In honor of my Swedish (straight of the boat!) father-in-laws 80th Birthday this week...Rik and I are hosting a traditional Swedish Crayfish party for family & friends!A crayfish party is a traditional summertime eating and drinking celebration. The tradition originated in Sweden, where a crayfish party is called a kräftskiva.
Crayfish parties are generally held during August, a tradition that started because crayfish harvesting in Sweden was, for most of the 20th century, legally limited to late summer. Today, the “kräftpremiär” date in early August has no legal significance. Customary party accessories are comical paper hats, paper tablecloths, paper lanterns (often depicting the Man in the Moon), and bibs. A rowdy atmosphere prevails amid noisy eating and traditional drinking songs (snapsvisa). It is culturally correct to suck the juice out of the crayfish before shelling it.
Crayfish parties are generally held during August, a tradition that started because crayfish harvesting in Sweden was, for most of the 20th century, legally limited to late summer. Today, the “kräftpremiär” date in early August has no legal significance. Customary party accessories are comical paper hats, paper tablecloths, paper lanterns (often depicting the Man in the Moon), and bibs. A rowdy atmosphere prevails amid noisy eating and traditional drinking songs (snapsvisa). It is culturally correct to suck the juice out of the crayfish before shelling it.
AND WE WILL BE DRINKING LOTS OF SHOTS OF AQUAVIT WHICH MAKES THE SOUND OF THE SWEDISH DRINKING SONGS MUCH BETTER!!!
