Saint Knut's Day
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Saint Knut's Day[1] (Template:Langx, Template:Lit; Script error: No such module "Lang"., Template:Lit; or Script error: No such module "Lang".;[2] Template:Langx, Template:Lit), or the Feast of Saint Knut, is a traditional festival celebrated in Sweden and Finland on 13Script error: No such module "String".January. It is not celebrated on this date in Denmark despite being named for the Danish prince Canute Lavard, and later also associated with his uncle, Canute the Saint, the patron saint of Denmark.[3][4][5] Christmas trees are taken down on Script error: No such module "Lang"., and the candies and cookies that decorated the tree are eaten. In Sweden, the feast held during this event is called a Knut's party (Script error: No such module "Lang"., literally 'Christmas tree plundering').[6]
Origins
Canute Lavard (Knut Levard in Swedish) was a Danish duke who was assassinated by his cousin and rival Magnus Nielsen on 7Script error: No such module "String".January 1131 over the Danish throne.[7][8] In the aftermath of his death there was a civil war, which led to Knut being later declared a saint, and 7Script error: No such module "String".January became Knut's Day, a name day.[3]
As his name day roughly coincided with Epiphany (the "thirteenth day of Christmas"), Knut's Day and Epiphany were conflated to some degree. In 1680, Knut's Day was moved to 13 January and became known as Script error: No such module "Lang". or Script error: No such module "Lang". (the 'twentieth day of Knut/Christmas').[8]
Finland
On Script error: No such module "Lang"., a tradition has been observed which is somewhat analogous to the modern Santa Claus, where young men dressed as goats (Finnish: Script error: No such module "Lang".) would visit houses. Usually the dress was an inverted fur jacket, a leather or birch bark mask, horns, sometimes with a sauna whisk as a tail.[9] Unlike Santa Claus, Script error: No such module "Lang". was a scary character (cf. Krampus). The men dressed as Script error: No such module "Lang". wandered from house to house, came in, and typically demanded food from the household and especially leftover alcoholic beverages. Unless Script error: No such module "Lang". received a salary from the host, he committed evil deeds.[10] A dialectical proverb from Noormarkku says: Script error: No such module "Lang". or 'Good [St.] Thomas brings Christmas, evil Knut takes [it] away.'[11]
In Finland, the Script error: No such module "Lang". tradition is still kept alive in areas of Satakunta, Southwest Finland, Ostrobothnia and very much so on the Åland Islands. However, nowadays the character is usually played by children and now involves a happy encounter.[12]
Sweden
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". In Sweden, Saint Knut's Day marks the end of the Christmas and holiday season. It is celebrated by taking out the Christmas tree and dancing around it. Nowadays, the feast is mainly for children.[6]
References
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- ↑ YLE: Nuutinpäivä korjaa joulun pois (in Finnish)
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