Did you know that
witches and trick or treating are part of Scandinavian Easter
traditions, which are still celebrated in parts of Sweden and other
Scandinavian countries? On the Saturday or Thursday before Easter,
young children dress up as witches or Påskkärringar (the
kindly, apple-cheeked, headscarf wearing kind, similar to Italy's La
Befana, the Christmas Witch and go door-to-door asking for candy or
other treats. How neat is it to have Halloween-like traditions in
springtime?!
This tradition stems
from the old belief that witches were a their most powerful during
Easter week and that they would travel to Blåkulla (Blue
Mountain) via broom (or even ride stolen livestock like cows, goats,
sheep, or even cats - see image below) to cavort with the devil on
Maundy Thursday through Saturday.
To honor this old
belief, Scandinavian children dress up as witches and go
trick-or-treating, like Halloween! In some parts of Scandinavia
children leave Easter cards or a small token of thanks to the houses
they visit. Many of these cards feature images of påskkärringar, or
Easter witches.
I love how you can
find traditions similar to Halloween throughout the year for many
different holidays. I love the Scandinavian tradition of Easter
witches and it is fun to learn about different holiday traditions
from around the world that relate to Halloween. A point of interest no peaked hats or black capes
Easter witches are often depicted with a coffee pot, broom and a cat much like the Easter Witch ornament below.
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