Ash Wednesday

Artfully decorated ash bagsThe first day of fasting Icelanders jokingly called the native version of Halloween. The fact is that from the very morning the Icelandic children dress up in costumes and go to storm houses and shops. However, unlike the American holiday, here children have to “earn” sweets by song, poem or any other performance. The most important thing on this day is not to sleep, because from noon on the door there are signs "Candies are over!". That is why in many schools this day is declared a day off.

For a long time among the children of Iceland on this day reigned another tradition under the name of "knocking the cat out of the barrel." It was probably brought from Denmark by students. Children marched through the streets in costumes, carrying a huge barrel decorated with colored paper through which a rope was drawn. Inside the rope was a dead cat or crow. In order of precedence, the children approached the barrel and tried to break it with decorated bats. The lucky man who knocked down the last bar, received the title "King of the barrel". However, much greater honors were awarded to the “king of the cat”, knocked the head of the cat or cut off a rope with a toy sword, for which he was suspended. There is also evidence of such games among adults, but they had to ride.
There is a theory that the cat in this case personified evil forces, however, whether the custom came from pagan rituals or came from a later general superstition.

As for the traditional custom for Christians associated with sprinkling themselves with ash left over from the burning of last year’s willow, here Icelanders have their own custom. For a long time, girls on this day tried to quietly pin a bag of ashes to the clothes of guys with pins. It was only possible to reveal the secret - under a general slut - when the guy passed through three obstacles. At the girls in response clinged to bags with three stones.

Later, the bags began to spread by mail - filled and empty. City guys began to try to hang bags on respected citizens, teachers and police officers.

There was also a saying “the ash environment of 18 brothers”, the interpretation of which is ambiguous, although it may indicate that the weather on this day could be judged by the weather of 18 subsequent.