Ever Wonder How Swedes Celebrate Christmas? She’s Dishing On One Swedish Tradition, In Which You Aren’t Allowed To Take Down Any Christmas Decorations Until January 13, Known As St. Knut’s Day
There’s a lot to love about Christmas. In the United States, we have many traditions that have stood the test of time, like baking cookies, singing Christmas carols, and exchanging gifts.
But what makes the holiday even more special is the fact that other countries around the world have developed their own unique Christmas traditions.
As the Christmas season draws closer, let’s dive into some of the ways that places such as Sweden celebrate Christmas. If you’ve ever been curious about how our friends from up north ring in the holidays, you’ll find that their winter festivities are as interesting as their other cultural habits.
A TikTok creator named Holly Lindberg (@hollylindyyy) is talking about one Swedish Christmas tradition that she’s not really a fan of. However, her husband is Swedish and likes to follow the customs of his home country.
“In Swedish tradition, you’re not allowed to take down any Christmas decorations, especially the Christmas tree, until January 13th, which is called St. Knut’s Day,” said Holly.
St. Knut’s Day is a traditional festival that is celebrated in Sweden and Finland. It marks the end of Christmas and the holiday season. People usher out Christmas by discarding the tree and dancing around it. Additionally, a feast may be held for the children.
The day is named after Canute Lavard, or Knut Levard, a Danish duke assassinated by his cousin, Magnus Nilsson, who wanted to take over the throne. After Knut’s death, there was a civil war, which led to him being later declared a saint.
Although Holly would much rather take down her decorations right away, she admits that this Swedish tradition does allow you to prolong the magical feel of Christmas.
In the comments section, several TikTok users dropped a few other traditions that Swedes practice during the Christmas season.
GTeam – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
“Swedish tradition also is to put it up the day before Christmas eve and not sooner,” commented one user.
“Another Swedish tradition is to boil the tree for 3 days and eat it with potatoes and mustard,” shared another.
“It’s mostly the older generation like 60+ who does that in Sweden,” pointed out a third.
Will you be adopting this tradition for your own festivities?
@hollylindyyy I see you all taking the decorations down, but it’ll be a slow process over here. #swedishchristmas #swedishtradition #swedishamerican #swedishamericancouple #thelindbergs #swedish
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