"Arranging the house in preparation for death" .. a common habit among the elderly in Sweden
84-year-old Lena Sandgren is arranging her home in the heart of Stockholm in preparation for the day when she will no longer be alive, in a widespread phenomenon among the elderly in Sweden called "dastadning". "I do this several times a week, and it makes me feel better," says the woman, as she arranges her library by candlelight. Sandgren began packing her things at home about ten years ago, from utensils to books, passing through clothes, and did not leave a section without arranging its affairs.
“It feels good to get rid of my belongings,” she continues, before setting aside a stack of books on botany.
This sorting, known as “dastadning” in Swedish, is an old custom in this Scandinavian country that is preoccupied with the elderly. Writer Margarita Magnusson, 86, explained its origins in 2017.
“It is about taking care of all the details that we will leave after our death,” the writer said in statements to AFP.
She explains that “arranging the affairs of the house may bring good memories, and if this is not the case, then these possessions must be disposed of.”
Her daughter Jane, 53, believes that this habit primarily removes a burden from the relatives of the deceased. "All those who have businesses want to take care of the minimum details when their family is no longer alive."
She added enthusiastically, "I greatly appreciate the work you have accomplished and I am happy to see that this custom has spread all over the world."
Margarita Magnusson's book, "The Swedish Art of Arranging Before Death," has been translated into several languages and has become a "bestseller" according to the New York Times classification, and his Facebook page has about 18,000 followers.
The owner of an American blogger that applies the concepts of the book gets more than 3 million views for a single tape that she shows on the Internet.
In Sweden, these practices go back to an old home tradition.
Christina Adolfson, a former actress who is now practicing the "Dastadening", reveals that "an old neighbor told me forty years ago that she would do this kind of packing in preparation for death." And she admits, "I realized that we do not live forever."
For Margarita Magnusson, this phenomenon is primarily a cultural characteristic of Sweden: “The whole world fears death.
It is undoubtedly the case for Sweden as well, but we are not afraid to confront this issue.”
Margarita has only a few clothes in her closet, while her salon is still filled with figurines.
She admits, "I have arranged the house in preparation for my death several times, but I have a lot left ... so we cannot complete this task completely."
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