In Sweden Easter is a big deal
Its mainly because Sweden is very traditional and therefore Easter becomes almost as sacred as Christmas is to people back in England. Easter is an entire week of celebrations and children all over Sweden dress up as witches (which looks a bit like a doll with freckles, paper hats and rosy cheeks) to deliver Easter letters and receive candy - kind of like Halloween.
Things on Friday are a little different and are taken very seriously. Good Friday is seen as an almost sobering experience and is appropriately named in Swedish 'Långfredag' which means 'Long Friday' as nothing is really allowed to happen on this day. No pubs, cinemas or anything fun! (Me and Josh managed to escape to Denmark for this part)
BUT it is not all doom and gloom. The moment Saturday begins there is a sense of cheer. Leading up to Easter everyone in the city center has baskets of treats, decorating the eggs is a big family event and I even saw a man dressed as a chicken roaming the streets handing out Easter Eggs (I'm not sure if they were free!) People come round celebrating the end of a long winter. A women even gave me an chocolate Easter Bunny to spread the cheer - to be fair, she knows the way to a girl's heart.
And this is all topped off by Walpurgis Night at the end of April. Bonfires are lit all over the cities to mark the end of winter. Some people use it as a method to clean all the dead branches and any wood from their gardens to start the spring cleaning, whilst for others it symbolises the end of winter and the sunshine!
On Walpurgis Night people start singing and dancing (and after the bonfire dies out) drinking! As May day follows then apparently people will be up all night and if not they get up early to celebrate the May Day demonstrations that parade through the streets of their town or village... safe to say I am looking forward to this little tradition. There is also a tradition of drinking nettle soup as sometimes the Swedish nights can still be bitterly cold. However, so far, we have had sunshine most days... *fingers crossed* it remains.
p.s. Don't read this if you don't like history
p.s. Don't read this if you don't like history
Walpurgis Eve
by Agneta Lilja, Södertörn University College
In the Middle Ages, the administrative year ended on 30 April. Accordingly, this was a day of festivity among the merchants and craftsmen of the town, with trick-or-treat, dancing and singing in preparation for the forthcoming celebration of spring. Among farmers and peasants, it was an important day in the calendar as the annual village meeting was held, with eggs and schnapps as refreshments. The meeting also chose a new alderman. At Walpurgis (Valborg), farm animals were let out to graze, and ever since the early 18th century bonfires (majbrasor, kasar) have been lit to scare away predators. People also fired guns, shook cowbells or yelled and screamed to keep the predators at bay. In some parts of the country, young people went round singing May songs in return for gifts of food on Walpurgis Eve. Those who gave them nothing were treated to a ‘nasty’ ditty. Elsewhere, people visited spas to drink the health-giving water and to amuse themselves.
In the Middle Ages, the administrative year ended on 30 April. Accordingly, this was a day of festivity among the merchants and craftsmen of the town, with trick-or-treat, dancing and singing in preparation for the forthcoming celebration of spring. Among farmers and peasants, it was an important day in the calendar as the annual village meeting was held, with eggs and schnapps as refreshments. The meeting also chose a new alderman. At Walpurgis (Valborg), farm animals were let out to graze, and ever since the early 18th century bonfires (majbrasor, kasar) have been lit to scare away predators. People also fired guns, shook cowbells or yelled and screamed to keep the predators at bay. In some parts of the country, young people went round singing May songs in return for gifts of food on Walpurgis Eve. Those who gave them nothing were treated to a ‘nasty’ ditty. Elsewhere, people visited spas to drink the health-giving water and to amuse themselves.
There we go... a little learning for everyone :)
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