Easter, the Finnish way

We've covered curiosity, now it's time for nostalgia. Growing up in Finland, I celebrated Easter, not Passover. When I say celebrate, please don't think that I mean that in any religious sense - ours was not a religious household. For me, as for countless other children in Finland, Easter was all about the witches.

Witches, you ask? What do witches have to do with Easter? Well, I will forgive your ignorance, but in Finland everyone knows that all the witches fly to Blue Hill on Easter Eve to stay up dancing all night long. However, if you're lucky, they'll stop by your kitchen in the middle of the night and leave your thick, woolly winter socks stuffed with Easter eggs. Yes, I know, to some of you this will seem like a bizarre combination of two separate holidays - but there's more. There's fancy dress, too.

Dressing up as witches (which mainly includes brightly painted cheeks, an old apron or two, and a scarf tied around your head), little girls and boys go from door to door and knock on. They then hand out birch twigs decorated with brightly coloured feathers (I wish I knew why, but nobody seems to have any idea), and in exchange they receive chocolate and other sweets. Sometimes a few coins, too, which are often carried around in an old, battered metal coffee pot. At least, that's the way we did it in my day.

At this point, I know you must be shaking your heads, and I can only agree. Easter is a bizarre affair in Finland. However, the most bizarre part of all is the traditional Easter dessert - memma. This vile, sticky, brown creation is loved by approximately half the population, and despised by the other half. Traditionally served in a bowl made of birch bark, this smooth, thick, dark-brown porridge is made from water, rye, malt and molasses, and has to be buried in sugar and drenched with cream to be even remotely edible. As a child, I saw this as a chance to eat ridiculous amounts of cream and sugar, and left the sticky nastiness untouched at the bottom of the bowl. Nowadays, I won't go near it.

Apparently, the origins of memma (or mämmi, as it's called in Finnish - I speak Swedish) are actually thought to be similar to that of matzah, the unleavened Jewish bread. It was meant to be a simple, cold dish that could be eaten with good conscience on Good Friday. That makes sense - this is definitely a dish that evokes suffering. What I don't understand is at what point it morphed into a well-loved dessert. Personally, I think the witches are responsible - half the country must be under their spell.

Comments

[The A-Witch]

Chocolate is brown and sticky as well, mind you. Mo memma to the people! Respect.

[Mamma]

jag kände ju igen sockorna!!Men memma är faktiskt gott.

[Karin]

A-witch: Don't compare memma to chocolate!!! It shouldn't even exist in the same universe! Horrific!

Mamma: memma är hemskt. Hemskt!

[Pille]

Karin - I find it fascinating how 2 neighbouring countries have such different Easter traditions, especially as both Finns and Estonians are predominantly Lutheran. There are no witches in our Easter, although the last day of April (Vappu/Volber) involves witches.
I have never tried mämmi, but am quite curious:)

[Karin]

Pille, I know, I dont understand where these traditions come from either. But witches on Vappu? How odd!
Don't try memma, you will regret it :)

[Pille]

Karin - what I meant to say that there are no witches in our Easter, nor Volbriöö traditions. However, there are something about witches on the last day in April in some places in Europe, f.ex. as Wikipedia writes about Walpurgisnacht in Germany. Sorry to confuse you!