#tomten

I always keep a special place in my heart for DA user chricko. Because through their art they made me discover and learn a LOT about the various legends, monsters and folktales surrounding the Yule Season of Northern Europe - entities of Christmas, New Years, Saint Lucia and more...

Based on an old Nordic Christmas tradition. Christmas presents where a little bit different in the old days from how they are today. The Swedish word for Christmas present is Julklapp. The word Jul comes from Yule ( the pagan winter festival ). Klapp can mean everything from clap, tap, knock, pat and slap. The word comes from the farmers and was more of a prank than a gift. Theres several versions of this prank but commonly worked like this… You write a riming note to whoever you want to joke with and you tie it to a piece of firewood or a straw figure that takes the shape of a little man or a goat. The rhyme can often be very mean, rude, crass and vulgar. You then alone or with your friends go to the one who is gonna get this gift and knock on the door or window and quickly throw it in. Then you run as fast as you can because if the pranked one figures out who the guilty one is then you have lost. In some versions the pranked one has to get rid of the joke gift the same way as they received it. Another version of this tradition is that you knock on someones door and as quick as they open it you give them a funny slap in the face and then run away. Often the prankers putted on a costume so it will be more difficult to recognize them. Comonly they dress as a JULBOCK/YULE-GOAT chricko.deviantart.com/art/JUL… In the early 19th century a different kind of Julklapp started to become popular in Scandinavia. This one was an actual present in a package that was given to people from sacks carried by a dressed up person. But it was not SANTA who gave the presents but the YULE-GOAT. But this new Christmas tradition was mostly common among high class families who could afford to by presents. Every since the beginning of the 20th century the Julklapp has gone through big changes and manny has forgotten about it's origins. But you can still find traces of it. Christmas present is still called Julklapp in Swedish but it's no longer a prank gift. To write rhymes on presents is still a tradition in Sweden but they are way friendlier than how they used to be. The presents are still given by a dressed up person who knocks on the door but the Jule-Goat has been replaced by the modern commercial SANTA CLAUS. Straw figures recembeling goats is still one of the most common Christmas decorations in Scandinavia but they are no longer thrown in through doors or windows but usually just stands under the tree as a decoration. Well thats a bit of Scandinavian Christmas tradition history before the end of this year, hope you liked it. Merry Christmas…or should I say YULE.

Based on Nordic folklore. According to legend its said that trolls also have celebrations during Christmastime. They celebrate Yule en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule And they do it in a very special way. They do it by lifting up a hill, boulder or sometimes an entire mountain on golden pillars and have a feast under it. There are a lot of stories about this in Scandinavia and the most famous one in Sweden is the one of the huge boulder Maglestenen=The Mangle Stone aka Trollastenen=The Troll Stone that you can find in eastern Scania.Its said that the boulder was thrown there by a big troll who wanted to crush the church of Åhus, trolls hates the sound of church bells. But he didn't aim very well so he missed and the boulder landed outside of Bäckaskog here it still stands today. Short after it landed there the little trolls made it their home and lifted it up every Yule. To join a troll feast and to taste their food and drink is said to be very dangerous because then they can have power one you. A story about this that was written down 1667 goes like this... Noble miss Sissela Uhlstand on the castle Trolle-Ljungby one Christmas Eve heard an unusual sound from the Magle Stone that laid not that far away. The stone was strangely enough lifted on pillars, and a large amounts of lights shined from there. She asked that someone of her stable boys should ride there and check what it was all about. For that she promised to give the brave one her best horse. One stable boy said that he wanted to try. When the stable boy came to the stone he saw a huge bunch of little people that danced around and had a great time. Suddenly one of them stood by his side with a horn and a flute. The stable boy was told to drink from the horn and then blow the flute. But a woman warned him with a whisper: he should absolutely not taste the drink. Probably she was a prisoner to the little people, because he noticed that she wanted to help him. The stable boy pored the drink behind his back. A drop landed on the horse that burned of a bit of the skin and it galloped away with the wildest speed. The man had both the flute and the horn with him and the trolls ran after him. it looked hopeless but then he heard the woman call to him: he should not ride on the road but on the field. And immediately the trolls had to take the other way.  they couldn't run on the field because it had been ploughed with an iron plough. Iron and steel is said to make the supernatural loose its power. The stable boy made it over the drawbridge in the last moment and the lady of the castle immediately ordered it to be closed. On the other side of the moat stood the little people and asked to get their treasured back. They promised prosperity to both Sissela and her family if they just gave it back. But she rejected them and asked them to go to Hell. Then they instead started to threatened her with bad luck and misfortune. They disappeared but the threats came true. The stable boy died short afterwards and for Sissela the punishment came afterwards and lasted for a very long time. The moral of this story is to stay away from trolls and that stealing from them is a pretty bad idea. The Magle Stone still stands where it has been standing since the troll through it there but there doesn't seem to have been any party's there for a while. Mabey the trolls found another place to celebrate Yule  Here is a photo of it static.panoramio.com/photos/la… The castle of Trolle-Ljungby also still exists.  3.bp.blogspot.com/_ybSQeWxYLE0… And believe or not the trolls horn and pipe can be seen in the castle but don't touch them.  Its said that everyone that do it will be affected by the troll curse  upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia… Thought this would be an suitable soundtrack to this painting  www.youtube.com/watch?v=r__Dk4…

Merry Yule! 

AKA Lussi or Lussikärringen=The Lussihag Based on Nordic folklore The night between the 12th and 13th December was called Lussinatta=Lussi Night. It was said to be the longest and darkest night of the year. A strange and dangerous night when animals could talk and have weddings and the forces of darkness where active. It was best to stay indoors on this night and no work was allowed because it could attract the creatures that where reaping havoc outside. Among these creatures was Lucia one of the most feared. Lucia is a hideous demonic witch/troll that flies through the sky in the shape of a bird of prey (sometimes a goat) during Lussinatta followed by her little helpers called The Lussiferda. She came down the chimney and shook of the lice that she was carrying so everyone in the house would be infected. She also kidnaped misbehaving children that she later ate. Little helpers and chimneys, sound familiar? And it was also important that most of the preparations for Yule should be finished. If not then Lucia would punish the entire household for their laziness. It was common that people stayed awake through Lussi Night to guard oneself and the household from the evil forces. This tradition is called Lussevaka which is still practiced by some people today. In some places they instead speak of a male creature called Lussegubben (The Lusse Oldman) In the late 17th century a VERY different Lucia tradition began to take form among noble, high class families. This Lucia is less related to trolls and more to the Sicilian saint Lucy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lu… People are not sure but its said that the tradition is influenced by the german Christkindlein upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia… The way it's done is that a woman/girl that is dressed in white and wears a crown with burning candles sings christmas songs together whit other dressed up people. You can read more about it here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lu… This new Lucia became more and more popular through the years and the old Lussihag more and more forgotten. But who knows, maybe she's still out there and looking for misbehaviours. So be good if yo don't want to be her Yuledinner. Happy Lussinatta! 

Hedgie's Surprise (2000)

Story and Art: Jan Brett

Today I received a box of Swedish decorations from my cousin. They had belonged to my great grandmother, Anna Regina (in the photo, she is on the left).

She was born on December 16, 1892 in Norrbärke, Dalarna, Sweden, and immigrated to the United States with my seven-year-old grandfather (the baby in the photo) and his young sister in tow. There they met up with my great grandfather Hjalmar (on the right in the photo), who had already secured a job and a place to live.

I met my great grandmother when I was a small child in the 1970s, and vividly recall the meeting. She was kind to me and had very strong hands.

Podcast! It actually started happening before Christmas! Just the first of many this year. And the story contest show is almost done, too.