This website uses cookies. You can select what type of cookies to allow. Read more about cookies and what they are used for.
Accept all Only critical
12 Dec 2024, 6.00 PM
In Sweden, the countdown to Christmas is almost as important as the holiday itself! We decorate our houses abundantly, light one Advent candle each Sunday, and celebrate the coming of Christmas with glögg (glühwein) and pepparkakor (ginger cookies). The arrival of Lucia, early dawn of the 13th December, brings families together to watch the kids Lucia performances at daycare centres and schools, or enjoying the nationally televised Lucia choir. It’s also celebrated at offices – if Lucia herself doesn’t show up in her white clad, you can be sure to find a lussebulle (saffron bun) with your morning fika!
To share some of these lovely traditions, we invite you to the traditional lighting of the Christmas lights in the Swedish Christmas Tree at Lange Voorhout (in front of Museum Escher in Het Paleis) in The Hague.
Together with our longstanding partners BuurtschapCentrum2005, Denneweg The Hague and Museum Escher in het Paleis, and in cooperation with The Hague Municipality, the Lighting ceremony starts at 18:00 (a warming Glühwein is sold). At 18:30, the Mayor (or Deputy Mayor), the Ambassador of Sweden and the chairman of the BuurtschapCentrum2005, Theo Heere, jointly light the Christmas lights in the Swedish Christmas Tree.
At 18:35 ca, a Lucia choir from Sweden performs (ca 15 minutes). This year, we have the honour to receive “Svenska Högtidskören”, a choir of Swedish students that live and study in the Netherlands. A great example of the good relations our two countries have!
Read more about the tradition of the Swedish Christmas tree in The Hague.
Read more about Lucia traditions in Sweden here.
Listen to some famous Lucia songs here.
Sweden has diplomatic relations with almost all States in the world. It has embassies and consulates in around half of these. Sweden's foreign representation consists of approximately 100 missions abroad and 350 honorary consulates.