Swedish customs and etiquette
The Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige), referred to as "Sweden", is a country located in Scandinavia, one of the five Nordic countries, with Stockholm as its capital. It borders Norway to the west, Finland to the northeast, the Skagerrak Strait and the Kattegat Strait to the southwest, and the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia to the east. Sweden faces Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia across the sea. It has a coastline of 7624 kilometers and a total area of about 450,000 square kilometers. It is the largest country in Northern Europe.
From 1611 to 1718, it became one of the European powers and declared neutrality in both world wars. It was a permanent neutral country. Due to the cold climate, the proportion of agriculture is small. Industries are developed and diverse. Sweden has its own aviation industry, nuclear industry, automobile manufacturing industry, advanced military industry, as well as the world's leading telecommunications and medical research capabilities. Sweden also leads the world in software development, microelectronics, telecommunications and photonics. Sweden is Europe's largest exporter of iron ore. In proportion to its population, Sweden has the largest number of multinational companies in the world.
Sweden is a highly developed capitalist country and a member of the European Union. It is regarded as having a social liberal tendency and a strong pursuit of equality. It has established many social welfare systems and is usually among the top in the United Nations Development Program's Human Development Index. It has 15 world cultural heritage sites, with a forest coverage rate of 54%.
Swedish is the official language of Sweden. Sweden has a long distance from north to south, so there are different dialects in various places. The language of Stockholm is the standard language of Sweden. English is a compulsory course in Swedish schools, and most Swedes born after the 1940s can speak English. English and Swedish are the common business languages. Sweden's Finnish-speaking population mainly lives in large cities such as Stockholm and Gothenburg.
Christian Lutheranism is the state religion of Sweden. The king believed in the state religion. The law stipulates that citizens who are not believers in the state religion are not allowed to serve as prime minister. The Swedish Church enjoys privileges in the country, and the King is the supreme head of the Church and has the power to appoint archbishops and bishops on a three-person list recommended by the Synod. The state collects church taxes, which are used by the Swedish Church for civil expenses.
Sweden's folk customs are colorful, covering all aspects of food, clothing, wearing and etiquette; Sweden is a country with a large contrast between north and south. In the north, forests gradually disappear into frozen land, where traditions and customs have a deep influence; in the south, where the climate is milder and the soil is more fertile, customs and habits of continental Europe are basically popular.
There are many legends in Swedes 'daily life: for example, the legend of hunting tells the story of how magic turns people into wild animals. People think that it will be bad luck to see a hare early in the morning, but if you encounter a wolf or bear, it will be a good sign, because it will signal a smooth hunting.
Swedes have high cultural quality, hospitality, simplicity and honesty, civilized conversation, rules of conduct, and punctuality. Swedes attach great importance to environmental protection, love flowers, birds and other wild animals, and love nature. Employees enjoy 5 weeks of statutory paid leave every year, work 5 days a week, and work a total of 1500 hours throughout the year. People like to use their spare time to carry out wild activities, hike in forests and fields, pick blueberries, and go swimming, boating, and fishing in seas and lakes. In the summer, when the days and nights are short, people travel at home and abroad. Sweden has become one of the countries with the largest number of tourists in the world. Sports activities are a hobby for Swedes.
Swedes will take the initiative to say hello and greet each other when they meet acquaintances. When meeting foreign guests, they usually shake hands and sometimes kiss. Under normal circumstances, people who do not know each other must be introduced when they first interact. The principle of introduction is to introduce men to women and young people to elderly people. When talking to people, Swedes generally keep a distance of about 1.2 meters because they are not used to getting too close. They like to look each other directly in the eye during conversation, believing it to be a sign of respect for each other.
Swedish men wear a short jacket and vest on the upper body and tight pants on the lower body. Girls generally do not wear hats, while married women wear different styles of head hats. On formal ceremonial occasions, men usually wear suits and shoes with a long coat; women usually wear suits and jackets with short skirts, or wear long-sleeved dresses with low cuts and shoulders.
Swedes mainly eat Western food. Bread and potatoes are their staple foods, among which they especially like black bread. Most people's breakfast is bread, coffee, and black tea with jam and cream; lunch includes bread, meat, vegetables, potatoes, salad, etc.; dinner is similar to breakfast food, with only one soup added. Swedes also like to eat Chinese food, such as various cold dishes, peanut kernels, braised cabbage with ham, braised fish, crispy duck, hot and sour sea cucumber, shredded pork and pickled mustard soup, steamed dumplings, rolls, shortcakes, etc., and are particularly interested in Cantonese food with ham. Swedes like fresh, tender, smooth and burnt dishes very much, but the taste is heavy, and the salinity of the food and the sweetness of desserts are often high. I love to eat lean meat and fresh vegetables, and I like to drink thick soup. Its dishes are basically fish, including herring and mackerel. They also eat chicken, eggs, beef, pork, game and other aquatic products. Swedes have a unique eating habit, which is to eat a fixed dish every day. For example, Thursday's dish is "Aitaru, Mead, Fraske", which uses beans and pork as the main ingredients. "Silubula" is a Monday dish with beef and herring as the main ingredient. They also have a representative way of eating, which is to place dozens of dishes on a large table and divide them according to their preferences. The cooking quality of the dishes is only medium, which is called a "pirate seat."
In the Swedish countryside, at every large-scale gathering, villagers often place all the dishes on a long table. Guests can "take what they need" according to their own tastes. Such banquets are generally arranged in the evening. Guests invited to dinner must present a bouquet of flowers to the hostess after entering the room on time. There is a set of rules when dining. When participating in a banquet hosted by the Swedes, you must sit in the seat order arranged by the host, and at the same time, you must pay attention to helping the female partner next to the seat sit down. Don't make noise while eating. Be sure to wait until your host, senior person or someone above your level toasts you before you toast them.
Swedish weddings have two forms: religious weddings and non-religious weddings. Religious weddings are generally conducted in accordance with Evangelical Lutheran etiquette, while non-religious weddings are conducted by a judge or other person authorized to officiate the wedding, with two witnesses at the same time.
The groom must formally propose to the bride in the barn, because the dowry is placed here. On wedding day, the women in the family helped the bride put on national costumes, including silver ornaments and a bridal crown, while friends and male relatives waited in the kitchen and drank beer. When the bride is ready, young people lead the way on horseback, and all relatives and guests then line up. After they meet with the bridegroom's wedding team at the church, the two sides congratulate each other, symbolizing the formal formation of the kinship connecting each other; After the wedding ceremony, the guests return to the bride's house to attend the wedding banquet.
The Swedes also have some ancient customs: after a child is born, the women of the family must hold him, circle his parents 'fireplace three times, and then check his birthmark. If the child has something like a membrane on his body, it means that the patron saint will always be with him; people are worried that children without the protection of the patron saint may be stolen by witches and turned into wandering souls.