Swedish Jul Traditions in 17th-Century Delaware

Above: Swedish family prepares for the sled ride to early morning church on Julotta—Christmas Day. Dated 1908; Archive of the Swedish Cultural Commons

In Castle & Colony by Emma Rayner is an 1899 historical novel that follows the journey of a young Swedish woman, Jessica, as she navigates the contrasting worlds of European aristocracy and 17^th-century American colonial life in New Sweden (modern-day northern Delaware). Rayner provides among other things a vivid portrayal of the time’s Swedish Christmas customs. One of the book’s chapters is set during a Christmas celebration, where the warmth and hospitality of the Swedish people come to life.  

Through the interactions of characters like Maria, Agneta, Eric Helm, and the children Kolina and Ian, Rayner paints a detailed picture of how these immigrants maintained their heritage in the New World. In Sweden, Christmas is known as “Jul,” which is derived from the Old Norse word for the festival, similar to the English “Yule.” Rayner follows her characters on Christmas Eve as they prepare for and engage in various Jul traditions. 

The chapter opens with the preparation of Jul-halm, or Christmas straw, a crucial element of the Swedish Christmas celebration. Rayner describes the scene: “Maria turned suddenly upon Agneta as the two girls were strewing the floor with Jul-halm, the long rye straw that after being dedicated to Christmastide would possess strange virtues that would warrant its preservation throughout the year, and its use in time of emergency.” This passage illustrates not only the physical act of decoration but also the deeper significance of the straw in Swedish folklore. The Jul-halm was believed to acquire special properties during the Christmas season, making it a valuable resource for the coming year. Rayner’s text reveals two specific uses for this consecrated straw after the Christmas celebration. 

First, the Jul-halm was thought to possess the power to restore fertility to unproductive fields. This belief is evident in young Kolina’s comment to Agneta about the distribution of the straw: “We’ve got plenty of it, and we shall want plenty to strew over the fields if they are unfruitful.” This practice suggests a deep connection between the sacred celebrations of Jul and the agricultural cycle that was crucial to the settlers’ survival. By using the straw blessed during the holy season, the Swedish farmers hoped to transfer the regenerative power of Jul to their crops, ensuring a bountiful harvest in the coming year. 

Second, Rayner shows that the Jul-halm was used in divination games, particularly for predicting romantic prospects. She describes a game where the young women make “small wisps of the Jul-halm, which each as she made threw up towards the rafters as a mode of divining, by the number that lodged there, how many lovers would fall to her share during the Christmas festivities.” This use of the straw highlights its perceived mystical properties, capable of offering glimpses into the future, especially in matters of the heart. The game also provides insight into the social dynamics and preoccupations of the young people in the community, where finding a suitable partner was a matter of great importance. 

The sacred and the mundane were intertwined in the settlers’ worldview, with the Christmas celebrations serving both spiritual and practical purposes. The Jul-halm, transformed by its association with the holy season, became a conduit for blessings and insights that could shape the community’s fortunes in the year to come. 

As the evening progresses, the characters engage in the tradition of the Jul-night supper for cattle. Rayner describes this custom through Maria’s enthusiastic explanation to Eric: “We are about to start for the cattle house to give the cows the Jul-night supper. You must come with us and help in the good work.” This practice of including farm animals in the Christmas celebration reflects the deep connection between the settlers and their livestock, as well as the belief that all creatures should partake in the joy of the season. 

The visit to the cattle house is imbued with both reverence and superstition. Rayner writes, “Softly now!” commanded the girl, as the door was thrown open and the party trooped in. “Mark well the position of the cattle, that we may know what kind of harvest to expect next year.”   

The actual feeding of the animals is described with tender detail: “It consisted in the Christmas Eve visit to each stall, to give the cattle the best forage the farm afforded. At every stoppage the little Kolina tripped up to the waiting animal, uttering in childish voice the usual greeting, ‘This is Christmas Eve, my little one.'” Even the youngest members of the community were included in these important traditions. 

Jul-grot, or Christmas porridge, is mentioned briefly. Rayner notes that after visiting the cattle, “the chickens [were] given their Jul-grot, or Christmas stir-about of wheaten flour and milk.” The Jul celebration also extended to the farmyard birds. 

The Jul fire and Jul candles play a central role in the indoor celebrations. Rayner describes the scene upon the characters’ return to the house: “The Jul fire burned grandly, and the Jul candles were being lighted to replace the usual pine laths as illuminators. The big four-branched candle was Kolina’s special pride.” The importance of light during the dark winter is evident in these descriptions, with the Jul fire and candles serving both practical and symbolic purposes. 

Later in the chapter a candle is accidentally put out: “’Ah!’ The exclamation was almost a cry of horror. A Christmas candle had been extinguished, and one and all stood for a moment in silent dismay after that first outcry.” The characters’ reaction to this mishap reveals the deep-seated belief that the extinguishing of a Jul candle foretold misfortune, specifically death: “‘There’ll be death enter the house before this year is over,’ said Katarina solemnly, and the face of Olof looked disturbed.” 

Christmas games and divination practices feature prominently in Rayner’s depiction of the evening’s festivities. Beyond the Jul-halm game, the text describes another important divination ritual, involving molten lead. Rayner writes, “It was a simple process, nothing more than the pouring of a little molten lead into a bucket of water. Each girl had her bucket—even Kolina claiming one. Then the buckets were set aside to prepare their message during the night’s stillness.” The next morning, the shapes formed by the cooled lead were examined and interpreted as omens for the future. This is evident when Maria encourages Eric to interpret her destiny: “‘Come and read my future for me,’ said Maria to Eric, and he bent obediently over the water, and endeavored to find a good omen there.” The practice appears to be particularly focused on romantic prospects, as seen when Maria interprets Agneta’s lead shapes: “‘Yes, and there’s a coronet over it. It’s her bridal coronet, and the owner of the castle will put it on her head,’ said Maria maliciously, casting a quick glance at Eric as she spoke.” This divination ritual, like the Jul-halm game, reflects the young women’s preoccupation with future marriages and social status. 

The tradition of leaving offerings for the Tomte Gubbe, a mythical household spirit, is touched upon in the chapter. Rayner writes, “She showed him the best place on the barn floor to deposit the Christmas stir-about and the tobacco that were dedicated to the Tomte Gubbe, the little old man of the household, that good, genial elf who was supposed to aid the Swedish farmer in the details of his farm work, and to be especially interested in the welfare of his animals.” This practice demonstrates the persistence of pre-Christian beliefs alongside Christian traditions in the settlers’ culture. 

Rayner briefly mentions the custom of preparing Angels’ ale: “She took care that the tankard of Angels’ ale put upon the banqueting table before the family retired to rest should be filled to the brim. Celestial visitors should be well treated if they came hither that night.” The Swedish traditions of leaving food for the Tomte Gubbe or drink for celestial visitors can be seen as part of a broader European tradition of leaving offerings for mythical beings during the winter solstice or Christmas season. These traditions likely contributed to the development of the modern custom of leaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus, even though they’re not direct antecedents. 

The chapter concludes with preparations for an early morning church service, the Julotta. Rayner writes, “On that drive in the early morning, long before the sun was up, Eric found himself placed by Maria’s side, and as they passed through the crisp air it somehow befell that in a low voice the girl told him the story of the castle and the expectations of the castle’s owner.” The ride to church was a festive one, and people used their most beautiful sleds and finest harnesses. Both those who walked and those who rode in sleds used torches to light the way. The bells on the harnesses also helped to make the ride extra special. 

The ride to church was dignified and stately, whereas the ride home often resembled a race, as it was generally believed that the person who got home first after the service would also be the first to have his harvest gathered the following summer. 

Throughout the chapter, Rayner intricately integrates these traditions into her characters’ interactions, using them to reveal personalities and relationships. Maria’s enthusiasm for the customs contrasts with Agneta’s more reserved approach, while Eric Helm’s position as an outsider allows for natural exposition of the traditions. The children, Kolina and Ian, provide innocent commentary that often cuts to the heart of the matter, as when Kolina reveals Agneta’s reluctance to participate in a certain dance: “He’d have to make love in the dance to either you or her, and Agneta don’t like it. She wouldn’t dance that way last Christmas. She said she wasn’t a little girl now.” 

The social dynamics within the household are also illuminated through these customs. The patriarch, Axel Bonde, intervenes when Maria pressures Agneta to dance: “Dance any way you will, my girl,” he said to Maria, “yet be not slow to accord to others the privilege you yourself enjoy. If my bairn [my dear] desires to rest, tease her not to dance for your pleasure.” This interaction reveals the familial relationships and the respect accorded to individual preferences even within the context of communal celebration. 

Rayner’s detailed descriptions of the physical setting add depth to the portrayal of these traditions. The cattle house, for instance, is described evocatively: “The big cattle house, with its wondering-eyed inmates, the youthful figures going back and forth, the young pines that had been set up around the house in honor of the season, even the sound of the wind among the trees of the forest, gave him a feeling of Christmastide gladness, a sensation of being welcomed and shut in from the great outside world.”   

The preparation of the house for the celebration is likewise detailed: “The table, too, was loaded with good cheer, among which the pig’s head occupied a conspicuous place. A great pile of Jul brod, large and thick circular loaves made of rye flour and baked especially for Christmas, occupied one corner.” The Jul brod, or Christmas bread, is ascribed special properties: “Its mission was not to feed the hungry—at least on this occasion—but to gain efficacy by association, and later on, when dried and pulverized, to be given to the men and animals on the farm. The horses and oxen that drew the plough would in the springtime receive a portion of the Jul brod to protect them from disease and enable them to keep together when pastured in wild open land; and the serving men who tilled the ground would be bidden to partake of it that they might agree well with one another.” 

Rayner provides an intricate mosaic of Swedish Christmas traditions as practiced by 17th-century settlers in Delaware. Through her narrative, we see how these customs served multiple purposes: maintaining cultural identity in a new land, reinforcing social bonds within the community, providing a sense of continuity with the past, and offering hope and guidance for the future. The blend of Christian and pagan elements in these traditions reflects the complex cultural heritage of the Swedish immigrants and their ability to adapt their customs to life in the New World. 

The attention to detail in Rayner’s descriptions allows modern readers to vividly imagine these long-ago celebrations, from the strewing of Jul-halm on the floor to the interpretation of lead shapes in water buckets. By embedding these traditions within a narrative of human relationships and emotions, Rayner brings them to life, showing how they were not mere rituals but integral parts of the settlers’ lives, shaping their understanding of the world and their place in it. 

Through Emma Rayner’s vivid prose and meticulous attention to detail, In Castle & Colony captures a unique cultural moment when Old World traditions were being transplanted and adapted to a New World setting. Her narrative preserves these cherished customs and highlights how holiday traditions foster community and preserve cultural identity, illustrating their continued resonance and inspiration across generations.