What is typically Swedish? Page 2 of 4
26. You know in which year the Olympic Games were in Stockholm
1912
27. You consider it completely normal that every Easter, children dressed as påskkärringar (Easter-witches) knock on your door to trade a colorful piece of paper against candy
28. When you write a date, you start with the year followed by the month and then the day: August 23rd 2015 is written 150814 in Sweden
29. Until just a while ago you were still allowed to use your mobile phone while driving
This was originally number 29, since there is a new law that doesn’t allow you to do so anymore, there is space for a new 29. Send me your suggestion to matthias (at) hejsweden.com
30. You find it completely normal that people can find out your date of birth publicly on the web. The only thing they need to know is your name and city of residence
www.birthday.se
31. When you are in the elevator and want it to go to the first floor, you obviously push the “2”
32. You believe you’re very skilled throwing rounded wooden sticks at square-edged ones while holding a bottle of beer or cider your left hand. Swedes call this kubb
33. Köttbullar
And you don’t pronounce it right. It’s shoetbuellaer, or so.
Just check out the vid below. The IKEA-woman from Sweden does a much better job…
34. Plenty of kombis (estate wagons) on the streets and parking lots in front of local supermarkets – most of them being Volvos, of course
35. You have been watching “Allsång på Skansen” with your family or friends and felt the urge to sing along
36. Already on the flight to your holiday destination you open the first bottle of wine or beer. Justifying it with the words det är ju semester, “after all it’s holiday”
37. Your folders have a weird locking system (reminding on crocodile teeth)
38. Last July you have been working fewer days than being on vacation. Makes sense, since perceived 90% of the whole Swedish population is out trying to enjoy the sun during this month – so there’s no one to actually work with
39. Röda stugor with vita knutor, red (little) houses with white wooden beams
40. When you’re in a café and don’t pay any tipp, your waiter won’t punish you with an angry look
41. Talking to a taxi driver, politician or professor: simply address everyone by their first name
Only exception: the royal family
42. In your kitchen drawer, you have at least one osthyvel, cheese slicer
43. Kanelbullar, cinnamon buns, a pastrythat is considered so important by the Swedish people that they dedicate one day each year to celebrate its existence – October 4th
44. Each year, on December 13th, you go to church to watch how Swedish girls balance candles on their head, trying hard not to get hot wax in their hair. Often with little success
Santa Lucia
45. You get slightly bad conscious when you drink alcohol during the week.
(When you don’t drink any alcohol on the weekend, you get bad conscious, too.)
Swedes and alcohol – about drinking in Sweden
46. To eat a piece of cake, you choose a little spoon over a fork
47. You find it rather difficult to pronounce the Swedish word for Switzerland – Schweiz – correctly. Instead saying “Shwejz” you say “Zwejjtsh”
48. Every time you eat chokladbollar with a person from another country, you feel urged to explain how they were originally called back when you were a child
49. Every Easter you built a kind of candy-grenate by putting lots of lösgodis, loose candy, into a colorful cardboard egg. Then you give it to loved ones, to make them gain more weight (than you)
50. To obey your thirst, you don’t drink water out of the bottle. Nope, you count on the clarity of fresh tab water. Before you start filling the glas you make sure to let the first drips from the tab go down the sink
Here back to…
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