Somewhere in the country, a troop of cats was having a fair. Nobody dared disturb them, though, for they were all afraid of witchcraft.

As it happened, a golden candlestick had been stolen from a church in that same area.

The next year, the people decided to keep an eye on the cats. When the day in question came, they were on the lookout in the area. To their horror, they saw the candlestick where the cats were. How on earth were they to get it back? One of them proved brave enough. He went to the field and greeted the cats. Then he grabbed the candlestick and wanted to leave. But the cats asked him to stay for a little while. So he did, and the cats all went to the fire, and pretended to be forced into a kettle full of oil, which was hanging over a large fire. The man had pity on them and moved closer to the fire.

Now the cats said:

"Do we wanna wettle,

do we wanna wettle,

do we wanna put him with his head

into the kettle?"

Then they put him with his head into the oil. He ran away fast, but forgot to take the candlestick along.

The man became very ill and spent some six weeks in bed. After that, he regained the strength to do some walking. But all the time he had been ill, he kept hearing the cats meowing.

One morning his wife went out. So he stayed home alone, but told his wife to put the kettle on. So she did, and left. The water was boiling, and now the man went out and called the cats in. Then he walked towards the water and threw it over the cats.

In the morning it was heard that all the old women had burnt themselves and that one of them had even been killed.

This is believed to be true, and it explains the origins of the cat fair.