Mother’s parents emigrated from Sweden in the early part of
the 20th century.
These are the Swedish/Canadian Christmas customs passed on
to their family . . .
Preparation for Christmas began quite some time before the
day.
Lutfisk and herring were ordered early. Lutefisk—cod cured
in a lye (sodium hydroxide) solution—was bought tightly packed in a wooden box.
It did not require refrigeration, though detractors felt that its smell and
texture might have been improved by this practice.
Whole herring (Sill
in Swedish) was cured in brine and was available in wooden pails about a
half-gallon in size.
Several weeks before Christmas, Mama would fillet the
herring, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and store them in vinegar with chopped
onions, cucumber pickles, dill and cloves—delicious!
Roll mops of today, approximate Sill but do not equal its favour.
Mama also prepared large quantities of several kinds of
Swedish cookies, fruit cake, special breads and cinnamon buns.
About a week before Christmas, Papa bought a spruce tree in
Duchess or Brooks. There were no native evergreens on the prairie where we
lived. We set the tree up in the living room and decorated it with ornaments,
ribbons and real candles (although they were never lit for fear of fire).
Of course, Santa Claus brought the presents. We began to
suspect that Santa had some help when large parcels arrived from Eaton’s via
the mail train. After school, we brought these parcels home but we never saw
them opened. They were whisked into the parlor which was out of bounds with the
doors closed for a month of more before Christmas. Papa would sequester himself
in the parlor for a day or two before Christmas, engaged in some mysterious
activity.
Tomorrow Christmas Eve, Swedish style.
Tomorrow Christmas Eve, Swedish style.
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So sweet. Both my grandparents were Swedish so some of your memories, especially eating herring, are very similiar.
ReplyDeleteHooray for Christmas traditions. And memories. Good luck with Daughter of Ishmael. Off to vote.
ReplyDeleteDone!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete