Warp <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> wrote:
>   In other parts of Finland Easter time was, for some reason, associated
> with witches (I think this is a more international phenomenon than Finland
> only).

>   At some point these two traditions got merged, so we have children dressing
> as witches (in some parts boys would dress as their cats) and going from
> home to home blessing them with the catkins, the homeowners giving them
> treats.

  Btw, in this case the witches refer to the traditional (both real and
mythological) witches of Lapland (northern Finland), not the pointy-hat
wearing broom-riding witches (although some dress as those as well). In
other words, like this:

http://www.seutulansuuralue.net/upload/virpojat.jpg

  Notice the references to traditional rural and lapponian gear, such as
the lapponian hat, headscarf and the metallic milk jug (and overall dressing
like a rural old woman).

  In old Finnish mythology Lapland witches had all kinds of supernatural
powers, such as being able to fly and turn invisible. There were many
traditions related to warding them off (such as throwing a knife to the
wind, believed to be a witch trying to steal the harvest).

  There were also real people considered to be witches. They served a
role akin to shamans and wise women, who were often herbalists and who
were believed to be able to inflict curses and hexes, as well as remove
them. The traditional witch costume (resembling a rural old woman) is
probably derived from these.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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