What are you up to this Easter?

Saab, What is the tradition of decorating your house with witches on Good Friday??

We decorate with witches all Easter.
It is an old tradition going back probably from the time of witch hunting. One thinks that after the witch hunting stopped people started to make fun of it.
Especially on the Westcoast girls dress up us a witch, with broom, a coffeepot and a small basket to collect sweets. Kind of Halloween.
The easter bonfires are usually mostly on the West coast. Again we have bonfires the last day of April.
The bonfires and shooting was to scare away the witches, who returned from Blocksberg on Easter Day
,
You could even buy easter cards with a witch.
http://www.murberget.se/media/3678/paskkarring.jpg

http://migrated.ifokus.se/uploads/cd7/cd788c80f42a08d3d50464a8ee75b251/43.jpg

http://www.ifokus.se/ShowUserFile.aspx?BinaryId=e83b3fb7-40a6-4b0d-a50d-c4dd87faef82

even a telegram could be sent
http://migrated.ifokus.se/uploads/633/6332323c571c546935cbcfe861c11199/paskkatt2.jpg

Aren't "Easter witches" origianally from Finland ...
Virvon, varvon,
tuoreeks, terveeks,
tulevaks vuodeks.
Vitsa sulle
palkka mulle. Virvon, varvon.
... ?

But in Finland, however, it has nothing to do with witchhunt. So it will be different to you traditions.

In Finland - as far as I can figure out - the kids dress up on Palm Sunday, but in Sweden Easter saturday. The kids in Finland carry birch sticks and say the verse you wrote which freedly translated means something like.
Easter sticks brings luck for the coming year.
Whips for you, rewards for me.

The Swedish/Finnish kids seems to hang on to the Swedish tradition being witches on Easter saturday.

Why do you think the witch tradition in Finland is different from in Sweden.
Finland was part of Sweden for a long time and Swedish became the dominant language of the nobility, administration and education; Finnish was chiefly a language for the peasantry, clergy and local courts in predominantly Finnish-speaking areas. So many traditions came along with the Swedes.

The expression in English that refers to Easter is 'pascal' which does derive from the Hebraic word Pesach (Passover). After all, the 'Last Supper' was in actuality a Passover seder.

JG10 likely does not understand that you aren't in USA. So his local library may be open.

Last summers man soup paraty

Thanks for posting that.

Well, backing up, maybe this calls for another thread. Not sure, re the question.

Lots of salad tossing Id bet a farthing.

Easter will never be the same again.

we have the PA German "pow wow" women and the "Belsnickel". The Belsnickel is similar to your Crampus and is a Christmas thing. Our "Pow wow's" were a spring tonic deliverer and I never could find a significant tie back to the Homelands , so I always assumed that the pow wow term was derived from the Leni Lenape Indians or the SUsquehannocs.
Im going to look up the cultural etymology of these witches and see whether the Pow wow ladies dont owe them some congenital linkage.
Thanks, Im always interested in this kind of cross cultural similarity stuff.

Easter Saturday here.
A beautiful sunny morning so far. Fingers crossed it stays like this all day.

Yesterday afternoon I visited a friend & her husband who live in the country (well almost, now on the outskirts of this big, sprawling city) & we feasted on home-made hot cross buns. Yum.
But no chocolate goodies. Yet. Good going, msolga!
Today I might have to rest, to help recuperate from this nasty cold. <honk, cough, honk> Though a visit to the shops is in order, to stock up on many boxes of tissues. Not very exciting, huh?

Enjoying reading about your Easter doings & your childhood reminiscences.
Farmer, there were no Ojcez Mickuyns in my Ukrainian childhood Easters. That description could have been straight from And Quiet Flows the Don. Very funny!
Saab & Walter, thanks for filling us in on your traditions. Interesting!
Thank you for the photograph, jcboy. And enjoy the party!
Ragman, so are you (& other Jewish A2Kers) celebrating Passover now? If so, details, more details please!

Gotta go off I blow my nose now, but here's hoping we hear more!

Didnt you have the priests (or prelates) come and visit the homes and bless the tables starting on Good Friday? . It was a tradition in our town . Whenever the Sokol, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic Easters would coincide (About every 20 years?) Then there would be lots of priests and prelates walking the streets together . It looked like a march of tile flooring with checkerboard patterns of black and white robes.
Pa was bathed in all kinds of traditions(most, as I recall, did involve lots of alcohol , eggs, kielbasi, cavanosi, and krakoska)

I just heard they are having an Easter Egg Hunt at the nursing home Sunday. Considering more than half of the residents can't walk without assistance and a number cannot walk at all, I had to laugh. But, of course, it is for the kids that come with visiting relatives. There will also be a cake walk.

Its just a way for the guys to meet chicks

So you all dismiss jcboy's point. I get he is flagrant. But still, he gets a point of view. Interesting ignoring.

I didnt ignore. I gave my studied view and opinion . Dont you like salads osso?

Looks like it was a BYO buns and wieners party.