Lördagsgodis (English: "Saturday sweets" or "Saturday candy") is a Swedish tradition of children eating candy or sweets mainly or only on Saturdays.[1]

Lördagsgodis at IKEA in Hong Kong.

The tradition started as a health recommendation in 1959[2] following the government-funded Vipeholm experiments, where patients of Vipeholm Hospital for the intellectually disabled in Lund, Sweden, were unknowingly fed large amounts of sweets to see whether a high-sugar diet would cause tooth decay.[3]

Over time, what was once a recommendation has turned into a routine for both children and adults to eat candy on Saturdays, as an event to look forward to during the week.[4] It is common for Swedes to buy lördagsgodis by weight from candy walls in grocery stores.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Savage, Maddy (8 October 2021). "Lördagsgodis: Sweden's Saturday-only candy tradition". BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  2. ^ Kawash, Samira (2013). Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure. New York: Faber & Faber, Incorporated. pp. 257–258. ISBN 9780865477568.
  3. ^ Lundqvist, Ida (5 December 2010). "Vipeholmsexperimenten" [Vipeholm experiments]. P3 Dokumentär (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio.
  4. ^ "Sweet only on Saturday: the Swedish tradition that teaches children the things of life". The European Times. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ^ Ogletree, Kelsey. "Lördagsgodis Is Sweden's Sweet Tradition of Eating Candy on Saturdays, and We're Officially Obsessed". realsimple.com. Real Simple. Retrieved 27 January 2023.