The folklore star from IKEA.
Coming from the US, I’m used to super size holiday light displays. It’s not uncommon for homes to be decked out with lights on the shrubs and trees and along the roof as well. Then there are lawn decorations too: Santas and snowmen, nativity scenes and reindeer come in plastic figures or blow-up forms. You have to wonder if some of these displays can be seen from space.
None of that is common here. In fact, the most typical decoration is a star in the window, like the one above from IKEA. As I look out my kitchen window, I see about a dozen stars in the windows around me. And of course, I have one in the window too. A friend was telling me that when she moved here 20 years ago, everyone just had a candelabra in the window. There was only one that you could get and it it came from IKEA, naturally. Today you are still likely to see these candelabras or the stars. But nothing too extreme. That just wouldn’t be lagom.
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Wow — that’s lovely, and so simple.
The star of advent didn’t become common until the 1930s, and it’s a christian symbol (the star of Bethlehem), so can it really be called folklore?
Good question lv. But you’ll have to ask IKEA that one since folklore is their name for the star, not mine!
“A friend was telling me that when she moved here 20 years ago, everyone just had a candelabra in the window.”
I’ve lived here for 40+ years, as a matter of fact I’m born here, and this is/was certainly not the case. These christmas candelabras (or “adventsljusstake”) have been around for ages and were originally with candles but now you see both that and electrical lights (the ones in windows typically). For example, when I grew up my mother used one that her mother used to use, but there has always been lots of different versions, brands and home made varieties.
IKEA is, if anything, a late entrant to the adventsljusstake-market. Why would Swedes be satisfied with only one brand of “adventssljustake”? A Christmas decoration that predates IKEA with quite a few years.
Santa Lucia,
Thanks for sharing your insights on holiday lights. It’s great to get another perspective.
Haha, OK, didn’t know it was the Ikea name! 🙂
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