In fact, Swedes, Norwegians and Danes have
never adopted the word Christmas and refer
to the holidays as Jul (Yule), its 'original'
pagan name.
Christmas falls within days of the winter
solstice, which is believed to have been
when the Vikings held their midwinter
sacrifice celebration. But some historians
now say that it is more likely to have taken
place in January, which is when they
appeased the gods with offerings and
putting on a grand feast.
Throughout Scandinavia, as elsewhere in
Western nations, the pagan Yule rituals were
adopted by the church when the area
became Christian from the 1100s and
onward, and today they are a mixture of
heathen and religious celebrations, with
additions throughout the centuries. These
include the Christmas tree which started
becoming common in Scandinavian homes
in the 1700s and Advent candles, which
arrived in the early 20th-century and can
now be seen in every window in December.
Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway
all have 24 December as their main day of
celebration, when families gather and
presents are handed out. What most
Scandinavians hold dearest at Christmas
time is the food, and it is at the dinner table
where we find slight variations in the way
they celebrate.
Clockwise from top: A famous
depiction of Harald Fairhair, the first
king of Norway - who ruled from the 9th
to the 10th-century - the word Jul was
first used in an ode to him;
snow covers the village of Sjøholt,
Norway, famous for the 19th-century
Ørskog church; wooden woven heart
decoration
As in many secular countries, Christmas in
Scandinavia is very much about being with family
and friends, eating good food, getting out in the
snow and singing traditional songs.
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