This is How People Celebrate Easter in Sweden

Sweden is overshadowed by countries like United Kingdom and Australia when it comes to the occasion of Easter.

But the truth is,

Almost 70% of the population of Sweden are official members of Church of Sweden. This means the people of Sweden promote Christian events.

Although, 70% is estimated to be a decrease in the number of people that used to be a part of Church of Sweden in its earlier times.

In Sweden,

Churches are visited by the families on certain occasions only, which include weddings, funerals and sometimes for the occasion of Easter.

With the passage of time,

Easter has turned into more of a celebratory occasion than a religious one. Therefore, many Easter traditions in sweden have been introduced in order to commemorate this occasion.

1. Dressing up as a Witch

Children dress up as witches with respect to their ancient tradition originated from their folklore known as ‘Blakulla’.

According to their folklore,

The witches travel their way on their broomsticks to a legendary place known as Blakulla, where they dance with the devil.

On Maundy Thursday, you will find several kids wearing face paints and carrying broom sticks in order to copy this Easter tradition.

In other words,

It is Swedish Halloween, as the kids go door to door, knocking for some Easter candies.

2. Real Eggs

On the day of Easter, you will find eggs with every possible entrée in Swedish restaurants.

Eggs are included in breakfast and buffets.

To make them tastier, the eggs are served with caviar and different kinds of shrimp sauces.

3. Summer Houses

Easter is an excuse for a lot of urban dwellers to spend some time apart from the city. There are different summer houses built in many forests and coasts where people reside for a few days.

Sweden is known all around the world for its beautiful nature preservation and the locals tend to take full advantage of it.

Easter Celebrations in Sweden

Here are some of the major Easter traditions that take place in Sweden;

1. Easter Egg Decoration

On the occasion of Easter, hard-boiled eggs are painted and decorated as a family activity.

Certain competitions and events are held to make the event more interesting. There are several ways to decorate the Easter eggs but one of the common ways to do it is by punching a hole at the bottom of the egg. This way, the egg white and yolk spill out of the shell.

Different ways of coloring are used, such as watercolor, ordinary paint colors or simply gluing the decorations.

2. Easter Branches

If there’s one thing that Swedish people can’t be beaten at, it is creating wonderful and attractive Easter branches. These Easter branches are made by decorating a birch branch with little colorful feathers.

It also serves as an Easter decoration that can be kept in a beautiful vase.

The tradition of coloring the Easter branches is closely linked with hanging Jesus Christ on the wood cross.

3. Easter Brunch

The occasion of Easter is incomplete without hosting a grand family brunch. Large Swedish families get together to break bread together.

A typical Swedish tradition that is also followed on the Easter eve is a Swedish snap.

Swedish people are excessively polite and like to enjoy their traditions to the fullest.

This coming Easter 2019, make the best of your Easter holidays by visiting this surprise filled country and enjoy one of the exciting vacations of your life.