Midsummer, Easter and Christmas, these are all beloved traditions that are celebrated yearly but in Scandinavia there is one tradition that has really skyrocketed in the past three decades. The best part about it is that it's not celebrated just once a year, it's celebrated weekly! Every Friday as a matter of fact. “Cozy Friday” or Fredagsmys, Fredagskos or Fredagshygge as it’s called in Sweden, Norway and Denmark is an activity where family and/or friends gather on Friday night to mark the end of the work/school week to sit down and recharge together before the weekend. In Norway and Denmark it’s not as “strict” but in Sweden it’s become somewhat of a ritual in the past almost 30 years and 78% of Swedes take part in this weekly tradition. 

It’s a well-known fact nowadays that on Saturdays you can party and do whatever you’d like but on Fridays we get cozy. Activities during the Fredagsmys can vary but a few standard factors are: food that is relatively easy to prepare, snacks, soda, a sofa and a TV. Fredagsmys is something that children can easily absorb and feel involved in and many families take this opportunity to play boardgames too. 

The term "Fredagsmys" was first established in 1994 and the first evidence of Fredagsmys used as a term can be found in an article published in Göteborgs-Posten on 30 June 1994 were a family was asked what they liked doing on Friday nights. “On Fridays we do Fredagsmys” was the answer. The crisp brand OLW picked this up and started using it in their commercials and even made their own song about Fredagsmys that became (and still is) hugely popular in Sweden.

In 2006, the word Fredagsmys was added to the Swedish Academy's dictionary. People of course celebrated with…...Fredagsmys.