledräng was a stableboy in in stable in Bethlehem and he had five horses.
We even have a song about him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=959UMAWuVk0

Following:) Shirt sorry it's not face-book.

I have Spanish/Swedish & Irish background yet 3 generations Aussie, would love to see some of my "old" heritage especially approaching Christmas.

You will get one Swedish thing every day. Decided to make you folks an advent calender.

Christmas and Sweden? It has to be Abba.

THIS IS DESCRIMINATION
I as Swede am not allowed to watch the video you sent.

That's terrible. How about this?

It is the same.
I live outside of Sweden. That is probably the reason

The 5th
Today was the day to iron the laundry.
In Scandinavia we dance around the Christmastree and there is one dance for the doing laundry. You walk around and sing the song and move your hands showing what you are doing.
Monday washing, Tuesday rinsing, Wednesday drying, Thurday folding. Friday ironing, Saturday washing the floors and Sunday going to church

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwXXb1egTPc

... except than Finnish Christmas

Personally I am against thumbing down, but now and then for thumbing up.
Here it looks like someone is mad at someone else and has started thumbing down almost everything either once or twice.
Honestly I see no reason to do so and if this advent calender has caused a fight I am leaving and stopping what was fun for me.

Saab, I always read your posts and threads. I hope you pay downthumbs to anything you post no mind. The christmas/advent material you are showing remind me both of my own childhood and of my many years friend, Krista, whom I think I've talked to you about before.

Krista, born in Estonia, later in a displaced person camp in Sweden after the war, emigre to Los Angeles some years later, friend to me at university, and still friend , 55 years later.

Her home at Christmas time: masterful decorations, primarily interior (don't remember if there were any exterior, probably just a great wreath and some lights). She was and is still an artist, among other endeavors, and made a lot of those decorations herself. Wonderful mother and cook too. Anyway, your thread brings a lot of this back to me, in a good way.

Glad you enjoy the advent calender. Even me it brings out memories.
Yes I do remember you telling me about your friend Krista.
Some years ago instead of Christmas cards for some of my friends who has a PC I sent a new picture every day and that way made an adventcalender. I enjoyed doing it and this year I did it here.
I see no reason what soever to thumb down a Finnish Christmas. Those Mumintrolls are very popular in Sweden.

One a day!! Thank you.. Here lies the only problem, it's the 6th December here, (says 5th somewhere) so I am waiting!!!!!

One of my favorite food website people is Anders, whose blog is called Ice Cream Nation. He lives in Finland. It's a biggish blog in that there are many categories of ice cream, but I hang on to one, about sicilian gelato, made in Sicily not with eggs but corn starch or arrowroot, easier than watching and worrying about eggs, to me. I'm on the blog as ossobuco, naturally.

http://www.icecreamnation.org/

Anders is very courteous and endlessly helpful. The blog is also in Swedish, not just english.