#swedishoddities

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From Crayfish Party to Lucia - Our Favorite Swedish Traditions

Valborg, Midsommar, Kräftskiva, Santa Lucia - have you ever heard people talk about these events? These are typical Swedish traditions, some rather exotic. We are presenting you the most important custom for each season. The fun part about moving abroad is that you get a chance to learn about a new culture and traditions. Have a read through our experiences :)

Valborg:

Anna-Lena: I will never forget when my Swedish friend first told us about Valborg. He mentioned the many many people gathering in Stadsparken, to drink and party, have fun and enjoy life. We couldn’t believe it so he showed us a video - amazing, I tell you! From that moment it was clear, that there is no way out for us. Let’s celebrate spring! We so looked forward to the 30th of April this year, that we started discussing how to plan the day. What horrified us a bit was the picture he showed us from last year: his alarm clock at 8 o'clock in the morning. 1 beer. 1 shot! Valborg breakfast! And no, there is still no way out! But we’ll make it :)

Midsommar:

Caroline: Because of the long and dark winter Swedes are ecstatic when summer finally arrives and take every chance to celebrate. This is the day on which we eat, drink and dance all night long! You will see people wearing traditional costumes, girls will have flowers in their hair and their will be plenty of outdoor activities  for people of all ages. On this day Swedes will gather around a beautifully decorated maypole and dance to various musical acts. The most famous song is Små grodorna- the Small frogs and when it plays you will see Swedes hopping around the pole like frogs and singing "små grodorna"(quite amusing to watch).

Tip: It is said that if you are single girl you should pick 7 flowers and place them under your pillow and then you will dream of your future husband! ;)  

Crayfish party - In Swedish Kräftskiva

Sarah: This is probably one of my favourite Swedish traditions!               Kräfskiva is a much loved eating and drinking celebration in Sweden, which also is a way for Swedes to say farewell to summer and welcome autumn. It's the time of the year to indulge in crayfish and sing countless of snaps visor - drinking songs. On a Swedish kräftskiva you will see long tables filled with crayfish placed outside, guests will be wearing paper hats, the garden will be decorated with paper laterns, and most important of all - the singing will be loud!

Tip: Save the date! Make sure you are in Sweden in August so that you don’t miss out on this wonderful experience!

St. Lucia:

Carmen: On the 13th of December, perhaps one of the most exciting traditions in Sweden is celebrated, the Santa Lucia Day. Already during my first days here in Lund, I recognized the importance of this tradition for Swedes. “Do not miss that day and get your ticket for the traditional concert as soon as possible”, I was told several times. Then, the special day arrived and I was one lucky student holding an entry ticket to the concert in the cathedral. The concert began with a procession of white-dressed kids carrying white candles in their hand and walking through the central aisle. A-cappella songs by the kids accompanied this special atmosphere of silence and thoughtfulness. The procession was headed by the so-called “Santa Lucia”, a kid dressed in white with a red scarf around her belly and having real candles in her hair (on a bracket of course). The concert continued with different a-cappella choirs (mainly kids, teenagers and young adults) presenting their traditional Christmas songs. This was the night were I put myself in the right Christmas mood. It will definitely be one of my most intense traditional Swedish experiences and every international student staying during winter in Sweden has to experience it.

Be sure not to miss any of them during your stay!

Small City, Big Dreams!

Kram Caroline

Source: https://sweden.se/culture-traditions/lucia/

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6 Funny Swedish Sayings!

Learning a foreign language, as many of you know, is not easy and requires lots of practice and patience. Not only is it difficult to learn the vocabulary and get the accent right, but those proverbs can give anyone a headache. Swedish, like any language, has its own set of proverbs. These tend to cause confusion and misunderstandings among new language learners as their direct translation often makes very little sense. I have experienced this multiple times myself in Germany, and have looked completely dumbfounded on a number of occasions because I didn’t understand the meaning of the proverb.

On one occasion I was sitting in my office going through some emails when suddenly my boss, who just got back from a meeting, stormed into the office and blurted out: “Er bringt mich auf die Palme”. In my head I translated it as - He brings me onto the palm tree. My first thought was- hm sounds romantic, but judging from her angry face I quickly realised that wasn’t the case and later I found out that it means - he drives me insane.

With this post, I want to help you Swedish learners out there and introduce you to some of our odd proverbs:)

1) Göra en höna av en fjäder (To make a hen out of a feather)

Meaning: “To make a big deal out of something”

 2) Det är ingen ko på isen så länge rumpan är i land (There is no cow on the ice as long as the butt is on land)

Meaning: “There is no need to worry”.

3) Finns det hjärterum finns det stjärterum (If there is room for the heart there is room for the ass)

Meaning: "There is space for more" 

4) Gå som katten kring het gröt (To walk like the cat around hot porridge)

Meaning: “To beat around the bush”

5) Dra dit pepparn växer (Go to where the pepper is growing)

Meaning: A polite way of saying: “bugger off”

6) Att glida in på en räkmacka (To slide in on a shrimp sandwich)

Meaning: "To succeed without any effort"

Tip: These are just a few to get you started, but if you are interested in learning more have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf5_Ay_g2fo

Kram Caroline,

Small City Big Dreams

Picture sources Frontpage picture: lostinstockholm.com 1: firmanbloggar.se 2: lingvo.info 3: swedishmadeeasy.com 4: www.satirarkivet.se 5:www.santamariaworld.com 6: vimsy.wordpress.com

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Who on Earth Eats 17kg of Candy per Year? -  Oh Right, Swedes Do!

The fact that Swedes have a sweet tooth and a weakness for liquorice is well known, but who would have thought that they eat the most candy in the world? One sign hinting at our obsession with candy is the fact that we have a special day of the week dedicated to eating just sweets - I mean who else has that?

Candy is a big deal for Swedish people. Here, Saturday is THE day to eat candy. As a kid it used to be my highlight of the week, but adults also love going into candy stores to get their bag of pick and mix candy. Most people prefer this over buying a pre-packaged candy bag. The tradition of Lördagsgodis (Saturday candy) has been around since 1950 and has become some what like an unwritten rule. Swedes love cuddling up on a Saturday with their loved ones, a good movie and a bowl of lördagsgodis! That = Happy Swedes!

Lundian Tip: You should definitely not miss out on the opportunity to try some Swedish candy while you’re here. Watch out though, it is addictive and this ‘one time’ can easily become a habit. My favourite place to buy candy in Lund: Candy People at Bankgatan 6

Enjoy!

Kram Caroline 

Small City, Big Dreams! 

Picture: bonusbet.se

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Do Swedish people come off a bit rude?

What you should know about Swedes and their behaviour! Lesson # 1

One of the many aspects that I love about living abroad is that it gives you an entirely new perspective on things, almost comparable to receiving a new pair of glasses. It is an eye-opening experience that forces you to take a step back and critically reflect upon the positives and negatives in your country. Having lived abroad for several years, both in England and in Germany, I grew familiar to certain rules and behaviours. Moving back to Sweden was definitely a change I had to adapt to, and I could clearly see the cultural differences between the countries. I still recall one of my first reactions being: Gosh are Swedish people rude! Being accustomed with the politeness in England and receiving a personal greeting when entering the bank: “Good afternoon Miss, how can I help?” or the gentlemen-like behaviour of German men who would let you exit the elevator first and hold the door for you. Well I’ll tell you, when I got off that plane in Gothenburg last summer all of that vanished. No more personal greetings at the bank, instead pull a number and get in line! If you are lucky, you are approached with a smile. Doors are no longer being held open, and worst of all: people don’t apologize when they accidentally bump into you or even say a small ‘thank you’ when you get up from your seat so that they can get off the bus. Unbelievable, I thought!

Sweden and its people have many good qualities, but lets be honest, customer service and politeness just aren’t some of them! I don’t think Swedes perceive themselves as rude or are rude on purpose. I can, however, understand if foreigners see them that way. It all comes down to the culture and the way in which we have been brought up. At heart, Swedes are quite friendly people who are not shy to show their affection and love hugging ;)

Tip: Try not to be offended or take it personally if you find yourself in a situation where, for example, the manager of a store doesn’t give you a warm welcome, or if you are in a restaurant and have to wait for what seems like ages for the waiter to come to your table and sometimes, you even have to wave your hand to get their attention. Take a deep breath, you are in Sweden! Swedes are patient creatures who don’t pay attention to the details - it's the way we roll.

Kram, (the Swedish version of ‘Hug’)

Caroline

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