Swedish kids are free from school the week of, or the week after easter. In earlier days, all the stores used to be closed on good Friday but now most of the stores are open as usual but are closed during the easter weekend. It’s most common to do the actual celebration on Easter Eve, we usually meet with the family and eat together. (As you may know, Sweden is a very irreligious country so it’s very uncommon to go to church during Easter)
Påsklov -et - Easter break
Skärtorsdag - Maundy Thursday
Annandag påsk - Easter Monday
Påskkärring - Easter witch
Swedish kids usually dress up as witches (påskkärringar) on Maundy Thursday or Easter Eve and go around to their neighbors giving them a small hand-made card or present to get some candy in return. This tradition has its roots in the witch huntings during the 1600′s when it was believed the witches travelled to Satan at Blockula to feast on Maundy Thursday. The modern tradition stems from the 1800′s. The children are often dressed up in a dress, an apron and a shawl and may also have a black stuffed toy cat, a broom and a coffee pot.
Påskkäring -en - Easter witch
Kaffepanna -an/Kaffekanna -an - Coffeepot
Godis och mat - Candy and food
Candy and food is a big part of the Swedish easter tradition. The kids (and sometimes the adults) usually get an easter egg filled with candy and maybe a small gift or money. Here the Swedish phenomenon of bulk confectionary comes in handy because the parents can pick and choose the quantity of candy they think their child should eat. It’s said to be the easter bunny who comes with the eggs. For the food there is often a big buffet or smorgasbord of things to choose from. Some classics are boiled eggs, fermented herring, salmon and boiled potatoes. (Very similar to the food we eat on every Swedish holiday) For drinks there are the alcoholic brännvin and snaps and for the kids there’s påskmust which is a carbonated drink kinda similar to coke (but also not at all, because it’s so much better. Also there’s julmust during Christmas which is exactly the same thing but with a different branding).
Lösgodis -et - Bulk confectionary
Påskhare -en - Easter bunny
Smörgåsbord -et - Smorgasbord
(Kokt) ägg -et - (Boiled) egg
(Inlagd) sill -en - (Fermented) herring
Dekorationer - Decorations
How much you decorate for easter varies from family to family but we decorate less than for Christmas. We usually have something similar to an easter tree which basically is a few branches of birch which gets decorated with colorful feathers and decorations in the shape of chickens, eggs and easter witches. The decorations are mostly yellow or pastel and it’s very usual for small children to make their own easter decorations in kindergarden or primary school to hang in the easter tree.
Dekoration -en - Decoration
Påskris - et - Easter tree
Glad påsk! - Happy easter!
