St. Knut's Day Exhibit Closing Reception

Join us for a closing reception for the exhibit, "Coming to America: Washington's Swedish Immigrant", in the Gunn Museum in Washington, Connecticut. Traditional Swedish holiday refreshments will be served in this fitting end to our exhibit. Please call 860-868-7756 to register.

The Swedes, Finns, and Norwegians ritualize the end of Christmas with the honoring of St. Knut or Tjugondag Knut which translates into the 20th Day of Knut or the 20th day after Christmas Eve. On St. Knut’s day, the Christmas tree is ransacked of all the edibles and after the lights and non-edible decorations are taken down and stored, the tree is literally kicked to the curb. Many set the tree ablaze for a great outdoor bonfire, and sing one last round of O Tannenbaum. The origin of St. Knut's begins in Denmark, where St. Knut more commonly known as King Canute IV, ruled Denmark from 1080 to 1086 and claimed the throne of England. He issued laws to protect the weak, orphans, widows, and foreigners, tried to enforce the collection of tithes, and is honored as a saint for his virtue and generosity. Martyred in St. Albans Church in Jutland during a peasant uprising, his death is seen as the end of the Viking Age. King Knut proclaimed that Christmas should last for 20 days. In Sweden his feast day is the traditional day to discard the Christmas tree and end the season’s festivities.

Admission to the Museum and its exhibits is free.