Tag: easter

Got Whipped?

Published on by Grace6 Comments

I did.  It was Easter this past weekend.

In keeping up with Easter tradition here in Czech, the females in my family were whipped by the males.  It doesn’t matter what age, gender is all that matters.

IMG_6401

 

Here, my sister-in-law got whipped by her own son.

Even my very young daughter got her share of whipping too.

IMG_6395

Luckily, her Tata kept a watchful eye and held her close for comfort.

IMG_6393

And yes, it may sound way too weird, but the rationale behind the whipping actually makes a lot of sense.

It is done to ward off bad spirits and ensure good health all throughout the year, for the person whipped .   More about this practice can be found in my previous post here.

Meanwhile, when we got home, it was time to eat the choco Easter bunny that Jakub got from our Swiss friends.

IMG_6415

At first, he was a bit hesitant to eat it as he had been attached to it after waiting too long for this moment.

Here he is giving it one last kiss.

IMG_6424

But in the end, his love for chocolate still prevailed.

IMG_6431

Crunch!  Off went the bunny’s tail.

And of course, he wasn’t the only one devouring this tasty treat.  His chocoholic mama “helped him out.”

No wonder somebody escaped from her play gym.

IMG_6438

Anyhow, I hope you had a great Easter weekend!

Easter Ready

Published on by Grace14 Comments

Easter is coming early this year. It is this weekend already!

As I have mentioned in a previous post, Easter in CZ is celebrated quite differently from what I know. Out here, the boys whip women as a sign of goodwill to supposedly ward off bad spirits.

Another tradition is for women to give men painted eggs after they have been whipped. And yes, I still haven’t learned the art of painting eggs, so I still opted to buy my eggs from a local Easter market here in our small town.

easter2

I greatly admire the creative hands who made these eggs and always find a lot of amusement when visiting Easter markets.

easter1

This year, my husband’s mom will not be home for Easter as she just had a knee replacement surgery and will be in the hospital for therapy during that time. As such, the responsibility of preparing for Easter rests on me and my sister-in-law’s hands. With 3 small boys and 3 grown men in the house, I’m sure we will get very busy in the kitchen, not to mention the possibility of sore butts from being whipped six times.

Easter Fever

Published on by Grace5 Comments

Next to Christmas, Easter is the biggest celebration here in Czech.  Although there a number of Christians in the Czech Republic, its is not a serious religious celebration.  Easter is now limited to the beginning of spring since during the Communist era, its religious connotations were suppressed.

The other day my husband asked me to buy a whip for my son.  Yes, a whip(pomlázka).  Not to whip him, but to whip me.  It is a long held tradition over here for men/boys to whip the women during Easter.  It is believed that whipping chases away illnesses and bad spirits and bring health and youth for the rest of the year to anyone who is whipped.  In return, girls reward boys  with a painted egg, or a candy.

Since it will be our first Easter here, we are celebrating it with my husband’s family.  I do not know how to make a whip or hand-paint eggs so I bought them from the Easter market.  Easter markets are also very popular over here.  Like Christmas markets, you get to see crafts and  food items sold in the stalls.  The atmosphere is generally festive and both locals and foreigners flock these markets.

Prague Old Town Easter Market

In my husband’s family, boys outnumber girls.  I expect  a lot of whipping and a lot more eggs.   When my husband told me about this tradition, I thought it was weird.  It gets even weirder when Easter Sunday is actually celebrated on Monday.