Palm Sunday

It's a week before Easter and Passion Week starts. The name Palm Sunday refers to the day, when Jesus was riding to Jerusalem and people were spreading palm leaves in his path. As a reminiscence of that day people in Finland decorate willow wigs. Do you see a connection between palm leaves and decorated willow wigs?

We don't have palm leaves so it's understandable but the roots for the traditions are deep in pagan culture, not in Christian culture.

Even I wanted to dress my girl as a little witch so she could make our old neighbors happy by visiting them. She knows the magic verse; "Virvon, varvon, tuoreeks, terveeks, tulevaks vuodeks, vitsa sulle, palkka mulle". With this magic verse little witches and wizards wish you and your household good health and a good year. They will then hand you a willow twig, and as a little reward, they expect you to put a few sweets, little Easter Eggs or a few coins in their basket or pot.

My little witch didn't want to were a scarf or say the magic verse out load. She was too tired so we skipped it this year. This is she last year.

In olden times the reason for using the magic verse was to chase away demons and the rhyme varied from area to area. In the countryside children could say; " ...and if you don't promise me eggs, hawks shall take your chickens". In those days children got real eggs for Easter and they did not receive them until Easter Sunday. It is still a common tradition like Halloween in USA.