Fastelavn - Denmark
In Denmark Fastelavn is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, the day before the beginning of Lent, with traditional games and activities. Fastelavn means the evening before the fast and a families serve a traditional meal called Fastelavnbollen, a special sweet bun covered with icing and filled with cream.
In the game of slå katten af tønden (Beating the Cat Out of the Barrel) children hit a suspended wooden barrel full of candy until the barrel breaks and candy starts to fall out. The game continues until the entire barrel is broken. The child doing this is named the kattekonge (King of Cats). Today the barrel has an image of black cat. Historically, however, there was a real black cat in the barrel and beating it was superstitiously considered a safeguard against evil. It was once believed that killing a black meant a town could avoid the plaque.
Some villages still hold the tradition Fastelavnriding. Local horse riders dress in traditional uniforms and decorate their horses with headgear and a snekktøj, a harness studded with small shells that have been passed down for generations. The procession of riders pay calls around the town drinking and toasting at each stop. The climax is the Beating of the Barrel. A frozen barrel is suspended above the road and each rider takes turns swinging at the barrel while at full gallop. The rider to knock down the last remaining piece of the barrel is named the Barrel King and gets a kiss from the Barrel Queen - the eldest unmarried woman in the village.
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