SWEDEN'S SWEET DAY
People in Sweden really love different kinds of candy and other sweets. Almost every shop sells candies. Even furniture stores sell them. In the 1980s, stores offering lots of colorful candies in large, open boxes became popular in Sweden.(lines 1–4)
Why are Swedish people so crazy about sweets? Swedish food expert Elsa Larson explains that they love candies so much because of their long, dark winters. "In Sweden, there are 22 days every winter without any sun at all. During those dark days, we need lots of sweet, colorful candies to help us feel happier," she says.(lines 5–9)
Swedish people love and need their candies so much that they started a new tradition. They call it "Sweet Day". Every Sunday, whole families shop for candies together. At the store, everyone chooses their favorite sweets and puts them in a big family bag. Then they return home and enjoy their candies together with their family and friends.(lines 10–14)
However, Olaf Hansen, professor of Swedish history, gives a different explanation for the "Sweet Day" tradition. Many years ago, the Swedish government wanted to improve the health of everyone's teeth, especially children's teeth. It advised parents not to let children have candies during the week. So parents allowed children to have candies only on Sundays. Later, special candy stores that sell only colorful sweets appeared in Sweden and soon became popular in many places.(lines 15–19)
Did Sweet Day work? People's teeth really improved but Professor Hansen says that it happened for other reasons. "The first reason is that doctors have new ways to take care of people's teeth. Also, today people everywhere want to have less sugar in their food. They know that too much sugar is not healthy in general, and not only for their teeth!" It is interesting to learn that although Swedish people love candy and have their Sweet Day, they eat less candy than people in Germany, Holland or the USA.(lines 20–25)