Easter In Sweden
Easter is a holiday I was never all that involved in since my family wasn't very religious. However, there are many Easter traditions that aren't religion related, the most prominent one being (to me as a child) finding the hidden eggs with candy in them of course. *G* This is a bit of a mix of past and present celebrations and traditions around Easter in Sweden.
Maundy Thursday
On this day, witches were thought to fly to "Blåkulla" to consort with the devil. Blåkulla, directly translated it means Blue Hills, was thought to be so far away on the horizon that it was merely seen as a blue haze. Here the witches went to feast, not to return until Easter Eve. Many "witches" were prosecuted and killed based on someone "witnessing" them preparing or going to Blåkulla.
Today, Maundy Thursday is a holiday in Sweden when most people are off from work. People aren't as superstitious and many of the old protection procedures have been turned into fun traditions. Children dress up as hags on Maudy Thursday, face paint, costume, broom, and everything. They paint Easter cards and put them in a copper teapot or a basket and then proceed to knock on the neighbours' doors to give them a card and wish them a happy Easter. Now this isn't quite as selfless as it may sound. Much like on Halloween in the United States, people give the children candy and money when they come knocking. *G* Easter is the big candy holiday in Sweden!
Good Friday
Good Friday became a holiday in Sweden in the 17th century. This was a day, more than any other, when people were to remind themselves about the sufferings of Christ and of the sacrifice he made when dying on the cross. People fasted, avoided drinking anything, and put pebbles or dried peas in their shoes to achieve some suffering. It was a day of sorrow. People often wore black and no merriness was to disturb the grieving. One old tradition people did all over Sweden on Good Friday was to whip everybody with a bundle of twigs in order to remind people about the sufferings of Christ. Later on this was turned into a practical joke and people got up as early as 4 am and snuck into bedrooms to give someone a slap with the twigs.
Today the bundle of twigs are still a main feature in the Swedish Easter celebration, but merely as a decoration. It is picked early and put in water so that when Easter comes, green leaves are sprouting. The twigs are decorated with colored feathers, small eggs, and other Easter type decorations. This is one of the most popular days to go to church in Sweden, but otherwise not much else is done besides visiting with family and eating lots of good food! Like on Maundy Thursday, most stores are closed.
Easter Saturday
On the eve of Easter used to be the last day of fasting in Sweden. The day was used to clean and prepare for Easter Day, when all the celebrating was done. Today, however, this is the day people celebrate the most. This is the night when people set off fireworks and, in some parts, light big bonfires (which used to be to scare off the returning witches). This is also the day when the children seach for their hidden Easter eggs filled with candy! For a while my parents made it into an elaborate search where we went looking for hints on small pieces of paper. Each hint would give a notion of where to find the next hint until the last one hinted to where the actual egg was hidden. I remember this as being one of the most fun things of the year!
Easter Day and Easter Monday
Easter Day used to be the day when Swedes celebrated the most, but today it is more of just another day of good food and fun family interaction. Easter Monday is also a holiday in Sweden. On this day the youth used to feast. It was a merry feasting because they hadn't been able to do so since lent started. Today it is a day when relatives pack up and leave and you rest after all the celebrating.
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