b SWEDISH SUPERSTITIONS 



liacl placed it deep in the middle of tlie bowl of rice before 

 him. Tiibleau : French leave, und no more free meals 

 for the unlucky student in tbat family. 



When darkness sets iii on Easter eve, yoii will see all 

 tlie bills lighted up by great bonfires which are kept up 

 tili suiirise on Easter day. Tliis is done in memory of an 

 old superstition that the devil and witches had füll sway on 

 the earth during the days the Savior laid in the grave, and 

 particularly on Easter eve it was said that the witches by 

 riding on brooms through the air would congregate on the 

 hill-tops and concoct evil doings for the human race, and 

 to keep thcm away the superstitious people would light 

 cvery available hill-top with rousing bonfires. 



As the witches are all dead long ago with the exception 

 of their flaxen-haired and blue-eyed fair descendants which 

 the Swedes don't want to scare away, you see there is no 

 actual need at the present time to keep up these Easter 

 bonfires, except as a time-honored custom, and it is one of 

 the features of Easter eve for families to go out to look at 

 the display of bonfires in the evening, after supper. 



The 25th day ofeJune, in Sweden, is St. John's day, or 

 midsumnier day, and is one of the most social and enjoy- 

 able holidays in Sweden. The evening before is midsum- 

 nier night, which is celebrated by decorating of May-poles, 

 around which the peasants dance tili early dawn. Months 

 before this festival, the peasant girls will save the egg- 

 Shells by carcfuUy blowing out the contents ; such empty 

 eo-cr-shells are struns: on a twine like beads on a strini:^ and 

 the green covered May-pole is wound spirally by such 

 egg-shells, looking at a distance like white pearls on a 

 dark green ground, and has a very pretty effect. Besides' 

 this the May-poles are dressed with flowered hoops, gar- 

 lands and bright ribbons, and for a couple of months after- 

 wards you will see the May-pole standing on the village 

 oreen as a nionument of a joyous and hap[)y occasion. 



