Christmas in Sweden
Christmas around the world is a holiday full of magic and beauty celebrated with different Christmas traditions around the world. Wherever you may be spending your Christmas around the world you can be inspired by the wonderful customs and traditions of any country.
For many countries Christmas around the world is the most popular holiday of the year, this probably has to do with all the amazing Christmas traditions around the world. This is especially true in Sweden, where Christmas is indeed the favorite holiday of the year being greatly celebrated over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The Christmas tree sits in nearly every family home in the last century and is brought into the house about one to two days before Christmas and decorated with wrapped candies, glass bulbs and sparkling ornaments to name a few. Christmas Eve is the height of the festivities when no work is done other than caring to the livestock and celebrating with an excellent feast with smorgasbord including ham, lutfisk (fish), jellied pigs feet and rice porridge.
After the meal it is believed the tomte visits (popular belief says that the tomte lives under the floor boards of the house or barn and watches over the family and livestock).
The tomte is similar to what we call Santa or Father Christmas around the world, but the difference is the tomte is a gnome. At the turn of the century a Swedish artist produced Christmas cards with gnomes, they became a success and the tomte became popular. In many homes someone dresses up as a gnome and brings a sack of presents.
