Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

SWEDISH TRADITIONS

How to survive a Swedish crayfish party and keep your dignity intact (sort of)

August is in full swing, and in Sweden that means it's crayfish party time. Whether you're new to the country or just haven't yet mastered crayfish etiquette, an invite can be an anxiety-inducing moment.

Published: 10 August 2016 06:59 CEST
Updated: 11 August 2024 08:15 CEST
How to survive a Swedish crayfish party and keep your dignity intact (sort of)
Suck their little brains out like there's no tomorrow. Photo: Hasse Holmberg/TT

1. Hope for a demonstration

The good news is that crayfish are tasty little creatures. The bad news is that figuring out how to eat them can be challenging.

Most of the meat and good stuff is locked away behind a pesky (and if broken the wrong way, painful) shell, and different people have different methods of getting into it.

A simple way to start is by twisting each of the claws clockwise at the base of the arms so they break off, before sucking the juices out from them and removing the small pieces of meat inside.

Then it’s time for the body itself, and that’s where the methods tend to differ. The overall goal is to separate the tail from the head in some way, after which point you must decide whether you enjoy eating brains.

Feel free to suck them out from the head section if you do, otherwise, put that to one side and peel the shell from the tail by breaking and pulling it away, starting close to the legs. When finished, the biggest piece of meat will be exposed.

Sound complicated? If you haven’t done it several times it can be, and unless you’re practising at home as you read, it’s easy to forget. The best advice is to cross your fingers and hope that a kind host will take pity and produce a quick run-through before everyone starts eating. If so, pay attention!

2. Don’t take yourself too seriously

There’s no avoiding the fact that crayfish parties are messy affairs, and to help add to your apprehension, Swedes also like to make them as silly as possible.

That means tacky decorations, moderately embarrassing but admittedly practical bibs and, to top it off, strange cone-shaped hats which are often decorated with amusing (or depending on your perspective, sadistic) depictions of the very animal you are eating.

Think you’re too cool to put on some rubbish-looking cardboard hats? You may as well not bother turning up in the first place. Whether it’s because they’re conformists at heart, or because they actually know how to let go and have a good time once in a while, the Swedes around you will all have something on their heads, and so should you.

Failing to join in will only draw more attention your way, which when you’re already the least skilful crayfish eater at the table, may not be a good thing. So stop taking yourself so seriously, stick that hat on, hope your head isn’t so oversized the cheap elastic breaks (trust me, it happens) and enjoy yourself. This is fun. Organised fun. Remember?

3. Get ready to sing (or rather, hum)

You’re prepared to wear a stupid hat, you’re ready to make slurping noises that humans aren’t supposed to emit, and you’re almost starting to relax over the whole crayfish party concept, thinking at least you’ve survived the hard part. You’re wrong.

Why? Swedes add a whole new layer of pain to the occasion by introducing singing. On the bright side, being a good singer isn’t of any great importance. On the other hand, all of the Swedish guests know the traditional songs like the back of their hands, and it’s going to be fairly apparent that you don’t.

If you really, really want to try and learn the lyrics then The Local has rounded up some of the most common numbers, while Oscar winner Alicia Vikander even provided a demonstration of one here. 

For most people however, the only feasible option is to hum along with visible gusto, picking up the melody as you go. It may feel odd, but doing so is far better than trying to freestyle it with actual words, and most definitely better than not singing at all.

Rumour has it that not singing at a crayfish party is a crime punishable by law in Sweden – do you really want to find out first-hand if that’s true or not? We thought not.

4. Stare intensely into the eyes of your host… and toast

Perhaps Swedes really do love shellfish more than anything else, but it is tempting to speculate that part of the longevity of the crayfish party as an event may just be linked to the copious amounts of alcohol (particularly snaps) consumed.

In Sweden, even drinking comes with rules. When a toast is proposed at a Swedish party – and it will be – everyone is expected to raise their glass in response and (here comes the scary part) look one another in the eye.

If you don’t like too much direct eye contact it can be an unnerving experience, but that’s just the way it is. It gets less unsettling the more you drink, we’ve heard.

5. Be a good sport

The hats have been worn out, the singing has grown old, the food is gone and the bulk of the alcohol consumed, but the party may not be over. Party games are popular in Sweden, so don’t be surprised if at some point in a post-dinner haze you’re separated into teams with other guests for something competitive.

If the weather is good there’s a decent chance you could end up playing kubb, a lawn-based game that involves throwing wooden batons to knock over blocks from a distance. If it’s not so sunny outside, cards may be the order of the day, and if you’re really, really unlucky, someone may even propose a quiz on crayfish.

Whatever the choice of game, approach it with enthusiasm, as it’s taking part that counts. Unless you’re stuck in a team with that one person who thinks this is the World Cup final. In which case: good luck. 

Article written by Lee Roden in 2016 and updated by The Local’s editorial team in 2024.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

SWEDISH TRADITIONS

Why August is an underrated month for summer holidays in Sweden

In her first week back at work after an unusually late summer holiday (by Swedish standards, at least), The Local's Becky Waterton wonders why Swedes seem to overlook August as a great summer month.

Published: 20 August 2024 04:42 CEST
Updated: 24 August 2024 08:01 CEST
Why August is an underrated month for summer holidays in Sweden

Anyone who has spent the summer working in Sweden knows that the country grinds to a standstill after Midsummer when most people head out to their summer houses for three weeks (or more), returning in early August.

By the end of July, most Swedes are already back at work, lamenting the end of the summer as autumn approaches. At the start of August, I heard someone on the radio say that autumn was just around the corner. 

Maybe it’s due to my childhood spent in the UK, where school holidays usually don’t start until the end of July, but I couldn’t help but think that Swedes are overlooking one of the best summer months.

The weather is still great

Sure, the weather is usually good in July, too, but it’s not like temperatures drop to 15 degrees and the sun stops shining on August 1st (not every year, at least). In the last two years, at least down here in Skåne, the weather in August has been better than in July, with more sun and fewer rainy days.

Even if August is too hot or muggy for you, then surely you’d rather spend those stuffy, warm days lounging by the sea or a lake in a Swedish forest somewhere than sitting at your desk working?

There are fewer crowds

Another advantage of going on holiday when most of the country is already back at work is that any summer destinations or attractions are much quieter. In August, you can beat the crowds of schoolchildren and holidaying Swedes, which is much less stressful.

Of course, you might be joined by tourists from other countries where holidays in August are more common, whether that’s Brits travelling during their school holidays, or people from southern European countries like Italy or Spain coming to Sweden for a “coolcation” to escape the heat back home. 

READ MORE:

Even something as simple as a beach day or a day trip to a local castle or natural beauty spot can be much more enjoyable in August than in July, if you’re not a fan of big crowds.

One very specific advantage in taking August off for people living in Malmö where I live is that you can enjoy Malmöfestivalen – a music and food festival which takes over the city for a week – during the day, avoiding the crowds in the evening.

Flights are cheaper

Making the most of the quieter months also extends to going on holiday. If you’re lucky enough to be able to travel outside of the school holidays, you can save a lot of money by travelling in August instead of in July, and the airport will probably be emptier than usual too. 

This applies to train tickets, too. The summer rush (and some of the summer maintenance) is over, so it’s a good time to plan a day trip or Swedish getaway – although it’s probably a good idea to avoid the rush hour commuters.

You’re more likely to get the summer weeks you want

Although you’re always entitled to at least three consecutive weeks of holiday in the summer months, that doesn’t mean you’ll definitely get the exact three weeks of holiday in mid-July that you ask for, as everyone else probably wants those weeks too.

If you want time off in August, though, your boss will probably approve it happily, knowing that you’ll be able to cover for everyone else during those quiet weeks in July when everyone else is off at their summer house.

It makes your summer feel longer

If you choose to work through July and take August off, things aren’t exactly busy before you go on holiday. You probably won’t be able to get anything done that requires collaboration with anyone else, and you’ll most likely see your workload diminish.

That doesn’t mean you should start slacking off, but it does mean that the pace will naturally be slower than usual and things will be less stressful. And there’s nothing to stop you from heading to the beach, enjoying your daily fika coffee break in the sun outside, or meeting up with friends after work.

READ MORE:

By the time your colleagues are all returning from their holidays, you’re only just heading off on yours, which can make it feel like you’ve somehow hacked the system to get even more time off work during the summer to decompress.

Most of the shops and lunch restaurants are open again

During July, shops and restaurants in the city centre often close as staff take a break over the summer. If you’re on holiday in July, you can’t make the most of a cheaper midweek “dagens lunch” deal, as these often cater to office workers.

READ ALSO:

In August, however, the workers are back and the restaurants are open again – and you can eat your cheap lunch while smugly remembering that you don’t need to rush back to the office once you’ve finished your meal.

SHOW COMMENTS