Imagine it's Christmas Eve in Norway, and while most families are busy wrapping presents and preparing their holiday feast, some households still remember to complete one peculiar task. They're frantically gathering up every broom, brush, and mop in the house and hiding them away in closets, cupboards, or under beds.
No, they're not trying to avoid holiday cleaning duties. They're protecting their homes from something far more supernatural.
When Witches Come Hunting For Transport
This bizarre tradition stems from ancient Norwegian folklore, where Christmas Eve was believed to be a time when witches and evil spirits emerged from hiding to cause mischief. According to old superstitions, these malevolent beings would roam the countryside, searching for brooms to steal and using them as their preferred mode of transportation for nocturnal adventures.
The logic was simple: no broom means no witch transportation, which means your household stays safe from supernatural troublemakers. Some versions of the tradition even suggest that people would hide not just brooms but all cleaning implements, turning it into a symbolic reminder for families to rest from their work and enjoy the holiday season.
Apparently, the practice dates back more than a thousand years, originating before Christianity arrived in Norway during the late 900s or early 1000s. Back then, the midwinter celebration was called Jul, which honored both the end of the harvest season and hopes for the upcoming one.
As Christianity spread throughout Scandinavia, many of these ancient pagan customs merged with newer religious traditions, creating the unique blend of beliefs that gave us traditions like hiding broomsticks on Christmas Eve.
The Wild Hunt Connection
The broomstick-hiding custom may be connected to an even more dramatic piece of Norse mythology called the Wild Hunt, or Åsgårdsreien in Norwegian, meaning "The Ride of Asgard." This terrifying legend describes a ghostly procession led by the Norse god Odin himself, who would thunder across the winter skies during the twelve nights of Christmas.
Riding his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, Odin was accompanied by Valkyries, witches, spirits, and the souls of the dead, all charging through stormy skies in a spectral cavalcade. The Wild Hunt was no joke in Norse folklore. Witnessing this supernatural parade was considered a terrible omen that could foretell war, plague, or death.
The belief was that any unfortunate soul caught outside might be swept up and forced to ride along with the Hunt forever, or worse, be carried off to the afterlife.
A Tradition That Lingers Today
While most modern Norwegians treat the broomstick tradition with a knowing wink, it hasn't completely disappeared. The custom persists in some rural communities where families continue observing it as part of their cultural heritage, though today it's more about connecting with Norwegian history than genuine fear of witches.
Some variations tell of families placing brooms outside their homes so passing witches might use them for cleaning instead of causing trouble inside, which adds a delightfully practical twist to the superstition.
