Lucia!

Daylight is still getting short until Dec 21st. Here it is called Tomas Day which is a religious date. In the Chinese Lunar Calendar, we mark somewhere around Dec 21st (differs each year) as the date winter comes. (Btw, the Chinese New Year is also the 1st day Spring comes according to our Lunar Calendar. So the Chinese years start from Spring!) Some of my friends have warned me about the depressing short daylight time in Scandinavia before I came here. Yet it is different when I really experience it. Subconsciously, I believe it is depressing. I believe this is why Swedes appear very cold to me: e.g. People will not smile back at you if you have an eye contact and you smile at them. Meanwhile, this makes me treasure daytime and sunshine so much more. There is always an urge to take a 20 min outdoor walk if it happens to be sunny during lunch breaks.

From last Sunday, the temperature finally dropped below zero. Meanwhile, it became a lot more sunnier and the frost on the roads and roofs almost look like snow under the sun shine. This adds a lot of light to the city. Stockholm is stunning at any point of time. I love it with and without lights, just the same. So what I have done in the last few days in this most beautiful city I have ever lived?

1. Lucia Concert at Berwaldhallen:
Lucia is a Italian saint. Sweden was a Catholic country until 1500s. Regardless, a festival about lights and brightness at the darkest time of a year is doomed to be kept till today. Apparently the Swedes gives the biggest celebration of Lucia each year, compared to any other country who celebrates Saint Lucia Day.

As a Chinese, I naturally pay more attention to what you drink and eat according to traditions:
- Pepparkakor: ginger bread. Interestingly that every single Swede thinks that ginger bread is originated in Sweden and remains unique here. Hello? I thought only Chinese people eat rice! :P
- Lussebullar: Just click the link and it explains all. As a matter of fact, I think it is tasteless.
- Glögg: I love glögg especially when there is nuts and raisins in it. It is a speical red wine preserved by putting a lot of spices in it. And you always drink it warm. Swedes drink it around Christmas time.
- Julmust: speaking of glögg, I cannot miss talking about Julmust. It is a special taste soft drink people only drink during Christmas time. The same drink available durin Easter has another name! :) Jul means Christmas in Swedish. Merry Christmas is 'God Jul' here. (Good July? I thought they desperately wanted a summer Christmas!) I loved Julmust because I love any soft drinks sold exclusively inside the country. Like L&P in New Zealand!

Another tradition nowadays is that kids dress up like Lucia (white dress, red waist ribbon, candles on the head) and sing in a choir in the morning. I missed that in my office because it was 7am. I also always worry if girl's hair will get burnt by the candle fire or hurt by the hot wax. My boss's son wants to be a Lucia every year. It seems that kids cannot distinguish genders. There has been controversy if Lucia has to be a caucasion. As much politcally correct the Swedes want to be, of course Lucia doesn't have to be a caucasion! I wonder who raised this topic. Must be some myopic immigrants. :P

So instead I went for a Lucia concert by the famous Swedish Radio Orchestra at Berwaldhallen. The conductor was extremely expressive who I doubt is a Swede, at least lived abroad long enough. The opera singer seemed very funny because he always improvised in the middle of his singing by starting to crack a few jokes. Unfortunately the jokes were in Swedish. The 5 of us: Aron, Emanuel, Linn, Maria and me were the only young people in the entire concert hall. Those around us were 3 times older and couldn't help falling asleep all the time. The music was either peaceful or full of joy! So we sang along as well as shake our body! It was full of fun!

To be continued...