Halloween and All Saints’ Day are both celebrated in Sweden, let’s look at the differences. Halloween – a spooky tradition that now haunts Sweden alongside the rest of the world, and All Saints Day – a day of remembrance of those who have passed on. Both are full of ghosts, but one sports costumes and candy and the other […]
food
Party or Poverty – Can You Eat Well On a Tight Food Budget?
Food is not very cheap in Sweden. Why? Well, this country is far up in the North where things don’t grow year-round. Which means that a lot of food is imported from far away. And that (big surprise) will affect the price – and sometimes the quality. Note: To keep The Newbie Guide free, we […]
Mastering the art of fika
Written by Sara Costa Fika is much more than just a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. At work, fika is a social event, in which one gets not only to relax and take a break but also to know the colleagues a little better. The art of fika doesn’t rely on the […]
How to bake your own birthday cake
Did you know that there is a tradition in Sweden that you bring your own cake on your birthday to your friends\colleagues? That’s new (and also a little strange) to me, since in my culture it is vice versa – generally people get YOU a birthday cake! It is not an actual must. But if […]
Swedish supermarkets – what can they teach us?
Written by Sara Costa If you want to know more about someone, go and look in their fridge. If you want to know more about a country, go and look in their supermarket. There you will not only find out about the most common shopping routines of the locals, but also other hints about their […]
Is there such a thing as something genuinely Swedish?
With the winter solstice around the corner and the streets waiting for snow glistening like Christmas cards, the Swedes are turning inwards, in space and time. Knowing there is no way we can overcome the darkness, we embrace it. We collect and bring home warming fragrances of citrus, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, saffron, conifer needles. Stars […]
Sweet Swedish Days
Have you heard of special food days such as fettisdagen, våffeldagen or even kanelbullens dag? As a newbie myself, finding out that such days exists just amazes me! Traditionally, there are various types of sweet stuff that are consumed by Swedes on certain days throughout the year. Fettisdagen – the Swedish cream bun day It is […]
What food is traditionally Swedish?
“What food is traditionally Swedish?” is probably the most asked questions when I go abroad. I never know how to reply. I have asked other Newbies and even Swedish friends but they don’t seem to be sure on that either. What is Swedish traditional food? Ikea has popularised Swedish meatballs all over the world, and […]
How to move from Africa to Sweden.
So you’ve just been given an admission for your undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral studies in Sweden and you are super excited! You will be leaving your home country to study “abroad”. But after the excitement comes reality. And a move from an Africa country to Sweden can be a bit of a challenge. There are […]
Sanjoo, India
Sanjoo is a 44 year old concept developer, event organizer, food teacher and tour guide to India, who’s lived in Sweden for 18 years.
