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CHRISTMAS

Swedish word of the day: julgransplundring

The word 'julgransplundring' introduces you to one of Sweden's surprising winter traditions.

Swedish word of the day: julgransplundring
January 13th marks the end of the Swedish Christmas season. Image: nito103/Depositphotos

January 13th is officially the 20th and final day of Swedish Christmas. 

It's traditionally marked with the julgransplundring or 'Christmas Tree plundering', which marks the end of the festive season. Alternative names are julgransskakning (literally 'Christmas tree shaking) or Knutsfest (St Knut's Day). Read more about the history of the date in the article below:

The celebrations, which have remained mostly the same since the late 1800s, typically start with a last dance around the tree, perhaps with a song, before removing the decorations.

That means that if you've had the willpower to make them last this long, it's finally time to eat the chocolate decorations and candy canes from the tree, and to smash and eat any gingerbread houses.

There are usually a few games and songs, especially 1901 favourite Raska fötter springa tripp, tripp, tripp (quick footsteps running, tap tap tap) which is about the end of the holiday season.

Then, the tree is taken away.

In centuries gone by, Swedes would toss them straight out of the window onto the street, but it's important to note that this messy and not so environmentally-friendly technique isn't the done thing any more. Instead, you should take them to the designated area in your local authority. If in doubt, check with your landlord or the head of your tenant-owners association (BRF).

Didn't have your own tree this year, or have a fake one that just needs to be put into storage? There still might be a chance to join in with the song and dance at a public julgransplundring, for example at Stockholm's Nordic Museum which hosts them each year, or at the Christmas trees located in some town squares.

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SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: omgående

The meaning of this word may not be immediately obvious, but it's useful once you know how to use it.

Swedish word of the day: omgående

Omgående is a Swedish word which originally comes from the German word umgehend. Both terms mean ‘immediately’, in English.

Umgehend in turn comes from the German verb umgehen, which means to avoid, bypass or go around something. This has been imported into Swedish, too, as undgå (avoid). 

It’s possible omgående in the sense of ‘immediately’ in Swedish comes from the German phrase mit umgehender Post, which literally meant ‘with post that turns around’, which essentially meant a letter which was to be sent back as soon as possible.

This was translated as med omgående post in Swedish. This exact phrase has fallen out of usage – Swedes don’t send that many letters anymore, and anyone wishing to get a message across immediately would probably not send it via post anyway – although the word omgående is still used in official or formal settings.

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It’s often used when talking about some kind of action or measure which should be taken, like det kräver omgående åtgärder (it requires immediate measures) or lämna in handlingarna omgående (hand in the documents immediately).

It’s also commonly seen in job advertisements, either encouraging a potential applicant to apply immediately, or to inform them that the company is looking for someone who can start as soon as possible.

In a less formal situation, such as if you were telling a friend that you were about to get on the bus, something like strax would be a better choice.

Omgående also exists in Danish and Norwegian, where it has the same meaning.

Example sentences:

Vi söker en ny säljare. Start omgående!

We’re looking for a new salesperson. Start immediately!

Polisen vill prata med dig omgående.

The police want to talk to you straight away.

Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is available to order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon USAmazon UKBokus or Adlibris.

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