If you are spending Easter in Scandinavia, you will most likely be paid a visit by children dressed up like witches, who go knocking on doors in their neighbourhood in order to receive sweets and treats. True, it's a pagan tradition that has more to do with the arrival of spring and the need to get rid of evil spirits that have gathered in the dark during winter than the suffering and the resurrection of Jesus, but it's the Maundy Thursday traditon.
Officially a Protestant nation, Sweden has - just like the other Scandinavian countries - become very secular over the past century, and while Good Friday is a public holiday, it is by no means much different to other days of the year. Easter instead provides family time, with plenty of dinners and lunches, and traditional smorgasbord buffets with pickled herrings, eggs with Swedish caviar, gravad lax, sourdough bread and plenty of akvavit - the local schnapps. In Skåne, the southernmost county, local artists open their homes to visitors over the weekend, offering a chance to enjoy the beautiful countryside and culture at the same time.
See our guides to Sweden here |
