Did you know that 92% of Swedes lit up their windows during Advent?🌟 Have you this tradition in your country?

Most of the time, Swedes light up the traditional advent candlestick (adventljusstake) - a multiple-branch candelabra often in an inverted V-shape and nowadays lit by electricity

Star-shaped lanterns are also common: advent stars (adventsstjärnor) symbolize the star of Bethlehem that guided the wise men to the baby Jesus in the manger

Sweden's Advent window-dressing comes from a mix of customs dating back to the 1800s. It started with families, became more and more popular year after year and spread to the workplace and so on ⠀

200 years ago there was only one candle put in the window on Christmas Eve through to Christmas Day. It was a protection against evil forces, it had some kind of a magical explanation, and was also a salutations of sorts.

No one knows exactly how the tradition of lighting up windows for the entire month of Advent emerged, but star-shaped lanterns and electric candlesticks began to be common throughout December in the 1930s