Påskkärringar — The Easter Witches
The most distinctive Swedish Easter tradition is påskkärringar (Easter witches). On the Thursday or Saturday before Easter, children dress up as witches — headscarves, long skirts, painted red cheeks, freckles — and go door to door in their neighbourhood carrying a copper kettle or basket. They leave a hand-drawn card or small decorated twig and receive sweets in return.
The tradition references Swedish folk belief that witches flew to Blåkulla (the Blue Mountain) on the Thursday before Easter to consort with the Devil. In earlier centuries, bonfires were lit on Easter Eve to ward off witches — a practice still observed in western Sweden, particularly in
Påskris — Feathered Twigs
Påskris (Easter twigs) are birch branches decorated with brightly coloured feathers — traditionally in yellow, orange, pink, and green. They are placed in vases in Swedish homes as an Easter decoration, marking the transition from winter to spring. The tradition has pre-Christian roots as a symbol of renewal and was once associated with the practice of gently switching people with birch twigs on Good Friday (a practice that has, understandably, fallen out of fashion).
Easter Food and Drink
Swedish Easter food centres on eggs, herring, and lamb:
- Eggs — Hard-boiled, dyed, and painted. Egg halves filled with stenbitsrom (lumpfish roe) and crème fraîche are a classic påsk appetiser
- Herring — A herring spread appears at every Easter table, much as at
and the - Lamb — Roast lamb is the main course for Easter Sunday dinner, often with roasted root vegetables and a creamy potato gratin (potatisgratäng (potato gratin))
- Påskmust (Easter soda) — Identical to julmust (the beloved Christmas soda) but sold in Easter packaging. Swedes consume roughly 6 million litres of must at Easter. The debate over whether påskmust and julmust are the same drink is technically settled (they are) but emotionally unresolved
- Candy — Easter eggs (påskägg (Easter eggs)) — large, hollow cardboard eggs filled with
(lösgodis) — are the season's essential purchase. Swedes spend hundreds of millions of kronor on Easter candy, and pick-and-mix counters see their busiest period outside Christmas
The Holiday Weekend
Easter is one of Sweden's longest public holiday periods. Most Swedes take off from Thursday (skärtorsdag, Maundy Thursday) through Monday (annandag påsk, Easter Monday), creating a five-day break. Many head to country cottages or take the first outdoor excursions of spring. The weather is unpredictable — snow, sunshine, and sleet can all feature — but the optimism is resolute.
Good Friday (långfredag (Good Friday)) is a quiet day. Traditionally, Swedes avoided entertainment and ate simple food. This solemn tone has largely faded, but langfredag remains a public holiday and many shops close or reduce hours.
Easter Sunday is typically spent at home with family, eating lamb, opening Easter eggs, and enjoying the season's last semlor (the cream-filled
Next: Valborg — Sweden's fire-and-song welcome to spring, or Midsommar for summer's great celebration.