Easter Witches, Giant Eggs and Feather Trees- Happy Easter?

Glad Påsk!  Happy Easter

As usual, Sweden never ceases to surprise me with some of their traditions and celebrations, and Easter did not disappoint.  While there were many of the familiar traditions; such as candy, colored eggs and Easter egg hunts, I was thrown off when I started seeing witches and feathers tied to birch branches adorning all of the stores in Sweden. What?!?...what do witches have to do with Easter?  I was even more confused when Cyle's colleagues warned him to have candy on-hand as it is common for children to dress up and beg for candy the Thursday before Easter (much like we do at Halloween).  

Easter Witches

Many of the holidays that are still celebrated in Sweden have origins in the pagan times before Christianity came to Sweden. One of the more pagan traditions that is still celebrated is the Easter Witch. Folklore alleges that witches flew off on broomsticks to dance with the devil at a legendary meadow named Blåkulla on the Thursday before Easter (Maundy Thursday). On their way back, Swedes would light fires to scare them away, which is a practice honored today by the bonfires and fireworks that can often be seen throughout Sweden.

Today, it's a mix of old and new traditions as it is common to see children dress up in rags and old clothes, too-big skirts and shawls and go door to door with a copper kettle looking for treats (much like American trick-or-treating).

Påskris: Easter Twigs

Several weeks before the Easter holiday, I started noticing that every flower shop was selling twigs decorated with brightly colored feathers.  Soon, almost every home, store and restaurant had vases with the brightly decorated twigs.

Again, this is a tradition that is combining old and new elements of long-held customs.  In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was common to flog one another with birch branches to symbolize the pain and suffering of Jesus.  Starting the 1800's, the tradition of flogging disappeared and instead turned to more a symbolic decoration with the brightly colored feathers being a tradition that was imported from Germany in the 20th century.

I chose yellow feathers as I was told that was the symbolic color of Easter

Giant Candy Eggs

It is common for Swedish children to receive giant, decorated paper eggs filled with candy at Easter, and the eggs are often the reward at the end of an Easter egg hunt.  Rather than hiding dozens of small eggs, which is the tradition in America, Swedish children instead embark on a scavenger hunt with the paper eggs being their reward at the end.  

Seeing as Belle can't read or follow directions yet, we opted to give her Easter egg at breakfast.  

Belle was disappointed to find that instead of candy, her egg was filled with clothes.

Our Easter Holiday

For the Easter holiday, Cyle was off the Thursday and Friday before Easter as well as the Monday preceding Easter.  For Swedes, the long holiday provides a chance to go to their summer homes after the long winter to begin preparations for the upcoming summer months.  Consequently, Stockholm was almost a ghost town during the Easter holiday.  

To celebrate the holiday, we met Nico and Delfi at Skansen to celebrate many of the traditional Easter customs.

 While there, we shopped at the traditional Easter market,

sampled classic Swedish food,

visited the zoo with Scandinavian animals,

and enjoyed the views of Stockholm.

Easter Sunday, we met Michael and Natalie for an Easter Church service.  The church we attended was affiliated with the Church of England.  While we were not accustomed to many of the traditions associated with the church service, we all enjoyed the experience and message.

After church, we met Nico and Delfi for an Easter brunch.  The brunch had many of the traditional staples that are enjoyed by Swedes at Easter.  It wasn't much a surprise when we discovered pickled herring was at the heart of the Easter meal, but this time was accompanied with eggs with a variety of toppings including shrimp and caviar sauces.  Another traditional dish that we all sampled was 'Janssons Frestelse' which translates to ‘Jansson’s Temptation’. It is a creamy casserole including potatoes onions and anchovies.  We all decided we weren't big fans of this dish.

  

Like other Swedish holidays we have celebrated, it was fun to combine our American traditions while experiencing the traditions of Sweden.  It made for a fun and memorable Easter holiday.  

Glad Påsk from the Graber Family!