Swedish Dating and Courting Rituals

The Kingdom of Sweden is a progressive, ultramodern, and wealthy nation in Scandinavian Europe. As Sweden is located quite far north in Europe, the climate there can get quite extreme. The winter season, spanning from about December to May, can get very cold, dark and depressing.

The days are awfully short and some parts of Sweden during these winter months don't get any daylight at all. The summer season on the other hand, which starts around June, brings the Swedish people constant daylight and the parts of Sweden that did not get any daylight during the winter are now constantly bombarded with it 24/7 in the summer.

Dating and finding love with a Swedish partner may seem daunting and unattainable at first. You might think that their extreme climate has a negative effect on the personalities of Swedish men and women. While they are often stereotyped in Europe as being an unfriendly, cold, and humorless people, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Their formal façade is simply their way of being polite and showing respect. It is also not in their culture to openly show their emotions and share their feelings. Modern dating rituals in Sweden are similar to the rest of Europe and the western world, except that the Swedish are somewhat slower and more cautious in dating. They like to think things through and really analyze decisions in a relationship.

In meeting a Swede for the first time, you might notice that you will be doing most of the talking. The Swedish are not quick to converse and share their opinions with strangers, but they do like to listen instead. Just let him or her listen and soon enough, you will find yourself establishing a relationship with him or her.

While it's not in their culture to be emotionally open, what is integrated in the Swedish culture is the equality of the sexes. Make sure to keep this in mind especially when getting to know a Swede as they really pride themselves on their equal treatment of men and women.

The Swedish love nature and the outdoors so dates that involve hiking, biking, or taking walks in the woods will be greatly appreciated and enjoyed by your Swedish partner. Their love for the outdoors extends to their love for keeping fit so any date that involves a physical activity will be a sure hit.

A Swedish man is not accustomed to footing the restaurant bill or the whole date for that matter. But in turn, a Swedish woman, who is used to being treated equally, is in the habit of paying for her part of the date.

Dating a Swede may be slow but because of their need to be certain about things, finding true love with a Swede is a sure process. The Swedish people do not decide on anything impulsively and even marriage is only considered after having lived together, or even after having one or two children. Do not be alarmed by this as this is only the way courtship and mating rituals are in the land of the midnight sun.