Lentorama 2019: Resurrect My Globe!

Day 30: Finland

In a tradition that I tend to associate more with fall, children in Finland dress up as witches and go door to door (either on Palm Sunday or Holy Saturday) and recite a poem asking to trade a willow branch for a treat. This apparently grew out of two separate traditions, one the use of willow branches in place of palm fronds to celebrate Palm Sunday (which is quite common in central and eastern Europe), the other the belief that witches would be about on Holy Saturday (which seems more specific to parts of Finland and Sweden). This is known in Finnish as virpominen.

Finland also has a couple of traditional puddings eaten around Easter. There's mämmi , a dark pudding made of malt and rye flour. As it can be kept for several days, it was often made ahead and eaten on Good Friday when cooking was considered off-limits. It can be eaten sweet or savory, and is apparently a bit of an acquired taste. The other is pasha (or pashka), which came over from Russia. It's a cheese or custard-based dessert, and usually served in a conical or pyramid shape.