In Denmark, they have an interesting yet strange tradition of throwing cinnamon to people who are still single at 25. They douse the individual with lots of cinnamon sticks on his/her birthday, mostly by friends and well-wishers.
It’s interesting because it motivates you to look for a partner before you turn 25. If you like cinnamon, though, then this shouldn’t bother you. The tradition stems way back to a time of traveling spice salesmen.
Because the men were so busy trying to get their business up and running, and because the nature of their job required them to be on the move constantly, many did not settle down.
Nowadays, depending on your age and relationship status, you can be smothered with spices like cinnamon when you are 25 or pepper when you are 30. In fact, being peppered is called Pebersvend for a man and Pebermø for a woman. This might sound like a really wacky tradition but just think about our very own traditions in America.
With Halloween coming up, you really should be questioning why little kids dressed up in costumes are begging strangers for candy. How is that something we just gloss over? Or how about searching for eggs on Easter? What does the Easter Bunny have to do with Jesus rising from the dead?
At the end of the day, every place has its own weird traditions and quirks. Denmark’s just involves spices! This tradition does admittedly seem a little messy. All that cinnamon and pepper flying around and getting in your eyes?
No thank you! But what an inventive way to show people you are not married. Now there is a clear way for people to know that you are unattached to another human. Maybe this actually helps people go on more dates?
Many of these salesmen would never find a partner, and would then be referred to as Pebersvends, which means “Pepper Dudes.” A single woman is thus called a “Pebermø,” or “pepper maiden.” This makes sense on your 30th birthday, where the cinnamon gets upgraded to pepper.
If they’re feeling super mean, Danes sometimes add eggs to the mix because it “helps with adhesion.” Contrary to what the actions suggest, nobody is being judged for still being single at 25.
The average age of men getting married in Denmark is 34 and a half, and for women, it’s 32. Rather than a punishment, the tradition is just an excuse to play a prank and be silly with your friends when they reach milestone ages. It’s also funny.
Very interesting