A Sweet Farewell: The Tradition of Swedish Funeral Candy

In mid-nineteenth-century Sweden, a unique and poignant tradition emerged that transformed hard sugar candies into somber funeral favors. These candies, often molded in the shape of a corpse, were carefully wrapped in black crepe paper adorned with fringes. This practice, which evolved into a distinct Swedish custom, offered attendees a bittersweet token to remember the departed.

Initially presented alongside wine before the funeral service, these small candy corpses encased in their black shrouds soon became a meaningful part of Swedish funerary rituals. According to Mats Bigert, an expert in the field, the fringes on the wrappers held subtle significance. The length and width of the fringes were deliberate, conveying the age of the deceased – longer and thinner fringes symbolized the passing of an older individual, while shorter and wider fringes signified the death of a child or a younger person.

The wrappers themselves were often adorned with intricate silver paper patterns, depictions of cherubs, or more solemn choices such as a silhouette of a crucifix or a graveside scene. Alongside these visual elements, verses, prayers, and poems were commonly attached to the candies. This diverse range of textual expressions captured the complex emotions associated with mortality.

Some of these inscriptions offered stark reflections on the inevitability of death:

"The dark, quiet abyss; All our days will end like this."

Others took a more moralistic approach, urging contemplation and action:

"Death shall one day all us fetter. Pray, repent, act and make better. Consider, human, what you do. You never know when life is through."

This practice of offering funeral confectionery was not solely about the candies themselves but also about the symbolic messages they carried. The candies, while made from a combination of sugar and binding agents, were often too precious to consume due to their symbolic value. The wrappers and their contents encapsulated the intricate emotions surrounding loss, and the tradition held significance in Swedish culture.

As time progressed and the availability of sugar increased, the custom underwent changes. Beet sugar became more accessible and affordable during the late 1800s, leading to a shift in the ritual's dynamics. The once-exclusive practice expanded from the urban bourgeoisie to rural communities. An industry dedicated to producing ritual confectionery flourished, with confectioners even traveling to Germany and France for supplies. As the practice became more widespread, the imagery on the wrappers transformed. The earlier macabre depictions of skulls and graves gave way to images of angels, Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary, reflecting changing attitudes toward mourning and death.

Ultimately, the practice of funeral confectionery began to wane in the 1920s and 1930s, eventually fading away by the 1960s. Sugar, once a symbol of ritual significance, lost its exclusive status as it became more common. Today, these poignant artifacts are primarily found in museums or tucked away in the attics of elderly Swedes, serving as a reminder of a unique period in Swedish history when even a small sweet could convey deep emotions and contemplation.