Posts From: Holidays
May
16
Jesus on a Rocket
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If you were in Sweden, you would be getting ready to sleep in tomorrow, because tomorrow is another glorious Red Day. You are probably not aware, but tomorrow on the Christian calendar is Ascension Day, or in Swedish, Kristi himmelsfärds dag. In Norwegian and Danish, the name is a bit funnier: Kristi himmelfartsdag (giggle). Kristi = Christ himmel = heaven färd/fart = journey/flight/voyage dag = day No work! I have …continue reading
Apr
1
A Red Day of Feathers
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Påsk or Easter is just one week away, and there are a few signs to clue you in. Sweden isn’t so big on the Easter Bunny, colored jelly beans, and marshmallow Peeps. Swedes do have their own sweet tooth, but they are a bit more subtle about it. In grocery stores, you can buy large papier-mâché Easter eggs the size of a small pumpkin which are filled with an assortment of candy. It’s …continue reading
Oct
22
Hallowon’t
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Halloween is approaching! But you really wouldn’t know it if you were in Sweden. Thankfully, my eyes have not been ambushed by orange and black for the past month. No storefronts crowded with witch costumes and pumpkin-shaped candy buckets. No faux spiderwebs and dry ice to set the mood. Yet at the same time, I kinda miss it. I didn’t realize my deep longing for such a pointless “holiday” until …continue reading
Jul
8
Midsommar Part 3: Late Nights
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Previously… Part 1: Food Part 2: Snaps and Song On Midsommar, the sun in Karlstad officially set at 20:27 and rose at 03:50. In between those 5.5 hours, the sky never became fully dark. The length of day really throws off your perception of time. For example, we ate Saturday’s dinner feast at 11pm. And because everything is shifted into the twilight hours, that also means normal get-out-of-bed time is …continue reading
Jul
5
Midsommar Part 2: Snaps and Song
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Previously… Part 1: Food Snaps and Song Have I mentioned that Swedes love their alcohol? Thought so. Although there was plenty of wine (red and white) and beer stocked up for our army of 10 people celebrating together, Midsommar isn’t Midsommar without snaps. Just like the term “schnapps” more commonly heard and seen in the U.S., the word snaps denotes a strong, bottled alcohol, usually 40%. The bottles are stored in …continue reading
