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| Figure 1: Swedish children dressed as Easter witches (Photo credit: Jonas Ekströmer) |
It is the time of year where many individuals who either follow one of the Christian faiths or practice related holidays begin to celebrate Easter. This Judeo-Christian holiday has a religious component, although various secular customs are associated with this holiday (e.g., decorating eggs, participating in in Easter egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, and more). While several of these may be familiar to you today’s blog post will introduce you to a Swedish tradition that you may not be familiar with: the påskkärringar, or Easter hag/witch, tradition. This post will discuss what it is, how it came to be, and how it is changing to match current Swedish cultural norms and values.
In Sweden five full days are dedicated to the commemoration and celebration of Easter. This affair begins on Easter Thursday, known among the Swedes as Skärtorsdag (Maudy Thursday). While several of the days are dedicated to specific Judeo-Christian traditions it is Skärtorsdag (Maudy Thursday) that appeals to the secular aspects of Swedish tradition. This is the day when children, particularly girls, get to dress up and participate in the Swedish mummering tradition known as påskkärringar. Påskkärringar translates literally into Easter Hag but generally it is better known as Easter Witch. Children dress up as Easter witches and go door to door exchanging holiday greetings and handmade art for candy. Girls traditionally wear scarves around their heads and shawls around their shoulders, as well as make up that paints their faces with large red freckles (Figure 1). Boys more recently have changed their traditional dress, wearing formal black suits, top hats, and don fake mustaches. This is meant to represent the male version of the Easter old man, the påskgubbar.
The exact origins of the påskkärringar/Easter hag/witch tradition is a little murky, but it first began in the 1800s. This was around a hundred years after the Swedish witch trials ended, which is characterized as a dark part of Swedish history. From 1450 and 1750 Sweden, much like the rest of Europe, underwent a series of historical and religious phases in which individuals were accused and found guilty of consorting with the Devil. It is estimated that in Sweden an estimated 100000 “witches” were executed, the vast majority of whom were women. The observance of the påskkärringar approximately a hundred years later is viewed as being either a means of softening this dark past or completely erasing it.
Today, this Swedish tradition is undergoing several reformations to match the ever changing cultural values inherent within modern Swedish society. In urban centers across the country many parents are opting not to allow their children to fully participate by excluding them from the mummering, or door to door, portion. There are fears of the children’s safety that play a role in this change. Other alterations are a greater commercialization of Easter, with greater emphasis on chickens, eggs, and rabbits, and the introduction of Halloween to the country. More and more parents are either dressing their children up in formal attire or in costumes resembling eggs or chickens instead of as Easter witches, while others are withdrawing entirely from these celebrations, replacing them completely with Halloween. It will be interesting to see where this tradition goes as Swedish culture continues to change.
Works Cited
Hugoson, Marlene. "“Instant Tradition”: The Introduction." Folklore 117.1 (2006): 75-86. Print.
Liedholm, Astrid. Påskkärringar or cute witches? How cultural words are translated in tourist information websites. GÖTEBORGS : GÖTEBORGS UNIVERSITET, 2021. Print.
Rosenblad, Kajsa. "Swedish Easter: Witches, Birch Twigs & Påskmust." 1 April 2021. Scandinavia Standard. Electronic. 22 February 2022.
Tiderman-Österberg, Jennie. "The Swedish Witch Trials: How to Confront Dark Heritage." Smithsonian Magazine 25 October 2021. Electronic.
9 comments:
It seems to me the Sweden Easter is Like the American Halloween. Just like the American Halloween though, Sweden is also has caution behind the celebration. Candy that is given out isn't always safe or things just happen where going door to door for candy or anything just isn't safe.
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Easter in Sweden appears to be similar to Halloween in the United States. Sweden, like the United States, has a cautious attitude toward Halloween. This is seen when parents dress their children up as Easter witches instead of eggs or chickens. I can see why they'd be wary, because candy isn't always safe, and anything can happen while going door to door for candy.
Jameaka Mannings
I like learning about the practices of other cultures, and I find it interesting how similar some traditions are amongst the different cultures. Although the Sweden tradition is similar to an American tradition, they are called different things and also occur at different times throughout the year. Like our tradition, Halloween" there are dangers associated with going door-to-door to gather candy from others. Aside from the danger, cultural practices as well traditions are always changing, which could contribute to the changes occurring with this Sweden tradition.
McKenzie Williams
I had no idea that Easter started in the Swedish culture let alone its dark past that was associated with Easter. It is interesting to see how the culture and even people apart of the culture would like to see the change from witches to ducks and easter bunny and candy past out this is a positive outcome of history. I am curious why they chose Halloween to accomodate because they are in different calendar times.
Qwynn Marquez
Easter jags and changing traditions in Sweden. I’ve heard Sweden is a beautiful place. Easter has always been a fun holiday. Where did they get the idea to dress like a witch and wizard. This is really interesting. It's like Halloween. The kids go around the neighborhood sounds very fun. I bet you it’s a great time. Europe going through dark times with their religious beliefs and killing 1,000 witches is not what I expected but I understand you can turn something bad into something educational. The community is starting to go away from this tradition as Sweden society changes. The parents are worried about their children's safety and are going to dress them up as your traditional Easter chicken and bunny’s. It sounds like they are just catching up.
Learning about other people's cultures and traditions gives people a chance to be more welcoming to the people around them. Swedish people choose to celebrate Easter for five days unlike other cultures but they participate in many different activities. Understanding why they have girls and boys dress up during the segment of the holiday gives the readers a chance to learn more about their background. Both sexes displaying different looks for different reasons Is something that Sweden people cherish very much. This tradition has been around for a very long time. Even Though witches were casted out of their world many of them being women the effect of the Swedish holiday is to help people realize the impact the past now have on their future. This holiday wants to foreshadow the importance of Swedish culture and their morals as a whole. Many individuals transition into new methods that will reflect how they choose to celebrate their holiday. The meaning of this holiday seems to be changing and becoming a controversial topic among the Sweden people.
It was interesting to learn that in Sweden there are five days dedicated to Easter celebration. I wish we used more time to celebrate here in America.
Elaine Christopher
I first learned about the Swedish Easter tradition of påskkärringar (Easter hags/witches) in this blog post. I found it interesting that this unique custom of children visiting houses dressed as witches is related to the historical background of the witch trials.
It was also interesting to learn that this tradition is changing in modern times due to concerns about safety, commercialization, and the spread of Halloween. It is natural for cultures and traditions to change over time, but I am curious to see how Swedish Easter will evolve.
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