Celebrations in the countryside

Although contemporary Swedes are an urban people, most of whom live in cities or large towns,
the vast majority still have one foot in the countryside. If they don’t have any family left in rural
parts, they often possess a holiday cottage there.

An agrarian strain runs through Sweden’s self-image: this is a nation of strong, sinewy peasants,
raised on meat and turnips. Most people are agreed that festive occasions in Sweden should be
celebrated in the countryside. Easter is no exception.

Easter is the first extended weekend of the spring, and for many this means the first trip out to
their holiday cottage, which has been locked and deserted all winter. There are window shutters
to be opened and stuffy rooms to be aired. The woodstoves are lit, and the smoke fills the
kitchen, naturally.

Coughing and spluttering, you flee out to the yard, where the wagtails − if you live in southern
Sweden, that is − have just begun their mating ritual and the last of the snowdrifts are melting in
the pale spring sunshine. In the north, Easter is more of a skiing holiday.

Once the cottage has been cleaned, swept and warmed up, Easter can begin. The members of the
family arrive from near and far. At Easter, the aim is to gather as many relatives as possible.
 Photo: Ulf Lundin/
imagebank.sweden.se
Secular holiday
While in other countries Easter is specifically a religious holiday, it has become a secular one in
Sweden. The Swedes are well down in the statistics when it comes to church visits per year, and
even if Easter swells the numbers slightly, most people celebrate it at home with their families
and relatives.

Many of the practices associated with Easter have religious origins, but this is not something that
bothers Swedes much. They eat eggs because they have always done so − not because they have
just completed a fast.

Nowadays, eggs are a favourite accompaniment to the dish of pickled herring that is the
centrepiece of most Swedes’ Easter meals. And few associate the omnipresent birch twigs −
nowadays decorated with brightly coloured feathers − with the suffering of Christ. Easter has its
own rituals.

From sweets to salmon

Children dress up as Easter witches; clad in discarded clothes, gaily coloured headscarves and
red-painted cheeks, they go from house to house in the neighbourhood and present the occupants
with paintings and drawings in the hope of getting sweets in return.

Having consumed all these sweets, they are then given Easter eggs filled with yet more. Parents
who are more ambitious let the children search for the eggs themselves in a treasure hunt −
following clues and solving riddles until they find their prizes.

A traditional Easter lunch is likely to consist of different varieties of pickled herring, cured
salmon and Jansson’s Temptation (potato, onion and pickled anchovies baked in cream). The
table is often laid like a traditional smorgasbord (or smörgåsbord as it’s written in Swedish).
Spiced schnapps is also a feature of the Easter table. At dinner, people eat roast lamb with potato
gratin and asparagus, or some other suitable side dish.
Swedish Easter – the origins
In Sweden, the Easter celebrations used to begin with the three days of Shrovetide, full of
carnivals, games and revelry. Activities included playfully thrashing each other with birch twigs
and tobogganing down steep slopes. People were also supposed to mark Shrove Tuesday by
eating seven hearty meals before observing a 40-day fast.

Easter commemorates the resurrection of Christ. It begins on Palm Sunday in celebration of his
triumphant entry into Jerusalem. In the old days, you were not allowed to spin or chop wood on
Maundy Thursday, as this might intensify Christ’s suffering. On that day, witches also flew off
to consort with the Devil at Mount Blåkulla. Good Friday was spent in quiet contemplation.
People dressed in black and ate salty food without anything to drink. The whole week was
designed to recall Christ’s suffering and death on the cross.
On Easter Saturday, the celebrations turned joyful, and people began eating eggs again. Eggs
were sometimes painted in different colours, probably because they were often given away as
presents. In the 1800s, Swedes began filling paper eggs with sweets. In western Sweden, the
practice was to light bonfires, fire shotguns and shout to scare away witches. The custom of
bringing birch twigs into the house and decorating them with coloured feathers dates back to the
1880s.
Last updated: 5 April 2018
Po Tidholm & Agneta Lilja
Po Tidholm is a freelance journalist and a critic based in the province of Hälsingland. In the collection
'Celebrating the Swedish Way', he has written the main sections about how we celebrate in Sweden today. |||
Agneta Lilja is a lecturer in ethnology at Södertörn University College, Stockholm. She also writes reviews
and appears on radio and tv. In the collection 'Celebrating the Swedish Way', Lilja has written the sections
about the history of Swedish traditions and festivities.
 Medieval crucifix, Buttle church, Gotland.

Picture from Swedish History Museum historiska.se

Easter celebrations in Sweden

Easter (Sw. påsk, pronounced ”poh-sk”) is the foremost holiday in all Christian

countries. Considering that Swedes, compared to most other nationalities, are a very

secularized people, one can wonder how Easter is celebrated in Sweden. Do Swedes

celebrate Easter at all? Yes, we do, but… the most common celebrations have their

origin not in Christian mythology but in native superstition and folklore.

Still, we have a Christian history (and at least some Swedes attend church services

during Easter… well, quite a few, actually). At least, our Christian history has left traces

in the names of the holidays.

It may not be very likely, but in case you should find yourself discussing holidays with a

Swede, you’d be better off if you knew about the funny day names in Stilla
veckan (”Silent Week”), so let’s start with that, before we look into how Easter is

celebrated in Sweden:

The days of the Holy Week

Blåmåndag, translating to ”Blue Monday”, is a commonly used Swedish name for
Shrove Monday. This day has also, for unknown reasons, been known
as Fläskmåndag (Pork Monday) or Korvmåndag (Sausage Monday). Maybe these were

the original names, because the real Blåmåndag is actually the Monday before Lent…

Why the name lately has migrated six weeks forward is yet one of the Easter mysteries.

Vita tisdagen means ”White Tuesday”. Like the previous name, this one has also
migrated six weeks closer to spring: Vita tisdagen is originally another name for Fat

Tuesday. Misunderstandings do happen.

Dymmelonsdag is the true name of the third day. It’s a weird name. The second part of
the word, onsdag, means Wednesday, but the first part? The word dymmel is very old,

quite archaic, probably with the same origin as the English word ”dumb” meaning

”mute”. The day got it’s name from the custom to dampen the sound of the church bells

for the rest of the week by capping them with cloth or felt and exchange the bronze

clapper with a wooden clapper.

Skärtorsdag is Maundy Thursday. This is also a funny word: in modern Swedish, ”skär”

can mean the color ”pink” or the imperative ”cut”, but of course that’s not what it means

here. It’s as archaic as the previous name and means ”purge” or ”clean”. It refers to the

story about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet before the last supper. (But I bet that at

least some in the younger generation think it means Pink Thursday – that would fit in
nicely with Blue Monday and White Tuesday…)
Långfredag – you have already guessed it – means ”Long Friday”. To me, this seems

more appropriate than the English name, Good Friday, at least in a Christian

perspective.
The meaning of Långfredag is almost palpable to Swedes of a certain age: before 1969,

no shops, restaurants, theatres – actually nothing – was allowed to be open

on Långfredag. Everything was closed. The town seemed dead. There were only two

TV channels, one showing church service, the other a documentary on shards of

Etruscian clay pots. This day had to be filled with Ludo, Monopoly, or Solitaire,
and Långfredag really seemed to be long, endless. Today, those interdicts are broken,

and Långfredag is a ”red day” in the calendar, which means that most people are free

from work and can frolic in shops, restaurants and entertainment.

Påskafton means just that: Easter Eve. True to the Swedish tradition to celebrate any
given holiday on the day before the holiday, Påskafton is the day when Swedes

celebrate Easter. (Swedes celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, Whitsun on Whitsun

Eve, Midsummer on Midsummer Eve, and so on… maybe because that way, you can

use the real holiday to tend your hangover?)

Påskdagen is of course Easter Sunday.

Annandag Påsk (Easter Monday) would in modern Swedish be called Andra
Påskdagen, which translates to ”the second day of Easter”. It’s a red, work-free day.

Traditional Easter
Celebrations
Godis! (candy, goodies)
Easter is an orgy in candy, chocolates, and toffee, delivered to the kids in large brightly
colored påskägg, i.e. eggshells of cardboard, plastic or sheet metal; the bigger, the
better. That is, kids are constantly sugar-speeded from skärtorsdag until late

on påskafton, when the påskägg usually is empty and replenishment from their

exhausted parents is unavailable.

In contrast to USA, children in Sweden usually do not believe that the eggs have been
laid by the Easter Bunny, even if pictures of a bunny are common on their påskägg.
Påskris (~ Easter twigs)

“Påskris” – 500 years ago, the birch twigs were used for flogging

If you haven’t done so already, skärtorsdag is the day when you cut thin twigs of birch

and put in a vase, decorated with feathers or down of bright color.

Cutting birch twigs on skärtorsdag has its origin in the 17th century, preparing tools for

flogging one another on the morning of långfredag to commemorate Jesus’ suffering.

The flogging habit died several centuries ago, but the custom to take in birch twigs

survived. The idea to beautify the whole thing with brightly colored feathers is however

imported from Germany, as late as in the early 20th century.

Page manager: anna.nilsen@liu.se

Last updated: 2017-02-13
 Witch trainee over Swedish woodlands
Häxor (witches)
Skärtorsdag is the day when witches supposedly travel to Blåkulla (~Blue Hill) to have

intercourse with the devil before returning on the night before Easter Sunday. The
place Blåkulla seems to exist only in mythology, even if some people mean – probably

because of the name similarity – that Blåkulla is the island Blå Jungfrun (~the Blue

Virgin) in the Baltic Sea. In popular belief, the witches make the journey riding on

broomsticks, and on their way they’ll try to snatch children in order to present them to

the devil.

This myth seems to have been formed in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was the time of

witch trials, when thousands of people all over Europe (mostly women) were accused of

collaboration with the devil, sentenced and burned at the stake. This gruesome

business was common in most Catholic European countries, where some 30,000

women were executed after show trials, but it occured also in Protestant Sweden, albeit

less frequent.
Påskkäringar and Påskbrev (~witches and Easter
letters)

Påskbrev, self-made and preprinted, adorns the window of grocery shop Hagahallen in Karlstad

after the shopkeepers FB announcement that every påskbrev will be rewarded with an Easter

egg. Tradition reversed :-).

The original etymological meaning of the word käring is actually a dear person, ”a loved

one”, but in today’s vernacular, käring means ”old woman”. And a påskkäringis a witch.

Anyway, a new habit was formed some 150 years ago, inspired by the waning belief
about witches: children started to dress up as påskkäringar and distribute their own

drawings in the neighbourhood, called påskbrev(~Easter letters).

This custom varies across the country: in the beginning, it might have been performed
like the original procedure for giving julklappar (Christmas presents), i.e. knock on the

door, throw in the object, close the door and run. This original procedure is still in use,

among other places, in the rather rural western part of the province Värmland, and
the påskbrev is filled with candy – i.e. it’s a gift to one’s friends.

Sadly enough, this commendable procedure has deteriorated in the cities, where kids
made up as påskkäringar roam around offering pre-printed påskbrev to everybody in the
neighbourhood, claiming godis in return. Just like Halloween… sigh.
 Waiting for godisregn.
Påskparad (Easter Parade)
An Easter Parade is arranged on skärtorsdag in some cities, after a modified American

concept, with children dressed and painted as witches. In many cities, however, the
parade takes place on påskafton.

Last updated: 2017-02-13

The streets and shops in Linköping are filled with the spirit of Easter. There is a large assortment
of candy, food and decorations that you can buy to get into the spirit of the holiday.

For a foreigner who is new to this culture, or even to this religious celebration, it is time to get to know what
the Swedish Easter is all about and get a feel for how Swedes celebrate this weekend.

While in other countries Easter is a religious holiday - celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ
through church Masses - in Sweden Easter has become more of a secular holiday. Swedes still respect the
traditions associated with Easter, but not necessarily for religious beliefs, but more out of custom. One of
the main Easter traditions in Sweden, as in many other countries, is the Easter egg. Eggs are a favourite on
the Easter tables for Swedes who usually decorate them at home, same as in other Christian countries.
These are usually accompanied by pickled herring, salmon and in some occasions even lamb.

“On Easter Eve we paint eggs and you get candy eggs. We don’t usually go to church, but prefer to spend a
quiet evening with the family. On Easter Day we have dinner together. The main meal is something we
call Påskbord which consists of meatballs, pickled fish and eggs. Then, on Easter Monday we usually just
relax at home with the family,” says Sven Palmen, a Swedish master's student.

A fun tradition belongs to the children. They dress up like witches, in raggedy clothes with headscarves
and some even paint their faces. The children then walk from house to house and ask their neighbours for
sweets.

Sweets are an important part of the Swedish Easter traditions and you can find them in a variety of shapes,
from coloured chocolate eggs to bunny rabbits and even ducks. Some families even organise a sweet egg
hunt for their children, where the young ones follow clues in order to find the hidden sweets. Other families
have a big plastic egg filled with all kinds of sweets on the table for the entire holiday.
 The main Easter decoration in Sweden is the birch twigs which
can be found on the streets and in people’s houses. The origin of birch twigs was a reminder of Christ’s
suffering. However, today these branches are decorated with coloured feathers and placed in vases around
the house –an exclusive Swedish ritual.

The Easter celebration is a common one for all Christians, but even if they celebrate the same religious
event, traditions differ from country to country.

Matteo Valencic, master's student from Italy: “Usually on Easter Eve everyone goes to church for the
midnight ceremony, where we light candles and say prayers. Easter Day is dedicated to the family. When we
wake up we find big chocolate eggs. Each of the eggs has a present inside that can be personalised for each
member of the family. After that, we have lunch and dinner together with the entire family. The Easter
tradition is to paint eggs and our favourite meal is ham wrapped in dough and cooked in the oven. The
following day we celebrate what is popularly known as ‘Little Easter’ where we usually spend the entire day
grilling and drinking with friends outdoors. It’s great fun and I love it.”

Not very far away, in Romania, Easter is celebrated a bit differently.

“We spend Easter Eve decorating eggs and making cakes. At midnight we go to church for the Easter Mass
where we light candles and sing. The next day at breakfast we have eggs and bread dipped in wine that we
get from church. Lunch consists of a sort of bread baked with cheese that we call ‘Pasca’ and lamb cooked
with wine and herbs in the oven. Usually on Sunday and Monday night young people go out partying with
their friends”, says a Romanian master's student.

Easter is celebrated differently in every country and each one of them has its own traditions. If you are
in Sweden on Easter, try to take in as much as possible of this interesting holiday and have fun.