Yulbord is the name of a traditional Swedish Christmas table, which is served with sausages, meatballs, boiled potatoes, herring salad, smoked salmon.
Kavian Firdousi, who himself had to spend several years on the street, decided to invite the homeless to a restaurant at the Stockholm railway station:
“The homeless have no way to celebrate Christmas the way other members of society do. In this way, we give them human connection, hope, the opportunity to live on and love.”
According to the organizers and participants, the main thing here is not even the treat itself, but live communication and a sense of unity, the feeling that you are not alone and that you are remembered.
“Hylbord gives people hope. This is one of the most important Swedish Christmas traditions, I think. It is very important to gather at the table, because yylbord allows you to meet each other, talk, socialize. This is especially important for the homeless, because they often feel lonely” .
“There are things that you do every day, every week, every year. It is very important to have such a structure in life. So if you came to Aulbord, then the new year will come soon, which means that life goes on, and everything is in order.”
The Christmas table, organized by Kavian Ferdowsi, lasts a whole month. Among the volunteers helping him, there are also many former homeless people.