St Lucia for Dummies

Lucia for Dummies

One thing I absolutely love about the Swedish government is how informative they are about Sweden! In researching a bit about St Lucia, I found a video that gives you the breakdown you need for Lucia in Sweden.

AKA, Lucia for Dummies!  I’m glad I watched it too, because I was forgetting something important.  What is needed for Lucia?

  1. Saffron buns (or lussebullar)
  2. Singing children on December 13th
  3. Glögg!

I can’t believe I still don’t have a recipe for glögg! That is my mission this year.  Find a good glögg recipe and don’t burn it!  Do you have one you want me to try? Send it my way!

I will be doing more digging into Lucia, particularly I want to find some Lucia songs that we can all sing along to.  In the meantime though, enjoy this video about Lucia in Sweden (for Dummies).

lucia morning in sweden

Lucia Morning in Sweden

In our monthly newsletter, I usually feature a product of the month.  I thought I would go into a little bit more detail this month and create a blog post out of it! This month we are looking at the children’s book “Lucia Morning in Sweden“. It tells the story of 3 children living in … Read more

Gavle Goat Burns Again

Gävle Goat Burns Again

Gävle’s famous Christmas goat just celebrated it’s 50th anniversary.  Sadly, overnight, it was burned down by arsonists over night.  Watch the reaction of a Swedish news program as they report the breaking news (in Swedish! Time to practice your Swedish!)

This isn’t the first time either! Of the 50 years the Gävle goat has been built, it has burned down 35 times.  It seems arsonists just can’t help to set fire to a giant goat made of straw.

Check out the fun festival that Gävle had in order to celebrate the Christmas goat.

They are discussing the option of building the goat again, at least until Lucia. There are costs involved in that though, and there are always risks that the arsonists will try to burn the goat down again.

What do you think? Should Gävle build the goat or let it rest in peace?

Midsummer Maypole

10 Ways To Celebrate Midsummer Like A Swede

Midsommer is one of the best holidays to be in Sweden for. If you don’t know what Midsummer is or haven’t experienced it, watch the video above. In 4 minutes you will get exactly what Midsummer is for Swedes.

I miss Midsummer immensely, so here are 10 things you can do to bring Midsummer to your home this year.

Avoid the City

Nobody hangs out in the city during midsummer. This is the time for you to go out into nature, enjoy the warmth and light, and be with friends.

I don’t know what cities are like during midsummer because I was never in a city during midsummer. But I hear it is rather boring. So find some grass and create a midsummer party for your friends and loved ones!

Drink Beer. And Some More

Yes, midsummer is a big celebration in Sweden. Play horse shoe, sing songs, and get drunk like a Swede.

Drink beer. Ideally you want cheap beer so you can drink a lot of it and save your money.  If you aren’t a beer drinker, why not make a Swedish cocktail? I recommend getting some lingon juice from IKEA and adding some Swedish Vodka. Volia, you have an American-Swedish cocktail.

Swedish cider

Eat A Lot of Food

There is nothing like a Swedish party without a BBQ.  We would grill meat (moose meat if you have it), veggies like zucchini, mushrooms and onions. We also grilled some cheese which was delicious.

Not living in Sweden, don’t worry about it! Throw what you can and enjoy yourself. It’s midsummer!

Wear A Garland

midsummer-garland

Garlands are normal wear for Midsummer. Why not make your own either out of real flowers or, if you live in the desert like me, get some fake flowers that you can use for your garland 🙂

Bake Strawberry Cake

Strawberry cakes are a stable for Midsummer. I will be experimenting with a Swedish recipe (which will go in the Swedish recipe section of my site!) on Sunday, but for now why not try these recipes recommended from our Swedish Freaks on Facebook.

Play Swedish Games

Kubbspel

Kubbspel is the game to play in Norrland for midsummer, or actually any summer night where drinking is involved.

You can purchase an official set on Amazon.com, however it is quite expensive. I’m sure you can find some wood lying around.

Check out the official Swedish rules here (in Swedish), or you can see how to play on Wikipedia.  Luckily for us, this game has taken off in the U.S.  What a great time to show it to your friends if they haven’t played it yet!

Play Swedish Music

There is nothing like Midsummer than listening to some Swedish Music! I’ve created a mishmash of different Swedish music, some classical, some folk music, some classics (like ABBA) and oldies.

While there are some commercials (thank you YouTube!), it is a great playlist to listen to! Enjoy 🙂

Find Your Husband

If you are a single maiden and you want to know who your future husband is going to be, now is your chance! Pick 7 flowers on your way home from a midsummer party and put them under your pillow. That night you will dream about your husband to be!

Dance

During Midsummer, Swedes dance around the maypole. Maypoles aren’t the easiest thing to do last minute. If you don’t have a maypole to dance around, why not just dance? You have the Swedish music above!

Stay Up All Night

Midsummer is the longest day of the year, and the sun barely sets in Sweden. So usually, people end up staying up all night and party until the early morning (which is why it is celebrated all day Friday and Saturday)

 

I’m excited to be celebrating Midsummer this year! We are doing a Father’s Day BBQ, and I’m going to combine it with a Swedish Midsummer celebration as well. Stay tuned for updates 🙂

What will you do this weekend to celebrate Midsummer?

winter-sun-set

My Gothenburg Christmas Delight

From what I had heard and read, Sweden is a country of innovation. Just take Ikea for example. A furniture business that not only sells their wares disassembled for convenience, production value and price point but excites people to master the skill of carpentry with little more than a pack of screws and a pictorial … Read more

valborg

Happy Walpurgis Night!

Ahhhhh! Spring is here! Officially! Because you can’t have spring without a bonfire… Read more about Walpurgis Night, or Valborgsmässoafton, and how it came about in Sweden. Remember to grill some sausages on the bonfire or bake some Swedish pinnbröd on a stick! Whatever you do to celebrate spring this year, celebrate it well! What … Read more