Make your own Danish Easter Letter!
Danish Easter Letters or Gækkebreve – which originally contained a Snowdrop (Vintergæk) but which also was a Letter intended to Fool the recipient (drive gæk med). The first gækkebreve were sent between young people as a way to flirt, but has since become common among kids and adults. The idea is to write a letter without giving away who it is from. It is signed with dots the same number as there are letters in the sender’s name. Often a poem is included in the letter. The letter itself is a piece of paper folded up and cut in a symmetrical pattern. The recipient is supposed to try to guess who the letter is from by Easter Sunday. If he/she can’t, then he/she owes the sender an Easter egg. If the recipient guesses correctly, then the sender has to pay up an Easter egg. (for more see http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gækkebrev)
Here is how you can make your own Danish Easter Letter:
1. Take a regular 8 1/2″x11″ piece of paper in any color and fold one corner across to meet the opposite side.
2. Cut off the end piece, so you now have a square piece of paper.
3. Fold the paper to form a triangle, fold it as many times as possible ( I folded it 4 times)
4. Cut off small pieces along the folds
5. Unfold the paper- now you have a beautiful doily. Now that you know how it works, you can experiment with the folding, cutting and different kinds of paper.
6. Write your poem and sign your name with dots instead of letters.
Here is an example of a Danish poem for Easter letters:
En vintergæk
en sommernar,
en fugl foruden vinger,
en lille ven,
som har dig kær,
en kærlig hilsen bringer. Mit navn det står med prikker pas på det ikke stikker.
Literally translated:
A snowdrop, a summer fool, a bird without wings, a little friend, who has you dear, sends you a greeting of love. My name is written with dots watch out so they don’t sting.
(for some silly rhymes in Danish see: http://www.jemelv.dk/Undersider/psp/gaekkevers/gaekkevers.html
7. Secretly give your letter to a friend – you might have to include a note saying that, if your friend does not guess that you sent it, then he/she owes you an Easter egg. You could also tell a whole bunch of friends about the idea and you could all send each other letters. You can also make up your own rules as to how soon you all have to guess who sent you the letter.
Read more about the Danish snowdrop here: http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Natur_og_miljø/Botanik/Liljeordenen_(Liliales)/vintergæk#