Tree Traditions - Old and New

A slideshow with photographs, both old and new, picturing Nordic traditions, where trees play an important part.

Some of these tratidions, like the symbolic "whipping" with branches of willow around Palm Sunday or Easter, are associated with Christian belief today, but may well be remnants of old heathen ceremonies: In Finland children dress up as old hags and go from house to house with decorated branches of willow performing a symbolic whipping and reading a rhyme whishing good health for the person being "whipped". In return they expect to get some sweets, of course...

Same goes for Christmas trees, young birches at the altar at weddings and at the Feast of Saint John the Baptist (coinciding with Midsummer = Summer Solstice in the Nordic countries) etc.

The tradition to take a Christmas tree inside the house is only about 100 years old, but maybe one of the reasons it became popular so fast was that it went well with the older tradition of raising a spruce in the yard at feast days. The lower branches were removed and only the top remaind so it looked much like a flag pole.

At Midsummer the most important tree is the birch: Even today, people cut young birches and place them on each side of the entrance of the house or even the altar in the church. Im my home town even the supermarket had a couple of birches adorning the entrance last year. At weddings in summer or around Midsummer you can still se young birches placed at the altar or at the entrance in the house where the reception is held. In old times birches were used that way for various celebrations in the family, even for funerals sometimes.

The tradition of whipping the cattle with branches of rowan when letting them out on the pasture in the spring is now extinct, but I included it anyway, because I think rowan deserves it's place next to the other important traditional feast trees, spruce, birch and willow.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• tree
• tradition
• custom
• heathen
• pagan
• pakanallinen
• pakana
• traditio
• folklore
• anthropology
• puut
• träd
• birch
• spruce
• willow
• rowan
• koivu
• kuusi
• paju
• pihlaja
• hednisk
• begravning
• bröllop
• fest
• hautajiset
• juhlat
• häät

[m00se321]

Interesting is this ASATRU?

[MereRana]

Very cognitive and interesting! Thanks))