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 Foto: Anna Yu |
Christmas at Skansen
Christmas at Skansen is a whole month of events and celebrations - from the opening up of the first Christmas market until the fireworks at New Year´s Eve.
Christmas 2009
This year the traditional Christmas Market will be held on the weekends of 28-29 November, 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20 of December. On the market there will be crowded with stalls selling traditional sausages, cheeses, handicrafts, spices and essences, Christmas decorations, embroidery, leather goods, Skansen's own handmade mustard, glass, bread and cakes, hand-knitted mittens, sugared almonds, tallows, honey, marzipan, crisp bread, smoked turkey, jams and marmalades, candy, children's books and masses of other irresistible items! There will be craft demonstrations and live music in the buildings where the tables also are set for Christmas dinner. Young and old can participate in the dancing games around the Christmas tree and make their own Christmas decorations.
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Lucia is a popular festival in Sweden. Lucia, dressed in white and with a crown of candles in her hair, sings the Lucia song and serves coffee, buns and gingersnaps. We revive a typical Lucia celebration from the 1920's at the Temperance Hall during the day, and in the afternoon Sweden´s Lucia makes an appearance at the Solliden stage with her attendants before leaving for the Kungsträdgården.
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In several of the Skansen houses and farmsteads, christmas and coffee tables stand waiting and christmas trees have been decorated, illustrating the Yuletide customs of days gone by. Several of the traditional courses on the christmas table are still a part of present-day celebrations.
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For the children, too, there are all sorts of things to do. Join the ring-dance round the Christmas tree and learn more about Swedish games and songs and dances.
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Fire and ice is the theme for the vinter solstice festival that takes place on the 19-20 December. There will be ice sculptors and fire artists working on the Solliden square, an ice bar, charcoal grills fuming, sami dance performance and music composed for the occasion.
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Every New Year's Eve since 1895, Tennyson's Ring Out Wild Bells has been recited at Skansen by a well-known Swede on the stroke of midnight. The Skansen New Year celebrations attract visitors by the thousand and are telecast live. The programme starts at about 23:15 with music and entertainment.
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For more details on the Christmas program see the calender for daily events. The calender for December is available from October and events will be added throughout the whole autumn.