SWEA Boston - Swedish Yuletide

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Swedish Owned & Operated
West Dover, VT
800-745-3615

The SWEA Christmas Fair and Holiday Celebration

Lucia

December 6, 2008 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lucia processions at 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Cyclorama, Boston Center of the Arts
539 Tremont Street, Boston
Admission: Adults $7, children $1
Proceeds go toward scholarships and local charities.

Special Exhibition: Swedish Innovations


Dynamite	Pacemaker

Tetra Pak	Hasselblad Camera

A Genuine Swedish Christmas Tradition

Swedish Innovations

What is Lucia?

Kaffestugan - The Swedish Café

Parking

Sponsors

Christmas in Sweden is a special time of year. The weather might be cold and gloomy with not much daylight, but the Swedes remain in good cheer by beginning celebrations with the start of Advent, four Sundays before Christmas. One candle is lit every Sunday to mark the coming holiday. Or by attending a Lucia procession on December 13. Known as the Queen of Light, Lucia wears a white dress with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head brings the promise of light for the upcoming holidays with her young entourage.

Since 1985, SWEA Boston has hosted Swedish Yuletide to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season with foods, crafts, gifts, Swedish cafés, musical entertainment, and activities for children. The event attracts thousands of visitors every year and is the largest Scandinavian event in New England.

Swedish Yuletide offers a smorgasbord of both traditional and contemporary Sweden. Visitors can enjoy Nordic style sandwiches, Swedish meatballs and waffles in the many cafés and, of course, glögg, the hot spicy beverage of the season. Unique gifts and designs are available to view or purchase through SWEA and the many vendors, such as home accessories, clothing, jewelry, Sami crafts, books and other extraordinary gifts. Foods and baked goods are also available to bring home.

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Zipper

This year's exhibit will highlight some of the many inventions stemming from Sweden. Most known may be Alfred Nobel's dynamite that together with his more than 300 patents funds the Nobel Prize awards, but the zipper, computer mouse and much more hail from Sweden. The first implantable pacemaker was produced in Sweden fifty years ago and St. Jude Medical in Minnesota is providing a display of the evolvement of the lifesaving device - "hockey puck to chip."

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Lucia

Lucia is the celebration that takes place in Sweden during the year's darkest day, on December 13 - the darkest day according to the old calendar, i.e. before 1753.

Lucia, the Queen of Light, wears a white dress with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head. She leads a procession called "Luciatåg" where she is accompanied by several attendants, also dressed in white with candles in their hands. They perform Lucia songs and bring coffee, ginger breads and saffron buns. But most importantly, they bring light amid the long and dark winter. To many, the highlight of Swedish Yuletide is the traditional Lucia procession.

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Swedish Yuletide also offers traditional, delicious foods - visitors can enjoy Swedish meatballs, shrimp and salmon sandwiches, cakes and waffles in several cafés, and, of course, glögg, the hot spicy drink of the season. These foods and baked goods will be served but also available for purchase to bring home.

Open-face sandwiches with mounds of delicious Swedish shrimp, smoked salmon and more.

The "Våffelstuga" features freshly baked, heart-shaped waffles with jam and whipped cream.

And of course all the foods, pastries, cookies, cakes and Swedish coffee (from Gevalia) that you can imagine!

Back Bay Station Garage

Copley Square Parking

E.Berkeley/Shawmut

MBTA Station/Commuter Rail: Back Bay Station

Also see map below with Boston Center for the Arts (BCA)
Karta