Monday, August 25, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

How Swedes celebrate Christmas

Published 22 December 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Around 95% of Swedes celebrate Christmas.
2 minute read

Two-thirds of Swedes still watch Donald Duck, 60 percent put presents under the tree and the Christmas gift game has become an increasingly popular tradition.

In a survey by PresentBolaget, 95 percent of people say they celebrate Christmas. At the same time, 72 percent look forward to celebrating, while 12 percent dread the holiday. In preparation, 62 percent decorate with Advent candlesticks and 31 percent visit Christmas markets. Almost a quarter watch a Christmas calendar on TV.

– Christmas celebrations are a strong Swedish tradition, as our figures clearly show. During December, many people decorate, go to Christmas markets and prepare for Christmas, says tradition expert Mattias Axelsson in a press release.

Donald Duck and Christmas ham

Approximately 45 percent of respondents indicate that religion plays some role in their Christmas celebrations, though only ten percent attend church, and nine percent sing hymns.

Meanwhile, the uniquely Swedish tradition of watching Donald Duck remains strong, with 64 percent tuning in on Christmas Eve, a custom dating back to 1960. Additionally, 60 percent place gifts under the Christmas tree.

Over half of Swedes enjoy a traditional julbord (Christmas buffet) with family and friends. The most important dishes are Christmas ham and meatballs, followed by prinskorv (small sausages) and Janssons frestelse (a creamy potato and anchovy casserole).

When it comes to Christmas gifts, 44% plan to buy them online, while 23% prefer local shops. In addition, 28% plan to buy a Christmas present for their pet.

The Christmas gift game

Around a quarter of respondents participate in newer traditions such as the Christmas gift game. A small proportion have also adopted the tradition of wearing an “ugly Christmas sweater”, which is slightly more than those who dance around the tree.

– The “Christmas Gift Game” involves all participants buying a gift for a set amount, then rolling dice to determine who gets the presents. This can result in some receiving many gifts while others end up with none. The game was introduced in Sweden less than 20 years ago, in the early 2000s, but it has only gained widespread popularity in the past 15 years, explains Axelsson.

1830 Swedish citizens participated in the survey.

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Lawyers and accountants help criminal networks in Sweden

organized crime

Published 22 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Respectable professional groups often sell services to criminal networks for money laundering and shell companies.
2 minute read

False identities, corruption and violence. Organized crime is becoming increasingly sophisticated and poses a growing threat to Swedish society, shows a new situation report from 14 Swedish authorities.

Drug crimes, fraud, environmental crimes and organized theft are identified as the greatest societal threats from organized crime. Behind the crimes lies an advanced criminal infrastructure where gang criminals use false identities and shell companies to launder their criminal proceeds.

The new inter-agency situation report reveals how criminals’ strategies are becoming increasingly advanced. Violence and threats, corruption as well as countermeasures against authority operations are used systematically to protect criminal activities.

— We see, among other things, that crimes that affect many people and companies in everyday life, volume crimes, are very organized and often carried out very professionally, so we cannot just investigate these crimes away, they must also be prevented, says Johan Olsson, chairman of the operational council and head of the Swedish police’s national operational department (NOA).

Lawyers and accountants help criminals

The report identifies five crime areas that contain all six types of criminal infrastructure: drug crimes, fraud, environmental crimes, organized theft crime and crimes against international sanctions. Almost as serious are VAT fraud, excise tax crimes and organized crime in working life.

A central part of the criminal structure is so-called enablers – people who sell their services to criminal networks. This involves everything from money laundering and transport to arranging companies and false identities. According to the report, these enablers are often found among professional groups such as lawyers, brokers and accountants.

The authorities warn that criminals are expected to adapt further to avoid prosecution. Several worrying trends are already visible: criminals use foundations and non-profit associations for their activities, protect assets through false documents and identities, and move operations abroad – particularly to countries without extradition agreements with Sweden.

— The situation report shows the importance of countering the criminal economy, more efforts against enablers and strengthening international cooperation in crime fighting. Both in the authorities’ individual work and in the inter-agency initiative, several initiatives are ongoing to strengthen efforts against the problem picture described in the situation report, explains Olsson.

Vattenfall to build small modular reactors

Published 22 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The SMR reactors will be built on the Väröhalvön peninsula, where the Ringhals nuclear power plant is located in southwestern Sweden.
2 minute read

Swedish energy company Vattenfall plans to build small modular reactors, known as SMRs, in its future nuclear power expansion. The plan is for new nuclear power to be operational in Sweden by the mid-2030s.

The small-scale nuclear reactors will be built on the Väröhalvön peninsula, where the Ringhals nuclear power plant is located, as the company considers it the “best location” to get new nuclear power operational in Sweden as quickly as possible. The state-owned energy company justifies the decision to use SMRs for technical reasons, but also because the peninsula has limited space.

We have concluded that small is better than large conventional ones, Vattenfall CEO Anna Borg tells TT and continues:

But it’s a broad concept, in this particular case the reactors are not very small but they are smaller than traditional large-scale ones. Large-scale reactors would have entailed higher risks for us at this specific site.

Vattenfall has moved forward with American GE Vernova and British Rolls-Royce, both of which manufacture SMRs. However, it’s not clear which one it will ultimately be, but the plan is to either start a project with five BWRX-300 reactors from GE Vernova or three Rolls-Royce SMRs. According to reports, this would provide a total capacity of 1,500 megawatts. For comparison, a 500-megawatt SMR has the same capacity as the first large-scale reactor in Oskarshamn, Sweden.

First Swedish nuclear construction project in over 40 years

Furthermore, the company is also exploring possibilities to build an additional 1,000 MW at the adjacent site where Ringhals 1 and 2 currently stand, but that would be a future project.

This is another step toward the first Swedish nuclear construction project in over 40 years. Our goal is a successful project on the Väröhalvön peninsula, and by that we mean there are conditions to become operational within reasonable time and budget at the site we have available, says Borg in a press release.

The goal is for new nuclear power to be operational by the mid-2030s.

Rejecting boys – Swedish women on sex-selective abortions

Published 22 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Women testify about aborting male fetuses – and then lying about having miscarriages.
2 minute read

Several women testify that they have had repeated abortions to have children of their desired sex. In closed Facebook groups, women share their experiences of how they rejected fetuses that don’t match their dream image.

Sofia had three sons when she became pregnant for the fourth time. With the help of a so-called NIPT test, she received information about the fetus’s sex as early as week ten. The answer crushed her.

— It was a boy and my whole world fell apart, says Sofia, who chose to remain anonymous, to Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT News.

Together with her husband, she had already made the decision: if it was another boy, they would terminate the pregnancy. The dream of having a daughter was so strong that it took over everything else.

— It was right. I knew I wouldn’t be whole otherwise, says Sofia.

— It hurts so much when others have girls. This is so strong that it overrides everything else, she continues.

Had two abortions – then went abroad

Sofia underwent a total of two abortions before she and her husband finally chose another path. They went abroad for IVF treatment with sex selection – something that is not permitted in Sweden except in exceptional cases involving hereditary diseases.

— If it had been legal in Sweden, it wouldn’t have had to go this far, she claims.

Sven-Eric Söder, chairman of Sweden’s National Council on Medical Ethics, is clear about where the line is drawn according to Swedish legislation.

— There is a possibility if parents carry a hereditary disease. We have legislation, and I think it is ethically correct that we don’t choose characteristics of our children, he says.

Facebook groups reveal the extent

Sofia is far from alone. In closed Facebook groups that focus on sex selection, women openly share their experiences of sex-selective abortions and testify to an extremely strong desire to have a daughter.

“Unfortunately got the answer at the beginning of the week that it was a boy (have two from before). Even before the answer came, my partner and I agreed that we would have an abortion if that was the case. So today I had a surgical abortion, was at week 12+0. Feel so guilty toward the little baby in my belly…” writes one woman.

Another tells: “I’m also not good at lying, but I have had an abortion because I was expecting a boy and called it a miscarriage to those around me”.

“I have had an abortion for the same reason as you… However, it’s so tough and I can still feel anxiety toward the fetus in hindsight”, reads another post.

According to current Swedish abortion legislation, women have the right to free abortion until the end of pregnancy week 18. The woman does not need to state any reason for the abortion. After week 18, permission from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) is required, which is only granted if there are special circumstances.

Surströmming – a fragrant tradition

Published 21 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Surströmming's stinking saga – from salt shortage to world fame!
4 minute read

The third Thursday in August traditionally marks the premiere for eating the Swedish – strongly fragrant – dish surströmming. The fermented fish, which is both hated and loved by Swedes, has a long tradition – particularly in Norrland (northern Sweden).

Fermentation is one of humanity’s oldest methods for treating and preserving food. In Sweden, for example, archaeological finds from fermentation facilities in southern Sweden have been discovered that are 9,000 years old.

Fermenting fish specifically was something that was very common primarily in the northern and western parts of Sweden, writes Levande historia. As early as 1572, fermented fish is mentioned, and the oldest evidence for the word surströmming is from 1732. It was naturally common to make fermented fish from herring, but other types of fish were also used: roach, perch, as well as whitefish, trout and char.

Even though surströmming has a very special odor, “sur” (sour) doesn’t mean it’s spoiled or rotten, but simply that it’s acidified.

Salted and fermented herring

Salting was also a common way to preserve fish. The difference between salting and fermenting is precisely the amount of salt, but also fermentation. When making salted herring, you use a high amount of salt that prevents bacteria in the fish from fermenting and thus preserves it. With surströmming, you instead use a lower amount of salt and let the bacteria ferment.

Gustav Vasa’s salt shortage

During the 16th century, Sweden was hit by a salt shortage because the then-king Gustav Vasa allegedly mismanaged his credits with trading partner Lübeck, something that Surströmming Academy writes about. As punishment for this, salt deliveries to Sweden were cut off. This in turn led to a marked increase in the production of fermented fish and surströmming because less salt was required.

Even during the 18th century, Sweden was hit by another salt shortage due to discord with England. The salt shortage led to less production of salted herring, and more surströmming.

Birch bark and barrels

To produce surströmming, the fish was first cleaned, then lightly salted in a barrel and covered with birch bark. The barrel was closed with a tight lid. There is evidence that the barrel was often buried and the fermentation process allowed to take place this way, which has led to the fish sometimes being called “grave fish”. Otherwise, the barrels were often stored in a lakeside shed. The fish fermented during the summer and was then eaten in the fall.

Surströmming premiere at restaurant Tennstopet in 1950. Photo: Gunnar Lantz

From everyday food to delicacy

Surströmming was common everyday food in the past and was often eaten by simple and poor households, primarily along the Norrland coast (northern Sweden’s coastline). Originally, surströmming was sold in the barrels it was made in or in open vessels, but during Sweden’s industrialization, the fish began to be sold in canned form.

During the latter part of the 20th century, Swedes began to regard surströmming as a delicacy. In 1940, it was legislated that the surströmming premiere should be the third Thursday in August. This was because authorities wanted to ensure that the fish had fermented sufficiently before it was sold and eaten by the public. The law remained until 1988, but despite this, the tradition of the surströmming premiere lives on primarily in the northern parts of Sweden.

Ulvön island is often called the island of surströmming because it was the place where the fish began to be produced in larger volumes. Today, no industrial production of surströmming takes place on the island, but the spirit of surströmming lives on among the population. In 1999, for example, the Surströmming Academy was founded to maintain the culture. Today there is a museum and the surströmming premiere is a traditional highlight on the island.

Traditional celebrations also exist in other cities. Today there are nine salteries that produce surströmming in Sweden.

Today, half of all surströmming is consumed north of the Dalälven river and the other half south of the river, particularly in Stockholm, Sweden. More than half of those who eat surströmming do so only once a year.

Schnapps is part of it

Eating surströmming is a festive occasion where family and friends gather to eat the fermented fish. It’s a tradition that lives on and not much has changed regarding how it’s eaten.

Due to the strong smell, it’s recommended to open it outdoors, but this wasn’t done in the past. Then you weren’t a “real surströmming eater,” according to stories recorded by the Institute for Language and Folklore.

You opened the lid and the good ‘whiff’ was allowed to spread. Then you take the surströmming directly from the can and eat it like that”, told Karin Wedin (born 1884), Per Perssson (born 1891) and Anders Liiv (born 1881) in Hedesunda and Valbo, Gästrikland in 1973 (Isof Uppsala, ULMA 29063).

After chewing the surströmming directly from the can, it was also common to eat it with accompaniments. These accompaniments are still eaten today and consist of boiled almond potatoes, flatbread, chopped onion and sour cream. Often the surströmming is placed on the flatbread together with the accompaniments, but you can also make a so-called surströmming sandwich where you also butter the bread and fold it together into a sandwich.

It’s often served with schnapps, but also beer, something that also lives on from the past.

You drink schnapps the whole time. It’s said that real surströmming lovers eat up to twenty herrings”, the same storytellers as above have testified.

Classic serving of surströmming. Photo: Robert Anders/CC BY 2.0

“Surströmming Challenge”

During the 2010s, surströmming reached foreign shores, not because of its delicacy status in Sweden – but because of its “stinking” character. On social media, under the hashtag “stinkyfishchallenge”, it became popular for people to film themselves both opening surströmming cans and eating it.

The viral spread has made surströmming more famous in Swedish food culture and attracts food enthusiasts as well as tourists to surströmming events.

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