Thursday, September 25 | 2025
Before you innocently suck on your first kräftor… take the time to read these 5 facts about the do’s and don’t of Kräftskivor. At the bottom of this article, we’ve added a series of coupons for money off your big pre-crayfish party food shop. Don’t miss out!
1. Good bye blue sky
Kräftskiva (the Crayfish Party) is a typical Swedish festivity that marks the end of the summer. Sorry for the reality call, but let’s face the truth: soon the sun will be gone, so make sure to enjoy it!
Why is it celebrated in August? The origins date back to the early 20th century when there was a risk of over-fishing. They introduced restrictions on river crayfishing and the season was limited to a couple of months from August.
2. Eat, eat, eat
In this great feast, the crayfish are cooked in a brine, with a lot of dill. They are eaten cold, with your own hands. Sucking noisily to extract the juices is a must.
Aside from crayfish, you usually eat bread and a strong cheese i.e mature Västerbotten.
3. But manners, please!
It is good to have some elegance to the table. People usually wear fancy bibs and hats during the crayfish party.
4. Drinking and singing
Snappsvisor are traditional drinking songs that are supposed to be sung when taking shots. If you can’t speak Swedish, don’t be ashamed to give it a try. Nobody will be sober to sing them right anyway…
5. Hangover
The day after a Kräftskiva you will probably feel a bit bad, but instead of blaming all the drinking you can do like the Swedes and just say “jag tål inte kräftor” (something like “it was the crayfish”).
Learn more about the history of this celebration in this article.
Let us know what’s your favourite Swedish holiday and how do you celebrate it?
Money off coupons to use in food shops
Hemköp
New customers save 200kr. Use the code ‘NY200’ at the checkout. Terms & conditions apply, applicable to only new customers who spend over 1000kr on their first order. Expires 31st Dec 2024.
Mathem
New customers save over 200kr when they spend over 800kr. Use the code ‘MHNY200’ at the check out. Terms & conditions apply, applicable to only new customers who spend over 750kr on their first order. Expires 31st Dec 2024.
