Ever wondered how our local royal families spend Christmas? Below, Vogue Scandinavia explores how the monarchs of Sweden, Norway and Denmark celebrate the holidays, detailing some their most beloved festive traditions
Whether you like to spend Christmas with your loved ones, gathered around a table brimming with festive bites and beverages, or prefer to escape the biting Nordic cold to warmer climes, we all have our treasured holiday traditions. So do our region’s royal families, who relish a bevvy of beloved, time-honoured customs – some dating back centuries. Read on for a closer look at the royal merriment unfolding in Sweden, Denmark and Norway come December…
Sweden
The Swedish royal household officially usher in Christmas on 13 December, better known across Scandinavia as St Lucia’s Day. The historic festival commemorates St Lucia, a young Christian martyr who died for her faith, and traces its roots back to the Middle Ages. Since the late 1800s, it has been widely celebrated in Sweden, Denmark and parts of Finland , with the Swedish royal family enthusiastically taking part. In recent years, the palace has shared particularly charming images of Princess Estelle dressed as St Lucia, wearing the traditional white gown and red sash, a crown of candles balanced carefully on her head.
As the holidays draw closer, another enduring ritual takes centre stage in royal festive preparations: choosing and decorating the Christmas tree. For the Swedish royal family, this moment comes with expert assistance. Each year on 20 December, students from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences arrive at Haga Palace in Stockholm, presenting their finest spruces for the family to select and decorate. The tradition has been in place since the 1960s and remains one of the season’s most cherished customs.
The 23rd of December brings even more joy and cause for merriment as Queen Silvia marks her 82nd birthday. The special day is typically celebrated at a private family gathering, while the nation pays its respects with an official flag day and an honorary gun salute by the Swedish Armed Forces.
On Christmas Eve, which in the Nordics is the main festive day, the whole family gathers at Drottningholm Palace for a cosy day of hearty food, gift-giving, and holiday cheer. If you’re keen for a closer glimpse into the Swedish royal family’s Yuletide traditions, tune into Kungahuset’s official YouTube channel, where charming clips of Christmas crafts and greetings from the royals are posted each year.
Denmark
The Danish royal family isn’t coy about their Christmas plans. In fact, they’ve laid them out in a post on their official Instagram account. King Frederik VIII’s Palace at Amalienborg in Copenhagenwill serve as the hub of this year’s festivities, the announcement reveals, with King Frederik X and Queen Mary alongside their four children, spending the holidays there with Queen Margrethe.
Prince Joachim, Princess Marie and their children, meanwhile, will celebrate Christmas in Washington, D.C.
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Much like the collective thrill of opening the first door of an Advent calendar, 1 December marks a festive milestone at Amalienborg Palace: it’s time to decorate the Christmas tree. In Denmark’s royal household, trimming the spruce is a full family affair, with King Frederik X, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine all pitching in. Baubles and playful ornaments are carefully hung, punctuated by spontaneous dance breaks, as captured in a sweet video shared by the family on Instagram.
In the days leading up to Christmas, the festivities continue with a rotation of seasonal rituals: baking, building gingerbread houses and lighting Advent candles. Christmas Eve begins with church services at Vor Frue Kirke and Fredensborg Slotskirke, before the family returns to the palace for a traditional feast. Expect roast duck or goose, caramelised potatoes, red cabbage and rich gravy, followed by the exchanging of gifts.
Norway
Much like their Swedish counterparts, Christmas traditions within the Norwegian royal household begin on St Lucia’s Day. In recent years, the family has even hosted its own St Lucia procession at the Royal Palace. Around the same time, in mid-December, a stately spruce takes pride of place on palace grounds, dressed in colourful, shimmering ornaments.
Music plays a central role in the Norwegian royal family’s festive season. As patron of the Norwegian Girls Choir,typically attends the choir’s Christmas concert inCrown Princess Mette-Marit usually attends the choir’s Christmas concert in Oslo in the days leading up to Christmas.
When Christmas Eve arrives, the entire family follows a long-standing tradition established by King Harald and Queen Sonja, heading to the forested slopes of Holmenkollen. There, they mark the holiday at the Royal Lodge Kongsseteren, also known as the King’s Villa, a gift from the Norwegian people to the monarch in 1905.
The festive table typically centres on grilled pork with an array of classic sides, rounded off with creamy rice pudding. On Christmas Day, the family gathers at Holmenkollen Chapel for a Christmas Day service, bringing the celebrations to a fitting close.