Bock and Jenna send me an Easter card...........
....... in Holland
On Easter Sunday
and on Easter Monday, large fires are lit at dusk in sections of Northwestern
Europe. This practice extends northward into Denmark, Sweden and Finland,
westward into the east of the Netherlands, southward into Switzerland and
Austria, and eastward into the German Harz mountains. In the Netherlands, most
of these fires take place in the provinces of Drenthe, Groningen, and
Gelderland, with the largest being in Twente, a part of Overijssel.
It is a Saxon,
pre-Christian tradition, that is still performed each year. There are several
explanations of the meaning of these fires. The Saxons probably believed that
around the time of Easter, Spring becomes victorious over Winter. The fires
were supposed to help chase the darkness and winter away. It was also a symbol
of fertility, which works in a literal sense in that the ashes were scattered
over the meadows and thereby fertilized the soil. The pre-Christian meaning of
Easter fires is hardly experienced anymore. Nowadays they are meant to bring
the community together, which guarantees a pleasant night combined with the
consumption of gin or lager and snacks.
Some
municipalities in the Netherlands hold an annual competition to build the
highest, or the neatest fire. The hamlet of Espelo in the municipality of
Rijssen-Holten holds the world record with an Easter fire that measured 45.98
meters high.
And it did burn...........
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