Fastelavn... Nordic Halloween

Yes, I know two posts within the last 24 hours but what can I say this was a great weekend! On Sunday, DIS sponsored a Fastelavn Festival for students and their host families. Fastelvan is a traditional Danish holiday held on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and involves many events including sla katten af tonden ("hit the cat out of the barrel")-- an activity in which individuals hit a wooden barrel containing a  "black cat," symbolizing evil, is opened.  This pinata-like game has of course evolved and now candy is filled in the barrel instead of a cat (thank goodness!).


Children and adults dress up in costumes and traditional Danish cream filled pastries called Fastelavnsboller are eaten. I dressed up as Pippi Longstocking and Camilla was a pirate, which ironically also happens to be the profession of Pippi's Father. Although neither of us were crowned the Queen or King of the Barrel, we had fun during the bun-eating contest  in which Danish pastries were placed on a string and we raced against four other competitors to see who could eat one the fastest ... Camilla got second place and I got a lot of jelly on my shoe :)   

Vi Ses Snart