Let's have a look at a very, very old Danish tradition again.
Fastelavn is coming up and that means, with almost absolute certainty, that Isabella and Christian but this year also the twins (and bette Henrik as well) will dress up.
Here is what a Scottish ex-pat writes (in English) about the current tradition for children:
Diane's Daily Denmark
Then I'll deal with the historical background. (You ought to read the link first).
Fastelavn goes back to Medieval times and it was a celebration in connection with the religious fasting.
And basically people got drunk, had a few fistfights, made a lot of noise, dressed up and made a lot of mischief. In short: had a great time.
That also included frighting away the Devil and as cats and especially black cats were symbols of the devil. Cats were put inside a barrel and people, adults that is, took turns beating away on the barrel until the bottom fell out, along with the more or less battered cat, which was probably clubbed to death as well.
The live cat inside the barrel screamed and hissed but that was part of the entertainment, because it was the Devil who screamed through the cat.
In a world that was often frightening and hard to understand and where you had a very little influence over your life, this was also a way of getting back at the Devil, who was presumably behind many of your misfortunes.
Over the years this has of course changed and it is now only a symbolic cat that is being beaten. The religious aspect is practically unknown now.
Here is a YouTube vid of a modern Fastelavn:
Fastelavn er mit navn.wmv - YouTube
And the one who hits the barrle so that the bottom falls out is proclaimed cat-king or cat-queen.