Historically, there was a real cat in the barrel, and beating the barrel and chasing the cat symbolised demolishing evil and chasing it away. [4] It was practised up until the 1800s, with the last known event occurring in the 1880s. The cat was not killed, but allowed to escape when the barrel was broken.

The history of Fastelavn can be traced back to medieval times and is deeply rooted in the tradition of Carnival. In Denmark, Fastelavn is celebrated on the Sunday or Monday before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent.

Fastelavn is such a sweet and child-centric holiday that its more somber origins have been largely forgotten. Celebrated on the Sunday or Monday before Ash Wednesday (so, this is kind of Scandinavia’s Mardi Gras; make of that what you will), the holiday is based on the Roman Catholic tradition of celebrating the days before Lent.