We live in a diverse world, and that means each country, continent or region has different customs, cultures and traditions. And while these beliefs may seem strange to outsiders, people, who believe in them, are consistently devoted to them. One such strange tradition is followed in Denmark where unmarried people are bathed with cinnamon powder.
Cinnamon is a spice used a lot in food. But why are people given a bath in spices? According to The Telegraph’s report, the Danish, while celebrating their 25th birthday, are showered by their families with cinnamon. This might seem like a punishment for not being able to settle down and get married by the age of 25 but it is just another opportunity to prank people and mess around.
Did you know: In #Denmark, if you’re 25 and unmarried, your friends tie you to a lamppost or tree and bombard you with eggs and cinnamon? 🙂 pic.twitter.com/nxNfAl6i5t
— Nikola Vukovic (@VukovicNikola) March 19, 2017
You may think that cinnamon is only lightly sprinkled on people who turn 25, but the truth is that they are bathed head to toe in cinnamon and sometimes also splashed with water for the cinnamon to stick better. Sometimes eggs are mixed with cinnamon to enhance the fun so that cinnamon sticks to the body.
A man told The Telegraph that this tradition is hundreds of years old when salesmen selling spices used to travel from one city to another. And because of that, they did not find partners for marriage and remained unmarried for a long time. Such male salesmen were called pepper dudes (Pebersvends), while women were called pepper maidens (Pebermø).
While this tradition is still followed in Denmark, people don’t judge others who have not been able to find partners and settle down by 25. There is no rush for early marriage in Danish society. The average age for men to get married here is 34 and a half years while that for women is 32 years.
