Midsummer, held at summer solstice, is Sweden’s most enthusiastically celebrated festival. Pagan rites such as maypole dancing mingle with public holiday tie-loosening and liberal helpings of schnapps. The Lucia Festival (13 December) has only been celebrated for about 60 years but has become very popular. As well as commemorating the martyrdom of a pious Sicilian girl, Lucia celebrates the coming of Christmas with processions of robed youngsters, plenty of glögg (a hot alcoholic fruit punch) for the grownups, and singing. Christmas trees are decorated with straw animals and stars, cookie baking begins, and Santa Claus makes his final assessments of children’s behaviour and does the last-minute shopping. Santa obviously favours Swedish kids, as he delivers presents in person rather than just chucking them down the chimney. Most households serve up ham at Christmas time, and many families still partake in the tradition of ‘dipping in the pot’, soaking slices of bread in ham juices.

New Year’s Eve is a highly social time when friends get together, often setting off fireworks. Easter in Sweden incorporates the pagan belief that witches hang out with the devil in hell for the duration. Kids dressed up as witches door-knock houses in their neighbourhood, scamming lollies in exchange for drawings. Walpurgis Night (30 April) is a pagan festival celebrating the end of winter with bonfires and fireworks. May Day (1 May) is observed by marches and labour movement events.