Light Side
Beware of Witches and Prepare Your Sweets
By Dr. G.K. Busch, 26/3/21
Mar 26, 2021 - 12:15:15 PM

This is the time of the Påskkärring or Easter Witch in Sweden and Finland; witches flying to Blockula (Swedish: Blåkulla, Blå Jungfrun) on brooms on the Thursday before Easter (Maundy Thursday, Skärtorsdagen). The tradition is said to come from the old belief that witches would fly to a German mountain the Thursday before Easter to dance with the devil. While, in the old days, more the two hundred Swedish women were tortured to death as witches, that punishment ended in 1779. Now, children dress as witches, old women and old men and go door to door for treats similar to the trick-or-treating tradition of Halloween. Be sure to have your sweets ready.