God Jul from the Revelstoke Museum & Archives

By David F. Rooney

For five years the Revelstoke Museum & Archives has been celebrating Christmas by highlighting the seasonal traditions celebrated by the different groups of people who settled here.

This year’s event focused on Swedish Christmas traditions, from special Lucia Wreaths and Star Hats to Pepparkakor (Christmas Spike Cookies for those of you who don’t speak Swedish) and Lussekatter (St. Lucia Buns).

And there were several well-known local families with Swedish roots: the Abrahamson, Stone (Stromdahl),  Turnross, Lindmark and Lundell families. The Abrahamsons and Stones were in business. One of the first businesswomen in Revelstoke was a Turnross and C.F. Lindmark was the city’s mayor in 1909. The Lundells owned the Revelstoke Review and Arvid Lundell was both a city mayor and an MLA.

According to the museum, many of the Norwegian and Swedish families that settled in Revelstoke and the Big Eddy were responsible for organizing the community’s first Winter Carnival in 1915 which led to the city;s fame as a ski-jumping centre.

Here are a few photos from the day’s activities:

Stacy Lamont (left) cuts out the centre of a paper plate as she prepares to make a traditional Swedish Lucia Wreath like the one she is wearing on her head. The real wreaths carried lit candles. Stacy's, however, had paper ones. Museum volunteer Sheryl Wolgram (right) also helped at the Museum and Archives on Saturday as it held its Fifth Annual Christmas Traditions Dy. This year Swedish Christmas traditions were the focus of the event. David F. Rooney photo
Stacy Lamont (left) cuts out the centre of a paper plate as she prepares to make a traditional Swedish Lucia Wreath like the one she is wearing on her head. The real wreaths carried lit candles. Stacy's, however, had paper ones. Museum volunteer Sheryl Wolgram (right) also helped at the Museum and Archives on Saturday as it held its Fifth Annual Christmas Traditions Dy. This year Swedish Christmas traditions were the focus of the event. David F. Rooney photo
Jenna Smit (left) and Sarah English were two of the volunteers who helped kids decorate cookies and make cards. David F. Rooney photo
Jenna Smit (left) and Sarah English were two of the volunteers who helped kids decorate cookies and make cards. David F. Rooney photo
These three young ladies were busy making very creative original Christmas cards for their families. David F. Rooney photo
These three young ladies were busy making very creative original Christmas cards for their families. David F. Rooney photo

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