The celebration of Midsummer Eve or Sankt Hans was from ancient times linked to the summer solstice and was supposedly a night of magic. It varies from country to country when it's celebrated. The Danish and Norwegian celebration takes place on the evening of 23 June. The Swedish celebration used to be on the same day but are now moved to Friday Night between the 19 June and 26 June. The best...
Read moreTag: Scandinavian Celebrations
Svenska Flaggans Dag
It is Swedish National Day today, Hipp Hipp Hurra! Since 6th of June 1983 the Swedish people has been celebrating a official National Day. On that very same day a Swedish National Costume was introduced by HRH Queen Silvia of Sweden. Although the costume was in existence since the 1900s, it was not accepted as a National Costume until this day. If you feel like celebrating you should try out a...
Read moreHappy Valborg
As it's Valborgsaften (Walpurgis Night) bonfires are being lid all over Sweden and Finland tonight. According to old Scandinavian traditions also the night when witches meet on the mountain and hold revels with their gods..." Happy Valborg - Happy Spring!
Read moreScandinavian Easter traditions
Today many Scandinavians regards Easter as an extended weekend during which they have a chance to meet spring head on with lots of tulips, birch twigs and delicious food and sweets. Historically the Easter week, starting with Palm Sunday, was a time of great religious significance with an air of solemnity about it. Weddings and christenings were not considered appropriate, all places of...
Read moreFastelavn, the Sunday before lent
Fastelavn in Scandinavia will be celebrated, depending on the country, either today or on Tuesday. We celebrate with three important traditions; carnival, rich food and with decorating our homes with fastelavnsris, shown in the picture to the left. During the period of carnival all nurseries and schools in Scandinavia celebrate in one way or the other. The youngest children have a day of...
Read moreHappy New Year
We think that this is the day to reflect on the last year events and to start looking forward to the coming! Little Scandinavian have had a wonderful year with lots of new friends and exciting collaborations. We have had the pleasure of introducing brand new designers and companies for children's design and fashion to the British market as well as watching existing labels grow and flourish. We...
Read moreThe Scandinavian Christmas tree
It's still the tradition for Scandinavians that they would wait until the very end before they find their Christmas tree, bring it home and have it decorated. Except the Norwegian Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square in London that was already lit on the 2nd of December this year. In our family we usually go out all together on the 22nd of December and carefully select our Christmas tree and bring...
Read moreSaint Lucy’s Day in London
Every year, kids and adults join in what is also known as the festival of light Saint Lucy's Day the 13th of December, a very special day in the Scandinavian calendar. Originally, St Lucia celebrated "the bearer of light" and that is still very much what we celebrate today. This timing, and her name meaning light, is a factor in the particular devotion to St. Lucy in Scandinavian countries, where...
Read moreA midsummer’s night dream – Tina Wodstrup
Did you know that in Scandinavia we celebrate Midsummer - St.Hans with gathering around huge bonfires and singing traditional songs? The night of St. Hans was supposedly a night of magic. If, for instance, a young girl picked seven flowers and put them under her pillow, she would dream of her future husband. Read more about St Hans here norway.org Danish designer Tina Wodstrup has since 2004...
Read moreHappy New Year!
Picture to the left shows my family holiday home in Norway. It was taken yesterday afternoon, in not less than -28 degrees. Wanted to share it with you, as this would be the place we would have celebrated New Years Eve if were in Norway. New Year's Eve in Norway is a big celebration. Many city people will travel to their holiday homes, often located in the mountains, so Oslo and other cities can...
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