My Swedish Christmas

Now I've read that, Saab - very interesting. Now I'm interested in the burial mounds, the only ones I'm knowing about being etruscan.

The 18th
Nativity Scene

If you had asked me a few hours ago how long a Nativity Scene Crib belonged to Swedish Christmas I would have said centuries.
The first Nativity Scene in Sweden where in catholic families during 1870 - 1880. At the beginning the Swedish Chrush where against it but then this tradition started 1906 and for the first time in a Swedish church 1929 in St. Petri Church in Malmö. Then the tradition spread very fast to churches as well as in homes

Crips became very popular as during the period of the Counter-Reformation wwhile during the period of the Age of Enlightenment they were forbidden (even in Catholic Bavaria).

Happened to see in a Danish newspaper something about Hitler forbid Christmas and got very curious. You usually know things was it really that bad?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Nazi_Germany
Interesting is that we never really talked about Solstice as a celebration but the longest night of the year. Neither have I ever - as far as I know - heard about a Solstice tree and that the Christmas tree is a remain of that. That sounds very modern idea especially popular outside of Scandinavia.
I went to a state school and had 2 hours a week of Christian education but we also in 3d or 4th class had to learn all about the Nordic gods in history(?)

Both my mother and father lived during that period in smaller, rural towns and in Catholic families. They had had Christmas in the traditional way.

Duting my time at school, it has been similar to how describe it: religious classes and teaching about the "Germanic" gods in history. (Later, in religion as well.)

Thank you -

The 19th
Adventsstjärna - Advent star


The star schould remain you of the Star of Bethlehem.
The tradition comes from Germany and was part of the Herrnhutian tradition.
You leave it till the 2oth day of Christmas.
The first known star in Sweden came to Västerås Cathedral 1894 probably an idea by ASEA ( Swedish electrical firm). It has always been electric. The star is still put up during a specieal ceremony every first of Advent
some music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfJxEOBUdPE

The Herrnhuter Stern (in English known as Moravian star) was first used in 1821 at the 50th jubilee festival for a boy school of that congregation in Niesky (Upper Sorbia). Since that was in early January around Epiphany, the star was chosen as a symbol.
Only decadelater, when other schools run by the Herrnhuter used this form of a star as well, it was then shown from the first Advent onwards.

And the production was industrialised: today, it's a company (Herrnhuter Sterne GmbH) producing about 60 different kinds of stars.

Have a nice 4th of Advent Sunday

When i saw this at Facebook, i immediately thought of your thread:



Life has been good for Hurðaskellir the Door Slammer after Icelanders moved into houses with multiple doors, even multiple floors. Hurðaskellir is an especially naughty yule lad who likes to slam doors in the middle of the night, waking up whole families. A simple entertainment from pre-internet ages you could call it. Luckily Door Slammer has a friendlier side, and brought small gifts to many little shoes last night.

You know what
it is damn unfair that modern houses have so many floors and no chimneys to fast get up and down thru.
Climbing all these stairs and open and close doors -I would slam doors too
How about you??

I'm barred from entering Iceland because i said i don't believe in fairies.

John Bauer painted them - so they must exist

That picture reminds me of the "gute Stube". That's a 'parlour', which only existed to receive special guests and for family affairs.
Between the 4th Advebt and Holy Night, this room was heated and cleaned (the furniture and other stuff had always been secured from dust and touching by blankets and other covers) for the festive days. [Because that room was only used occasionally, but had the best furniture and other valuable decorations, it was commonly known as "kalte Pracht", cold splendor.]

Since I heart it from the balcony a couple of minutes ago:

Middewinterhorn blown on the Advent sundays to announce the birth of Christ.


(Videos of the last sundays are at youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZuZgx5Guro)

Blowing the Middehorn is a more than 1000 years old tradition. It was formerly done to expulse evil spirits and welcome the winter solstice. Today, mainly in the Netherlands, but here as well, the horn is blown even within churches or in church towers.
The wooden horn is made of a slightly curved tree trunk with a diameter of about 15 cm, sawn lengthwise. Then, both halves are hollowed out and glued back together. The two parts are tightly tied with raffia. Thereafter, a thumb-thick mouthpiece made from elderberry is added.

The 21st of December

This was traditionally the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle; but not in the Catholic Church any more. There it is July 3rd
During the Middleages this was the day when Christmas peace started and lasted until 7th or 13th of January. During this time any criminal act was doubled punished.
Christmas was "blown in" This tradition is still alive some places. Walter has just told us about it from where he lives.
It was also the time to put up "julstång" a small firtree where the lower branches were cut off and put on the stairs to house and the rest was put up as decoration by the house.
Christmas beer was finished . In Norway one gave beer to be tasted to the neighbout or even went long ways to taste one anothers beer.
It was a day of markets and fairs and as Christmas had started all work should haave been done by now.

During my school time, when someone came late this day, he/she was called "Thomas Esel" (Thomas donkey).
In some Westphalian regions, those who slept too long on December 21 got a "Eselesfrühstück" (donkey breakfast = hay and water)

In the afternoon/evening of this day, there was often a "Spinnstubenfest" (spinning room feast): there was no spinning between today and Epiphany.

22nd of December


The tradition with Christmas gifts or julklappar started a a rural jole.
Young people in the village sneaked around Christmas eve and knocked on the door och windown. Wenn someone opened they threw in a joke gift which could be a a strawfigure or just a piece of wood. Often was a note which told why a person got this wo
This was the beginning of our traditional rimes on the gifts.
Some places the gifts were given by a goat.
In the beginning gifts were usually self made not until 1940 and later people started to buy gifts. Except in the more well to do fameilies

The 23rd


Time to buy the last items for julbord Christmas smorgasbord,
It is served in restaurants but at home we try to serve some of all the good things around Christmas.

The 24th


God Jul och Gott Nytt År