Crime Novels and the Easter Witch

Here in the United States, some of the ways we celebrate Easter are going to church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, having Easter egg hunts, and eating the ears off of chocolate bunnies. Well, maybe not everyone eats the ears off the chocolate bunnies, but that is something my husband used to do when the kids had chocolate bunnies. So, one of your writing prompts for Easter is to write a story for children about someone who sneaks and eats the ears off of all the chocolate bunnies. Will the culprit be caught and who will catch him or her?

What about other countries? How do they celebrate this holiday? Let's visit the Scandinavian country of Norway. They have Easter eggs, and tend to do a lot of decorating, but that isn't what is best about their celebration. What do I consider best about their celebration? They like to read. Specifically, they like to read crime novels. There are special releases of crime novels this time every year. They are known as “Easter Thillers”. Even their milk cartons are changed at this special time of year to have crime tales written on their sides.

You are a writer of crime novels, so you decide to visit Norway to write one and plan to have it published around Easter. While you are there, however, you become embroiled in a real life crime. What is this crime and what do you do?

In Sweden and parts of Finland, they have the Easter witch. Witches at Easter? Yep. Instead of having the Easter bunny bring them all of their sweets, the kids get the goodies themselves. Young girls will dress in old clothes and skirts that are too big, take a copper kettle, and go door to door begging treats. This takes place on either the Thursday or Saturday before Easter.

Why do they dress like witches? There is an old belief that said witches would fly to a mountain in Germany on the Thursday before Easter and meet with the devil. As these witches would make their way back, the Swedes would scare them away with bonfires. Today not only do they light bonfires, but they also set off fireworks.

Create a character that is a young Swedish girl. She is so excited, this will be her first year dressing up as a witch and going door to door to beg treats. Along the way, she meets up with another one dressed as a witch, but this one isn't wearing a costume. Her new companion is really a witch who made a pit stop on her way to the mountain in Germany, and she invites her new little friend to go with her. What happens?