Life in Finland: The Witches of Palm Sunday

Finnish children dress up and go door-to-door on Palm Sunday to exchange decorated willow branches for candy.

During our first spring in Finland, I was surprised that my daughter wanted to dress up on Palm Sunday and do something that sounded a lot like trick-or-treating.

This year, my youngest joined one of her friends in this traditional Finnish activity. After decorating her willow branches, she dressed as a witch and went door-to-door in search of candy.

Willow branches decorated, ready to go! Photo: Peter Rybski

Yes, this is a thing- on Palm Sunday children (especially girls) dress up as witches (or in other costumes- I saw, for example, a Pikachu wandering the streets today) and go door-to-door. They offer wishes of good health and then trade a decorated willow branch for some candy.

First, the children say a little rhyme at the door:

Virvon, varvon, tuoreeks terveeks, tulevaks vuodeks; vitsa sulle, palkka mulle!

Translation: I wave a twig for a fresh and healthy year ahead; a twig for you, a treat for me!

A not-very frightening Easter witch with a basket of decorated willow branches. (Photo: Antti Haanpää/YLE)

According to the website This is Finland:

This Finnish children’s custom interestingly mixes two older traditions – a Russian Orthodox ritual where birch twigs originally represented the palms laid down when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; and a Swedish and Western Finnish tradition in which children made fun of earlier fears that evil witches could be about on Easter Saturday,” explains Karimäki.

To this day, the little witches are more likely to roam on Easter Saturday in western Finland, but on Palm Sunday in other regions.

Karimäki adds that, as Easter approaches, Finnish children also plant grass seeds in shallow dishes of soil and place birch twigs in vases of water, and watch eagerly for green shoots and “mouse-ear” buds to appear symbolising the springtime reawakening of life. Easter eggs and Easter bunnies – both pre-Christian symbols of fertility – also abound in Finland, though these are more recent cultural imports.

Yes, it is about time to send milk cartons in to school so that the children can plant their Easter grass, another tradition here in Finland.

For a pronunciation of the rhyme and some more information on the Palm Sunday tradition, see this video:

Thoughts and Comments

I quite like that Finland has maintained this tradition, despite the growing influence of imports like Halloween and trick-or-treating. It seems increasingly difficult today to maintain these unique traditions as the internet pushes the world towards a monoculture.

My son had no interest in it, but it was nice to see that my two younger daughters wanted to participate with their friends.

Sixty Degrees North will return to icebreakers tomorrow, covering news related to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic Security Cutter.

Until next time-

All the Best,

PGR