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SWEDISH TRADITIONS

Why do Swedes always eat waffles on March 25th?

Swedes tuck into waffles on March 25th in celebration of national Waffle Day (Våffeldagen), but did you know that the whole tradition is the result of a mispronunciation?

Published: 25 March 2014 11:17 CET
Updated: 25 March 2024 06:57 CET
Why do Swedes always eat waffles on March 25th?
Swedish waffles are served with cream and jam. Photo: Bertil Ericson/Scanpix

March 25th marks Våffeldagen in Sweden, where people celebrate by enjoying a waffle in all its crispy glory. In Sweden, the waffles are often enjoyed with cream and jam, with berries, or sometimes plain with no topping at all.

But forgive us, we’re waffling on. 

The interesting thing about Waffle Day is how the tradition came about. It wasn’t always a dessert-themed day, previously having a holier but less delicious meaning.

Instead of Våffeldagen, the day was known as “Vårfrudagen” (Our Lady Day), a celebration of the day the angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her she would give birth to Jesus, according to Catholic doctrine.

The Swedish name Vårfrudagen sounds so similar to Våffeldagen (especially if you have a mouthful of waffle) that Swedes went with it.

Really, it’s no surprise.

Sweden is very proud of its baked goods and never passes up a chance to honour them (and give a boost to the patisserie industry) with a national day. In February, it’s semla day where the entire country goes bananas for massive creamy buns, while October 4th is the day for celebrating the cinnamon bun. 

Member comments

  1. A minor correction: Vårfrugagen (March 25) celebrates the feast of the Annunciation. It commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus. Mary’s (immaculate) conception is celebrated on December 8 and commemorates the belief that Mary was born free of original sin.

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FOOD AND DRINK

OPINION: Are tips in Sweden becoming the norm?

Should you tip in Sweden? Habits are changing fast thanks to new technology and a hard-pressed restaurant trade, writes James Savage.

Published: 5 April 2024 13:59 CEST
OPINION: Are tips in Sweden becoming the norm?

The Local’s guide to tipping in Sweden is clear: tip for good service if you want to, but don’t feel the pressure: where servers in the US, for instance, rely on tips to live, waiters in Sweden have collectively bargained salaries with long vacations and generous benefits. 

But there are signs that this is changing, and the change is being accelerated by card machines. Now, many machines offer three preset gratuity percentages, usually starting with five percent and going up to fifteen or twenty. Previously they just asked the customer to fill in the total amount they wanted to pay.

This subtle change to a user interface sends a not-so-subtle message to customers: that tipping is expected and that most people are probably doing it. The button for not tipping is either a large-lettered ‘No Tip’ or a more subtle ‘Fortsätt’ or ‘Continue’ (it turns out you can continue without selecting a tip amount, but it’s not immediately clear to the user). 

I’ll confess, when I was first presented with this I was mildly irked: I usually tip if I’ve had table service, but waiting staff are treated as professionals and paid properly, guaranteed by deals with unions; menu prices are correspondingly high. The tip was a genuine token of appreciation.

But when I tweeted something to this effect (a tweet that went strangely viral), the responses I got made me think. Many people pointed out that the restaurant trade in Sweden is under enormous pressure, with rising costs, the after-effects of Covid and difficulties recruiting. And as Sweden has become more cosmopolitain, adding ten percent to the bill comes naturally to many.

Boulebar, a restaurant and bar chain with branches around Sweden and Denmark, had a longstanding policy of not accepting tips at all, reasoning that they were outdated and put diners in an uncomfortable position. But in 2021 CEO Henrik Kruse decided to change tack:

“It was a purely financial decision. We were under pressure due to Covid, and we had to keep wages down, so bringing back tips was the solution,” he said, adding that he has a collective agreement and staff also get a union bargained salary, before tips.

Yet for Kruse the new machines, with their pre-set tipping percentages, take things too far:

“We don’t use it, because it makes it even clearer that you’re asking for money. The guest should feel free not to tip. It’s more important for us that the guest feels free to tell people they’re satisfied.”

But for those restaurants that have adopted the new interfaces, the effect has been dramatic. Card processing company Kassacentralen, which was one of the first to launch this feature in Sweden, told Svenska Dagbladet this week that the feature had led to tips for the average establishment doubling, with some places seeing them rise six-fold.

Even unions are relaxed about tipping these days, perhaps understanding that they’re a significant extra income for their members. Union representatives have often in the past spoken out against tipping, arguing that the practice is demeaning to staff and that tips were spread unevenly, with staff in cafés or fast food joints getting nothing at all. But when I called the Swedish Hotel and Restaurant Union (HRF), a spokesman said that the union had no view on the practice, and it was a matter for staff, business owners and customers to decide.

So is tipping now expected in Sweden? The old advice probably still stands; waiters are still not as reliant on tips as staff in many other countries, so a lavish tip is not necessary. But as Swedes start to tip more generously, you might stick out if you leave nothing at all.

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