(Sweden is the country colored in read)
I’m originally from Sweden and people assume that I know about the origin of our traditions and why we celebrate them. I would assume the same, but unfortunately I’m not overly familiar with neither the origin of Swedish traditions nor why we celebrate them. I feel it’s embarrassing when people, for example, ask me why we celebrate Lucia and where the tradition came from. I’m from Sweden so shouldn’t I know why we have the traditions we have? As many of you might be thinking, of course I should know! And I completely agree with you, I should know the origin of my own home countries traditions. The reason why I’m not familiar with the traditions I believe is because I‘ve never questioned it before. I have just gone on with life and that the celebrations come back every year.
A few months ago I moved to the United States to live and study here. To be considered is that I’ve also lived in the United States before for almost two years as an au pair. During my time here I’ve been exposed to another culture and people who are interesting to know more about my culture. I believe that living in a new country with a different culture has opened my eyes to my own. I want to know why we celebrate Lucia and Midsummer. I have an urge to know more about my home country and its traditions. Another reason why I want to expand my knowledge is that I want to be able to have an answer when someone asks me about origins of our traditions. I no longer want to answer a question with I’m sorry but I don’t know the reason behind why we celebrate it. It’s embarrassing to not know and therefore it’s time for me to deepen my knowledge, and maybe even deepen my understanding of my home country’s history.
A Swede Exploring Swedish Traditions 