One of my favourite times of the year: Easter. A much-needed break that, for us, is all about soaking up the spring sunshine (hopefully!), relaxing with family, and enjoying a traditional Easter lunch. In Sweden, the main gathering takes place on Easter Saturday, or Påskafton, which is when families come together to eat copious amounts of egg-based dishes as well as salmon and potatoes, and welcome the season together.
In the Brantmark family, we always kick things off with our own little tradition—a morning sauna followed by a (very!) refreshing dip in the sea before sitting down to lunch. It’s the ultimate way to blow away the cobwebs and embrace the start of spring!
On Maundy Thursday, we might just get a little knock at the door from a påskkärring or two—children dressed up as Easter witches in colourful clothes, with painted cheeks and headscarves, going door to door offering drawings or Easter cards in exchange for sweets (a bit like Halloween, but much cuter!).
As always, homes and cottages are decorated with colourful feathers tied to birch twigs—påskris—(and this year I've even seen spotted bows as seen above in the home of Linnea Jirasek), bringing a burst of spring indoors. You’ll also often spot little witches hanging in the windows, a charming tradition said to ward off evil spirits during the Easter weekend.
Do you have any pictures of the little witches to share? They sound adorable. And, thanks for the recipes!
ReplyDeleteI should have photographed them when they were up - I'll have to make sure I take one for next easter as they are really fun!
DeleteThank you for sharing those traditions. Funny story.......well, it's funny now. One year I blew out eggs and then dyed them, glued ribbons on and tied them to a beautiful gnarly branch I found in a ditch. Placed in an old ceramic pot, it made a lovely centerpiece on the mantle in the dining room........ until our cat decided to investigate and knocked the entire thing to the floor, breaking most of the eggs! She has been gone for many years, but I do think about her a lot at Eastertime! She always got into the eggs no matter where I put them! Happy Easter!
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Sounds like something our cats would do!
DeleteIt's always interesting to hear about customs around the world. I'm looking forward to dyeing eggs when my daughter is home this weekend.
It also sounds like the cat we used to have (Freddie Bo) he once knocked over our Christmas tree three times!!
DeleteHappy Easter to you and your family Niki!
ReplyDeleteSame to you Jane (sorry, really late with my comment) - I hope you had a happy easter!
DeleteHappy Pask! I had never heard of “Pask” as Easter before your blog. Then tonight our pastor said “Pasach or Passover” and it sounded like Pask. I looked it up and the Swedish word Pask comes from the Hebrew word Pasach or in English Passover. I love learning about cultures and history, so thanks for introducing me to Pask!
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting, thank you so much for sharing! I love hearing about the origins of words.
Deletecarrot cake is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteA favourite of mine too :)
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