According to Swedish tradition, on Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday, families eat semlor. The semla is a bun, a wonderful bun, that I can't describe, so if you're interested, please check it out here: Swedish Lentil Buns
Looking this up online, it looks like the semla is only eaten on Shrove Tuesday, but I seem to remember we ate them every Tuesday during Lent in our home.
Also during Lent, brightly colored feathers are attached to bare birch tree branches and brought into Swedish homes, see the b/w photo above. I have no idea why we do this. But of course there's always Google, who said this:
The tradition dates back to the late 19th century and is thought to reference the playful practise of bashing friends and family with birch twigs as part of the carnival of fun and games before Lent.
Oh, reading that I'm giggling at the image of a bunch of Swedes running around bashing each other with birch tree branches. What a picture that paints in my mind!
