Saturday 1 May 2010

Walpurgis Night



Nice dinner out and a walk in the park, after that the children dissapeard...

One of the main traditions in Sweden is to light large bonfires the 30th of April, a custom which is most firmly established in Svealand, and which may have begun in Uppland during the 18th century: "At Walpurgis (Valborg), farm animals were let out to graze, and ever since the early 18th century bonfires (majbrasor, kasar) have been lit to scare away predators".  In Southern Sweden, an older tradition, no longer practised, was for the younger people to collect greenery and branches from the woods at twilight: these were used to adorn the houses of the village. The expected reward for this task was to be paid in eggs.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Vad jag blev sugen på att få smaka av bordets läckerheter trots att jag nyss ätit middag. Vill veta vad allt var som var framdukat. Går bra att mejla vad allt var.
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