Christmas Around the World: Sweden
Day 3 of our Christmas Around the World series brought us to…Sweden! Last year, we all decided that Norway was our favorite country to learn about. The Scandinavian countries know how to keep traditions and their entire mood and aesthetic is just cozy. Learning about Christmas in Sweden proved to be very similar!
What We Did
Sweden is a Nordic European country with very cold winters and cool, mild summers. We started our lesson by reading some interesting basic facts about the country. You can also watch this video.
Christmas in Sweden begins with Saint Lucia day. We read about this here. Saint Lucia was a young girl who was killed for her Christian faith in the year 304. She would bring food to the poor and starving in the catacombs and would wear candles in a crown around her head so she could still see but have her hands free to carry things. Her story is amazing and the Scandinavian countries celebrate her by choosing a girl to portray Saint Lucia nationwide, as well as girls in each town, and many families dress the oldest daughter up as Saint Lucia for their own small celebrations. You can read or listen to more of her story in the book Hannah’s Christmas.
In Sweden, Santa Claus is actually a gnome called Tomten. The Swedes also believe in a Yule Goat, made from straw or corn husks to represent Jesus being laid in a manger, that guards the family Christmas tree. ‘Secret Santa’ also has roots in Swede traditions as well! Why Christmas has an excellent article about all of the Swedish Christmas traditions. The kids and I also watched a few videos, which can be found here and here. We also loved 40-50% of Swedes watch old Disney cartoons on Christmas!
Finally, we ended our lesson on Swedish Christmas traditions by coloring a map of Sweden and a picture of Saint Lucia. Chloe made rice pudding, which doubled as her math lesson for the day. Rice pudding, also known as ‘Risgrynsgröt’, is a traditional Christmas dessert in Scandinavia, and it just happens to be a kid-friendly favorite around here!
Tomorrow, we will head to Africa so stay tuned!