Fastelavn is closely related to the Christian period of Lent, with fastelavn being the celebration of the last few days before fasting. It always falls on a Sunday, 7 weeks before Easter Sunday, and this year it is February 14th. In older times it used to be the adults celebrating, however, recently it has become much more of a kids' feast.
Different countries have different ways of celebrating the days before Lent. And while many of the Scandinavian traditions are similar, this article will focus on the Danish traditions.
Fastelavnsboller
Every year close to fastelavn, the Danish bakeries are busy trying to invent a new version of a fastelavn classic, the fastelavn bun or fastelavnsbolle. It is a round sweet roll pastry traditionally filled with whipped cream, pastry cream or fruit gel. Nowadays, there are countless creative versions and they typically taste very well.
During Lent, it was forbidden to eat wheat bread, so everyone who was able ate a lot of it just before the period of Lent began, with fastelavnsboller being a special treat and the main leftover of Danish fastelavn food traditions.
Dress up and trick-and-treating
Like many other countries, Denmark also has a carnival tradition for the time just before Lent. The carnival and dress up used to be only for adults using mainly masks and walking around in parades, but nowadays it is mostly the children who dress up. And just like Halloween, children used to go from door to door to trick or treat, however, the frequency of this has fallen after Halloween has become more popular.
Cat in a barrel
One of the traditions most associated with the Danish fastelavn is to "hit the cat out of the barrel". This tradition includes a wooden barrel that is hung up and decorated, typically with black cats. People then take turns beating at it with a bat until the barrel is broken. The one who makes the bottom fall out gets the title of Cat Queen (sometimes alternately Bottom King), and the one who knocks down the last piece of the barrel becomes Cat King. Sometimes there is also a prize for the best costume, as those who "hit the cat out of the barrel" are usually dressed up in costumes while doing it.
Nowadays the barrel is filled with candy and the cat is only symbolic, but historically, there used to be an actual cat inside the barrel. Black cats were seen as signs of evil and bad fortune, and it was believed that by beating the cat-filled barrel, one could safeguard against it. Once the barrel was broken, the cat was sometimes allowed to escape, but often not.
Fastelavnsris
Another tradition with somewhat violent connotations is the fastelavnsris. It is made by tying a bundle of twigs or branches together, and it is decorated with colourful feathers, crepe paper ponpons, paper clippings (often of cats) and other similar things. The kids usually make them, and the parents then sneak in and tie candy to the branches. Then, on the morning of fastelavn, the children wake their parents by 'beating' the parents with the fastelavnsris, usually singing a special song 'demanding fastelavnsboller or they will make trouble'.
Traditionally, it used to be the young women and the infertile that were beaten with (undecorated) fastelavnsris as a type of fertility ritual. Young men also (gently) beat them at young women they passed on the streets, and sometimes farm animal were also beaten in the same way.
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