"This is a fictional children's novels wrote by Astrid Lindgren, covering twelve books written from 1963 to 1997.. It had turn into a play. That I used to watch it on Danish TV with my daughter . In the beginning I link to some video clips that are on you-tube, and I build my story by applying to the Danish Christmas tradition " (I known Emil is Swedish , but as Sweden and Denmark are sister countries, many tradition are alike. I do not hope that I have offended someone by doing this. It is not my intention"
Emil Christmas a la Danish style
Ida and Emil are brother and sister. They live with their family on a farm called Katthult, in the Village of Lönneberga in Småland district in Sweden
“Little Christmas Eve” Dec 23th
Emil and Ida also get one each in the form of heart. They will hang on the Christmas tree tonight. The whole family including Alfred,the family's farmhand, and Lina , their maid, .also joint in the Christmas tree decoration. The tree is a real and fresh living spruce . It brought home by Alfred , Emil and his father, they just cut it down this morning in the wood nearby.
Emil and the other in the family love the smell of a Christmas tree fresh from the forest. Also the candles on the tree are real candles of course.. that burn beautifully for about 2 hours. Time enough for plenty of singing and dancing hand in hand around the tree.
The tree is usually decorated with a silver or gold star on the top, national flags, cornets with fruit, candies or cookies. All in the house hold of Svesson help in decorating the Christmas tree and also the interiors..Ida used to have the honor of setting the star on the top of the tree.
Emil
He has fair hair and blue eyes and looks like an angel, but is not, because he has a prodigious knack for getting into trouble. Contrary to what most people around him think, Emil is not malicious, but does not think about the consequences of his actions. He even states at one point that "you don't make up pranks, they just happen".
Ida
Ida, Emil little sister, is a very well-behaved child, unlike Emil. She has tried to pull pranks like her brother since she wanted to go to the shed, which she thinks is cozy, but she failed.
Emil's mother writes down every bad thing Emil does in a blue book, although, that blue book expands to several blue books. His mother, however, adores her boy and tends to say, "Emil is a nice little boy, and we love him just the way he is."
Emil's mother writes down every bad thing Emil does in a blue book, although, that blue book expands to several blue books. His mother, however, adores her boy and tends to say, "Emil is a nice little boy, and we love him just the way he is."
You can see one of the "Emil's mischiefs." This is a video in English subtitle, when he is stuck in the Soup Tureen."
The "Little Christmas Eve" is the evening before Christmas Eve in Denmark people celerate in christmas eve Dec 24th.
A tradition in Emil's family on lunchtime of "Little Christmas Eve"are having people, mostly ladies and their children in the neighborhood over for "gløgg and æbleskiver”. æbleskiver mean apple slices and craft the Christmas ornaments like straw decorations, mobiles, paper cut-outs, figures of gnomes (nisser) and angels, hearts and cones. Gløgg is a Nordics Christmas drink. It is basically hot red wine and a squeeze of brandy or snaps, and with cinnamon, cardamom, raisins and pieces of almond.
Mrs. Svensson (Emil's Mother) also prepare an alcoholic free version in a mixture of berry juices for the children. Gløgg is served with small round puff cakes. It is made of batter and bake in a special skill with round huller. The Danes call "æbleskiver” even though they do not contain apple anymore. It is eaten with jam and sugar or icing sugar. There server also traditional Christmas cookies. There are vanilla wreaths, brown cookies with cardamom, cinnamon and candied peel, "klejner" which are cakes cooked in oil or fat, and small, hard biscuits called pepper-nuts. Emil's Mother and Lena also make honey-cakes in all kinds of shapes decorated with white icing. These are gift for visiting children to bring home for Christmas tree decorations.
Emil and the other in the family love the smell of a Christmas tree fresh from the forest. Also the candles on the tree are real candles of course.. that burn beautifully for about 2 hours. Time enough for plenty of singing and dancing hand in hand around the tree.
The tree is usually decorated with a silver or gold star on the top, national flags, cornets with fruit, candies or cookies. All in the house hold of Svesson help in decorating the Christmas tree and also the interiors..Ida used to have the honor of setting the star on the top of the tree.
In Sweden people call the jultomte. In Denmark and Norway call julenisse. Nisser are mythical tiny character with white-bearded, They wears gray woolen clothes, red-capped or bonnet and stockings and clogs. They are a .friendly figure of the family.Nisse generally helps people on the farms, they are good with children and animals, but they plays joke on people during the holiday season.
This year their grand-parent are here to spend Christmas with them. Grant Mother tells Emil and Ida many stories. They love to listen to all the stories, Emil favorite are "Jule Nisser" live with family in the old farmhouses.
On Christmas Eve last year Emil has seen his mother leave a bowl of rice porridge with a knob of butter.in the barn. Grandma told: " It's for showing a friendly gesture to the Nisse family on their farmhouses and keeps their jokes within limits."December 24th "Christmas Eve" Emil and Ida wake up early today. They admire the tree from the floor. They both are very excited. Emil and Ida feel like to have thousands of butterflies in their stomach. They can barely wait for tonight's feast. After lunch all in the family attend an early Christmas mass in church before the Christmas dinner. At Church The pastor served cookies and hot coco to all the children, while adults pour gløggdown their throats.
Christmas Dinner is served quite early. As most of people in the area, at Emil's home will eat traditional Christmas dinner too. This year will be served a roast pork with crackling rinds and a roast duck, because his grand-parent had brought a duck with them for Christmas Dinner. He remember last year they only had a roast goose for dinner. The duck or goose is stuffed with apples,prunes and served with boiled and caramelise potatoes, red cabbage, picked beets, cranberry jam, and gravy.
When the meal over is over, the family members gather around the Christmas tree lite the candles light on the tree, sing Christmas carols and dance hand in hand around it. Then Ida is chosen to unwrap the presents, that are already kept under the Christmas tree. She hand them over to the other family members - one at a time - so that everyone may have the pleasure of watching what the others got.
Before dinner time Emil has his mother's permission to bring a big bowl of “risengrod” (rice porridge ) over to the barn's attic with Alfred help.He ask Alfred : "Did you ever meet the nisser?" Alfred reply with his muttering, Emil does not any clearly answer. He decide tonight when all are in bed, I will go over to the attic and meet them. I wonder how old are they? 200 years old or more? How many members are the nisser family ? I will definitely meet them tonight.
Emil stays awake in his bed and wait to all other sleep as a log. He dresses himself warm. On top of all layer of his clothes he also brings a blanket and a lamp with him. He goes over to the barn. He crawler on the ladder up to the attic. He make himself a comfortable bed of hay and straw nearby the bowl of rice porridge. He crawl under his warm blanket and wait and wait....
" Glædelig jul og Godt nytår."
Thank you for sharing this part of Scandinavian culture. Very interesting! We used to have a cat that looked EXACTLY like the one Ida is holding.
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