Heidi The Swedes have a wealth of wonderful Christmas traditions (jul), but the biggest celebration by far is on Christmas Eve (Julafton). Unlike in the UK, where Christmas Day is the main event, in Sweden, the 24th of December is when the country truly comes alive. Everyone heads home early, and preparations for the lavish Christmas buffet (julbord) get underway well before dinner. Where many British families might only start thinking about their Christmas dinner prep in the late afternoon, the Swedish feasting begins in the early afternoon, or even the morning in some homes!
The Julvärd and the Lighting of the Candle
Since 1959, the nation collectively stops what it’s doing at 3 PM on Christmas Eve to watch the television. The star of this tradition is the annually changing Christmas Host (julvärd), who has the honour of welcoming the Swedish people and lighting a candle to symbolise the proper start of Christmas Eve festivities.
This is a massive cultural moment! The julvärd is announced weeks in advance by the public broadcaster, SVT, and it seems everyone in the country has an opinion on the choice. Crucially, the julvärd also introduces the most essential television programme of the entire Christmas season: Donald Duck (Kalle Anka).
The Must-Watch Christmas TV: Kalle Anka
Yes, every single Christmas Eve at 3 o’clock, Sweden falls completely silent. The whole family gathers around the telly to watch the Disney Christmas special, “From All of Us to All of You”, locally known as “Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul”.
In Sweden, Donald Duck on Christmas Eve is serious business. No one dares to miss the moment. Young and old know the lines off by heart, yet the jokes still get a laugh every single time. Kalle Anka consistently ranks in the top five most-watched programmes of the year, usually second only to the Melodifestivalen (the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest).
In the past, the Swedish Television (SVT) considered cancelling the show a few times, but country-wide protests always forced them to swiftly backtrack! The cartoons themselves have remained the same since 1959; only the filler content is occasionally updated.
If you’re reading this from the UK and hoping to tune in, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. The programme isn’t available to stream via SVTplay outside of Sweden. Over here, we’ll have to stick with Christmas classics like The Sound of Music!
After Kalle Anka has finished, the Jultomte (the Swedish Santa) typically pops up at the door in most families, laden with Christmas presents (julklappar). Most children, of course, completely fail to notice that their uncle or father had mysteriously and conveniently “popped out to buy a paper” just moments beforehand!
