Arsh asked a while back about the traditional Swedish crayfish party and wanted to know if I participated in one this year. And I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t eat crayfish. No particular reason, I just don’t like the buggers. And I’m not fond of paper hats, either. Most of my friends know about it and so the invitations to the seasonal debauchery sessions known as “kräftskiva” normally pass me by. Except last year. My new friend caught me unaware with an invite to her backyard crayfish munching fest. She caught me so unaware in fact, that I said “yes”.

But first things first. What’s a crayfish party? As the name indicates, it’s a party where you eat mostly crayfish and drink copious amounts of alcohol. Some people even skip the crayfish altogether and get straight to drinking. The month of August, during which back in the olden days crayfish were traditionally harvested, is the customary time for this extravaganza.

In Swedish:

• kräftskiva (def. kräftskivan, plural: -skivor, pl. def: -skivorna) – fest där man äter kräftor = a party where one eats crayfish
• kräfta (def. kräftan, plural: kräftor, pl. def: kräftorna) = crayfish

These days most of the crayfish consumed in Sweden are imported, and it doesn’t really matter what time of the year they’re harvested. But tradition is a sacred thing and needs to be observed.

So last year, I found myself sitting in a countryside backyard surrounded by about a dozen of very solemn people dressed in funny bibs and silly paper hats. Yes, paper hats are traditional, too. Don’t ask me why. Moon-face lanterns were strung between the trees and massive amounts of snaps were ready.

My friend decided to forsake the typical Swedish smörgåsbord and stuck to the basics: only crayfish, bread and booze were to be served, though not necessarily in that order. But I forgive her – she’s finlandssvenska after all.

So how was the party? Apparently, it was a smashing success – the next day nobody remembered anything and they couldn’t utter a word – their throats were too coarse and sore from singing so loud all night long.

Photos by @rild and Joakim