Swedish Christmas starts with Julmarknad

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BISHOP HILL - Celebrate the holidays with a Swedish flare. Bishop Hill's annual Julmarknad (Christmas Market) is open this year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 28-30 and Dec. 6 and 7. Julmarknad honors the Scandinavian custom, continued from the Middle Ages, in which farmers and craftsmen gathered in village squares to sell their goods. In this same spirit, Bishop Hill also will be selling gifts, antiques, Scandinavian food such as herring, rye bread and lutefisk, and Swedish imports. During Julmarknad, Swedish folk characters stroll through the village. Look for Julbock, the Christmas goat, and the elf, Tomten, among others. Kay Price, a professional storyteller, will be telling tales at 1 and 3 p.m. both weekends. At 1 p.m. Dec. 6, the Wethersfield Elementary Choir will sing at the 1857 blacksmith shop. There will be a cookie walk starting at the Colony School the first weekend, and Bishop Hill Arts Council's Chocolate Walk, which starts at the Steeple Building, the second weekend. Another special Bishop Hill event is Lucia Nights. Museums and shops will be open 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 12 and 13, and most will offer hot drinks and treats. There'll be plenty of special music, too, from groups such as the Peoria Cooperative Academy Chorale and the Galva Congregational Church Bell Choir. Lucia Nights springs from a legend that dates back to a time of famine in Sweden, when St. Lucia appeared surrounded by light to bring food to the Swedes. Her deeds are celebrated each year. Bishop Hill windows will be lit with a single candle, and most places will have a young woman dressed in a white gown and red sash, wearing a crown of candles and serving free sweets to all she meets. Swedish religious dissenters founded Bishop Hill in 1846, walking 160 miles from Chicago before calling Bishop Hill home. Their first winter was difficult, but they held on, expanding with the addition of more colonists from Sweden. Today, Bishop Hill is a National Historic Landmark. One of its jewels is the Steeple Building, an 1854 hotel that became a school, bank and dwelling. This three-story Greek revival comes complete with clock tower, and is home to Bishop Hill Heritage Association's Administrative museum. If you go What: Julmarknad and Lucia Nights When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 28-30 and Dec. 6-7 for Julmarknad; 6-9 p.m. Dec. 12-13 for Lucia Nights. Where: Bishop Hill in Henry County. Cost: Free for the most part. Information: Visit www.bishophillartscouncil.com or call 309-927-3345 or 309-927-3899.