LETTER FROM MALMÖ

How does one resist the prevailing gloom and not succumb to depression? The Danes have hygge, a form of cocooning elevated to an art of living, widely covered in articles and books. Less is said about fredagsmys, the Swedish equivalent – a major ritual in the lives of people in this Nordic country, particularly vital when the world outside seems to be crumbling.

Difficult to translate directly, fredagsmys is a combination of fredag ("Friday") and mys, which refers to a feeling of coziness and well-being. Picture this: It's Friday afternoon. Like many Swedish employees, you finish work a little early. You stop by the store and then head home to prepare dinner with your family. If you have young children, the menu will likely include tacos, hamburgers or pizza – replaced, as they grow older, with shrimp or a cheese and charcuterie platter, eaten in front of the TV, with chips for dessert.

"The important thing is being together, enjoying a good meal. We celebrate the end of the week, the fact that we can sleep in the next morning, and that we're all here together," explained Martin Amarelle, 50, a recruitment expert and father of three. Going out to a restaurant is out of the question. "Fredagsmys is celebrated at home, within the nuclear family, with a simple meal that doesn't require spending hours in the kitchen," said Maria Persson, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg and author of a chapter on this Friday ritual in an anthology on Swedish culinary culture.

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