Since 2009, visitors have been able to publish their prayers on the Swedish Church's website. On the prayer web, it is also possible to light digital candles and place them on a map, which many Swedes choose to do around this time of year.
Last year, approximately 55,000 digital candles were lit, of which 30,000 were lit during October-November, according to Charlotte Frycklund, online priest in the Swedish Church. Over the past few years, she has seen a steady increase in traffic, which first gained momentum during the pandemic.
It's probably also because we modern humans move far away from our family and so on, and you can't always get to all the cemeteries where you have someone you've lost, says Frycklund.
By participating, you can also get a sense of community, she believes.
I think this light map is a collective action. You kind of become part of the mourners' community when you light your candle.
Of course, a digital candle is a smaller gesture than actually going to a cemetery in person, admits Charlotte Frycklund. At the same time, she sees a growing openness to this type of service the more we live our lives online.
I think the pandemic also contributed to this, when you could, for example, participate in funerals online because it wasn't possible in any other way. We've become more relaxed about things not being in person or on the internet – but things can be real on the internet too.
