Denmark: Gækkebreve & Chocolate Eggs – A Danish Easter tradition

Around Easter, the kids in Denmark make letters with rhymes and riddles, so-called “gækkebreve”. The letter itself is a piece of white paper, artfully cut, and often resembling a snowflake or lace. These paper cuts can be quite elaborate, featuring patterns that unfold to reveal symmetrical designs. A snowdrop is attached before the gækkebrev is sent to families and friends anonymously. Instead of your name, you just put dots, corresponding to the number of letters in your name.

The mystery and fun of the tradition come from the recipient trying to guess who sent them the letter. If they guess correctly, you owe them a chocolate egg. If they can’t guess who you are, then they owe you a chocolate egg. When I was a kid, I went all in with gækkebreve, sending out a bunch of them to family and friends, and certain years I would receive 10 chocolate eggs or more. My sister Trine doesn’t like chocolate, so I would get all her chocolate eggs too.

As far as I’m concerned, sending gækkebreve is an Easter tradition unique to Denmark. It’s such a fun tradition, so the other day, I decided to try my luck with a couple of gækkebreve again. It’s been quite a while since I made my last gækkebrev, so I was a bit rusty and I accidentally cut through some of the paper edges (which weren’t meant to be cut through), but hopefully, I would still be able to cash in a chocolate egg or two:)

Here’s the rhyme that I usually use for my gækkebreve:

Danish: En vintergæk, en sommernar, en fugl foruden vinger, en lille ven som har dig kær en hilsen til dig bringer. Mit navn det står med prikker, pas på det ikke stikker . . . . .

Translation: A snowdrop, a summer fool, a bird without wings, a little friend who holds you dear brings a greeting to you. My name is written with dots, be careful it doesn’t prick.