Two Halloweens in one year - awesome
I heard about this last night and thought "Gee, I'm going to have to look that up." Sure enough, it was accurate. A little surprised I don't reacall having heard mention of this from the resident Swedophiles or Finnophiles. :^) This may be something to keep in mind for 6 months from now.
There will always be the group of churchgoers on Easter Sunday. Most likely they are the same gang who went to church for julotta Christmas morning. However, Easter today, has little to do with Christian beliefs for the majority of Swedes.
Children dressed as witches give a clear indication that Swedish Påsk origins predate Christianity. Folklore alleges that witches flew off on broomsticks to dance with the devil at Blåkulla.
In Sweden, this tale ties in with Easter. And so on skärtorsdag, Maundy Thursday, modern Swedish children dress up as påskkärringar (Easter hags) paint their faces, carry a broom and knock on neighbor’s doors for treats, much like American children do at Halloween.
from www.thelocal.se/3525/20090409/
Many of the things you don't know about Easter have to do with odd, intensely national Holy Week traditions. So why not start off with the most unexpected one - the Easter Witch. In Sweden and parts of Finland, a mini-Halloween takes place on either the Thursday or Saturday before Easter. Little girls dress up in rags and old clothes, too-big skirts and shawls and go door to door with a copper kettle looking for treats.
The tradition is said to come from the old belief that witches would fly to a German mountain the Thursday before Easter to cavort with Satan. On their way back, Swedes would light fires to scare them away, a practice honored today by the bonfires and fireworks across the land in the days leading up to Sunday.
from http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1889922_1890008,00.html
An ancient grisly aspect of Easter celebrations has developed into a fun thing for children. Little girls with painted faces, wearing head scarves and long skirts, go from door to door with a coffee pot which they expect to get filled with small change or candy. Known as påskkärringar - Easter witches or hags - their origins are to be found in the old superstition that Maundy Thursday was the time when witches stole household brooms and flew to dance and consort with the devil at a feast hosted by him on “Blue Mountain”, a fictitious mountain, possibly in present-day Iceland. There were witch hunts that developed from this superstition and as late as in the 18th century, women denounced as witches could still face capital punishment. The last trial of a woman for witchcraft in Sweden took place as late as in 1720. All doors and windows were kept closed on Maundy Thursday and the dampers of the fireplaces were firmly shut. Thresholds and door jams were marked with the sign of the cross in tar to keep the witches at bay.
The belief in witchcraft is the basis of another Easter tradition, especially in western Sweden where firecrackers are let off on Easter night and great bonfires are lit. Firecrackers and fires were considered to be a proven method to keep witches at bay.
from http://www.nordicway.com/search/Sweden/Sweden_Easter%20Traditions.htm
more here http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/newletters/news040406.html
There will always be the group of churchgoers on Easter Sunday. Most likely they are the same gang who went to church for julotta Christmas morning. However, Easter today, has little to do with Christian beliefs for the majority of Swedes.
Children dressed as witches give a clear indication that Swedish Påsk origins predate Christianity. Folklore alleges that witches flew off on broomsticks to dance with the devil at Blåkulla.
In Sweden, this tale ties in with Easter. And so on skärtorsdag, Maundy Thursday, modern Swedish children dress up as påskkärringar (Easter hags) paint their faces, carry a broom and knock on neighbor’s doors for treats, much like American children do at Halloween.
from www.thelocal.se/3525/20090409/
Many of the things you don't know about Easter have to do with odd, intensely national Holy Week traditions. So why not start off with the most unexpected one - the Easter Witch. In Sweden and parts of Finland, a mini-Halloween takes place on either the Thursday or Saturday before Easter. Little girls dress up in rags and old clothes, too-big skirts and shawls and go door to door with a copper kettle looking for treats.
The tradition is said to come from the old belief that witches would fly to a German mountain the Thursday before Easter to cavort with Satan. On their way back, Swedes would light fires to scare them away, a practice honored today by the bonfires and fireworks across the land in the days leading up to Sunday.
from http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1889922_1890008,00.html
An ancient grisly aspect of Easter celebrations has developed into a fun thing for children. Little girls with painted faces, wearing head scarves and long skirts, go from door to door with a coffee pot which they expect to get filled with small change or candy. Known as påskkärringar - Easter witches or hags - their origins are to be found in the old superstition that Maundy Thursday was the time when witches stole household brooms and flew to dance and consort with the devil at a feast hosted by him on “Blue Mountain”, a fictitious mountain, possibly in present-day Iceland. There were witch hunts that developed from this superstition and as late as in the 18th century, women denounced as witches could still face capital punishment. The last trial of a woman for witchcraft in Sweden took place as late as in 1720. All doors and windows were kept closed on Maundy Thursday and the dampers of the fireplaces were firmly shut. Thresholds and door jams were marked with the sign of the cross in tar to keep the witches at bay.
The belief in witchcraft is the basis of another Easter tradition, especially in western Sweden where firecrackers are let off on Easter night and great bonfires are lit. Firecrackers and fires were considered to be a proven method to keep witches at bay.
from http://www.nordicway.com/search/Sweden/Sweden_Easter%20Traditions.htm
more here http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/newletters/news040406.html