How to spend Friday like a Swede

Back to my favorite topic: Swedish food habits. In many countries people celebrate the end of the work or school week by doing different things. For instance, Koreans have their “burning Friday”, which for most people meant lots of alcohol and food with friends. Here in Sweden we have “fredagsmys”, in English it would be something like “cozy Friday”, it’s all about eating and spending time at home with family or friends. There is no one right way to have fredagsmys, but here is a typical example.

Food

Swedes are really into Mexican food and many Swedes have tacos or tortillas on Fridays. Some people might get take away food, but some prefer to make their own. And it doesn’t have to be tacos, some prefer pizza, sushi, or something else! People might have a glass of vine with the dinner.

Candy

Swedes love their lösgodis, which is sold in almost every single store in Sweden. Candy is good for pretty much any occasion and it’s the perfect dessert on a Friday night. Another good sweet option is ice cream.

Chips

If tacos and candy aren’t enough. you can buy a bag of chips or popcorn as well. The more people you share the food with, the more you can buy! The best thing is to buy different foods and snacks and then share them.

Movie

After having dinner it’s nice to gather around the TV and enjoy a movie together with all the snacks.

Image from: http://rdcnewscdn.realtor.com/

Candles

Swedes love the small “värmeljus”candles. They’re sold in every supermarket, but many Swedes buy them from IKEA in big packages with a good price. Movies are nicer to watch when the lights are turned down, but the room doesn’t have to be completely dark. Candles also create a great atmosphere.

Image from: http://www.dromhuset.se/

Not everyone spends the Friday night at home, but it’s one way to relax after a more or less hard week at work or school. After the weekend, on Monday evening, the gym is usually crowded  because some people have spent their weekends by sitting in front of the TV eating, and feel bad about it afterwards. I sometimes do it too. ?

How do you celebrate Friday in your country?