Easter is one of the most popular Christian festivals in the world. It is
celebrated with great pomp and show in various parts of the countries where the
followers of Christianity reside. In many countries Easter is more of a
religious occasion while in some countries, the Easter celebrations are more
social and festive in nature. Like in many Scandinavian countries, Easter in
Sweden is devoid of its religious connotations and is mostly looked upon as an
occasion for festivity. Read on to explore more about the Easter celebrations in
Sweden.
On the occasion of Easter in Sweden, people do attend church prayers and
services. However, most of them look forward to the long Easter weekend as an
opportunity for family reunion or a vacation in the beaches. As Easter is one of
the best seasons to go for a vacation, holiday trips and fun-filled picnic mark
the arrival of Easter season. The entire Easter week is observed with great zeal
and enthusiasm along with parties, picnic and vacation.
Despite being devoid of its religious connotations, Easter here can be marked by
certain regional rituals and traditions. Influenced by the traditions of other
Scandavian countries like Denmark, Påskkärringar or Easter witches has also
become a unique Eastertide tradition of Easter celebrations in Sweden. Children
dressed up as Easter witches with long skirts, colorful headscarves and painted
red cheeks, go from house to house in the neighborhood and present the occupants
with paintings and drawings in the hope of getting sweets in return. According
to Swedish folklore, during Easter the witches fly to Blåkulla (Blue Mountain)
to meet the devil.
The traditional Easter brunch consists of different varieties of pickled
herring, cured salmon and Jansson's Temptation (potato, onion and pickled sprats
baked in cream). The table is often laid like a traditional smörgåsbord. Spiced
schnapps is also a feature of the Easter table. At dinner, people eat roast lamb
with potatoes au gratin and asparagus or some other suitable side dish.
Decorated birch twigs are a common sight in Swedish homes during Easter. As a
reminder of Christ's suffering, young people would lash each other with silver
birch twigs on the morning of Good Friday. These silver birch branches,
decorated with brightly colored feathers, were the originator of both the Lent
and Easter decorated branches. This is the exclusive Easter rituals of Sweden.
Like the Easter celebrations in other countries, Easter celebrations here are
also marked by Easter eggs. The Easter egg here has a long history. It is said
that these colored eggs were obtained near graves from B.C. in Gotland. As they
were painted in red and yellow, they were thought to represent the sunrise and
sunset. Even today the people of Sweden, like other Europeans, paint their eggs
at Easter and they are considered to be very auspicious.
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