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Lesson Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the Culture Class- “Holidays in Sweden” Series at SwedishPod101.com. In this series, we’re exploring the traditions behind Swedish holidays and observances. I’m Eric, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson 11, Cinnamon Bun Day. In Swedish, it’s called kanelbullens dag.
Cinnamon Bun Day has been celebrated in Sweden each year on October 4, since 1999.
During this lesson you’ll learn why Cinnamon Bun Day is celebrated on October 4, and why it’s even celebrated at all!
Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question?
The most common name for a cinnamon bun is kanelbulle. Are you aware of any other names for this bun?
If you don't already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep listening.
Cinnamon Bun Day is not a public holiday in Sweden – it’s simply a yearly themed day, or en årlig temadag. In 1999, Kaeth Gardestedt was working as a project leader at the Home Baking Board. She had a mission to come up with a great, fun way to celebrate the Home Baking Board’s 50th anniversary, and therefore she invented Cinnamon Bun Day. The Home Baking Board is a union of yeast developers, flour manufacturers, sugar manufacturers, and margarine developers which is run by Dansukker. The purpose of the day was also to bring attention to the bun tradition that exists in Sweden, to bring special focus to the cinnamon bun, and to increase the consumption of yeast, flour, sugar, and margarine.
Why does Cinnamon Bun Day fall on October 4 each year? Well, first and foremost, the Home Baking Board was started up in autumn, but it was very important to the group that the day wouldn’t collide with fermented herring, crayfish, apple festivals and other similar events that occur during the autumn season. In 1999, October 4 was International Children’s Day, or Internationella barndagen, and Kaeth Gardestedt thought it would be an appropriate day to pick, taking into consideration that Cinnamon Bun Day was supposed to be a day about caring.
In Sweden, the day can be recognized in commercial displays seen in shops, restaurants and cafes. Cinnamon Bun Day is also occasionally celebrated among Swedes in New Zealand, and in many different parts of the world through the Swedish Church. The cinnamon bun arrived to Sweden during the 1920s, and has since then been very popular, and very easy to bake.
The cinnamon bun is so strongly associated with Sweden that it was even presented as a Swedish delicacy during the 2006 EU project in Café Europe, which is a cultural initiative created by Austria, where each EU country can present a national pastry.
Now it's time to answer our quiz question.
The most common name for a cinnamon bun is "kanelbulle”. Are you aware of any other names for the bun?
The cinnamon bun is sometimes called kanelsnäcka, meaning “cinnamon snail,” or kanelsnurra, meaning “cinnamon swirl.” ..which are quite logical names considering the shape of the cinnamon bun, don’t you think?
How did you find this lesson? Did you learn anything interesting?
Have you ever baked your own cinnamon buns?
Leave us a comment letting us know at SwedishPod101.com. And we'll see you in the next lesson!

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