A CRUTCH AND A STICK

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20495, 11 May 1938, Page 3

A CRUTCH AND A STICK

CUSTOMS OF SWEDEN

An article “.There’s more in it than meets the ear” in the Countrywoman. transported me in spirit to Stockholm, writes M. J. Stofberg, where 1 attended the Triennial Conference of the Associated Country Women of the World as visiting delegate from South Africa, In 1933. As this conference was an epoch-making one in the history of our association. I am sure that none of us who had the privilege of attending it will ever forget it. „ 4 . . The members of the Swedish Association were excellent hostesses and did everything they could to show us, who came from distant lands, the interesting point ol' their beautiful city. One of the hostesses, who was particularly interested in Swedish antiques and was a collector herself inviled those of us who had not been to the museum at Skansen to visit it with her. She had obtained special permission to bring a party of us round after closing hours, and it was a privilege of which several of -us eagerlv availed ourselves. took us from room to room, showing us all the articles of greatest interest depicting the modes of life in olden limes, such as rooms furnished exactly as they had been then, the furniture, cooking utensils, wooden dishes, and dresses. «i le iold us of the superstitions the people bellexed in, and showed us a stable door full of black crosses, which were made to keep the \t last we came to a big glass case, which was filled with little cushion* on which tinv crutches and sticks were sewn. She told us that when a girt became engaged her friends said that, she had broken her leg, and sent her a tiny crutch and stick. Luckily some of these had hern preserved, and they had even found a solid block of wood built into tlio wall of a house, which on being opened contained a tiny crutch and stick The old ladv, who had lived in the house, was evidently anxious to preserve her crutch and stick, and so her husband took a sm ' a i| block of wood, bered a hole in it, inserted the crutch and stick, p 1 ustod Ihe hole and built it into the wall, safe from the destroying hands of little children. There it was found after many, many years >'\Yhv" j said “that is funnv. In South Africa we also say when a young man is Very keen on a girl, or when a young man and girl become engaged that they have broken theii legs. I have however, never heard that crutches and sticks were presented Our hostess was most interested and wondered how this say‘nS C Fur e the o r S o°n U when r wewere shown the baskets plaited from the ripe ears of wheat, I found that my grandfather and father had plaited baskets from the ripe wheat for us exactly like those hanging in the glass CaSe Mv‘an«“hd not come from Sweden, hut as in SouthAWca there are descendants of many European nations, these customs must have been passed on by some of the early settlers.