Spring Time Praha!

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With the “Big Holidays” out of the way I now have time to get back to blogging. And, in case you were wondering Christmas, and New Year’s were great! The Czech New Year’s Eve (Sylvester) is something not to be missed. It involves plenty of fireworks and very little police involvement. If you get the chance it is worth seeing. It makes Time Square New York look like child’s play. Spring is on its way now and I am excited! Once I make it through the rainy season I have beautiful flowers and bustling parks to look forward to. Spring here is truly beautiful.
So, I guess i have to add Easter to the list of wacky traditions here in the CZ. I know what you are thinking: What could possibly be wackier than a giant rabbit bearing chocolates in his own likeness? Holiday celebrations tend not to make sense. And Prague is no different. At Christmas little baby Jesus brings the presents - not Santa Clause. Well, at Easter the Czech people get a little mid-evil with the traditions. When I asked a class about Easter traditions i was told that theirs might be a little more "brutal" than in America. Brutal? Hmmmm…tell me more!

See, they have these things called pomlazka. They are young, live pussy willow twigs. The Czechs believe that they bring health and youth to anyone who is whipped with them. That's right, whipped. Oh, and anyone means a woman or girl. It has been used for centuries by boys who go door to door on Easter Monday and whip girls on the legs or behind. The girls are so thankful to be beat with the twig that they give the boy some candy as a thank you. Older boys (called "men") still do this with a shot of alcohol as their reward. Czech fathers take their sons into the woods and gather twigs to make the whip. It is a time consuming process to make them and the end result is truly a piece of art. Sure, you can buy them in the Easter markets, but that takes away from the tradition of it. And don’t worry, the women here love it! They think it’s cute when the boys come to the door with the whip. I have been told that this tradition is more prevalent in the Czech Republics outer lying towns and villages, but is still done to a certain extent in the city as well.
One of the great joys of teaching here is getting to share traditions with your classes. Every new holiday that comes up is a new opportunity to speak with your students about traditions and celebrations. You can share your traditions with them and they can share them with you. In my time here I have even picked up a few Czech traditions that I will incorporate into my own family traditions one day. Being international sure is fun, huh? See you next month!

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