Sankt Hans Aften
Denmark still celebrates summer solstice, but as is the way with Christians and pagan holidays, they've kept the good stuff and just renamed it something Christian. So instead of summer solstice, they call it Sankt Hans Aften (what we'd call Saint John's Eve). Nobody here really knows who Sankt Hans is, nor do we really care much. Because, really, it's just an excuse to stay up late, drink a lot, and light bonfires.
Oh, and did I mention the witch? Tradition has it that we burn a witch. Apologies to my pagan friends, but if it helps, she's a mean witch. Think of her as the Wicked Witch of the West. Burning her sends her back to Bloksbjerg in Germany. I think it's great that not only do we send her back to Germany, but we send her to a specific place in Germany. I've wanted to joke about the implications for foreign and immigration policy, but evidently, we've pretty much taken this part of the tradition from Germany in the first place, so we're really just sending her home. Rumor has it that she joins the Witches' Sabbat when she gets there, so really, it's a good deal for everybody.
Oh, and did I mention the witch? Tradition has it that we burn a witch. Apologies to my pagan friends, but if it helps, she's a mean witch. Think of her as the Wicked Witch of the West. Burning her sends her back to Bloksbjerg in Germany. I think it's great that not only do we send her back to Germany, but we send her to a specific place in Germany. I've wanted to joke about the implications for foreign and immigration policy, but evidently, we've pretty much taken this part of the tradition from Germany in the first place, so we're really just sending her home. Rumor has it that she joins the Witches' Sabbat when she gets there, so really, it's a good deal for everybody.
posted by L&D at
9:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home