Czech Easter Tradition

The celebration of Easter extends beyond the Church. A good example is the Czecgh Easter custom.
Since its origin Easter has been a time for celebration and feasting many traditional Easter games and customs such as egg rolling, egg tapping, egg decorations, etc..

Many central and eastern Europeran countries inclusing Czech republic decorate eggs. You can find at the very moment some nice hand made painted eggs on the many Easter markets around the manz squares in Prague.

In the Czech Republic - and Slovakia -  a tradition of spanking or whipping is carried out  on Easter Monday. In the morning, men spank women with a special handmade  whip called POMLAZKA or in Eastern Moravia throw cold water on them




The pomlázka consists of eight, twelve or even twenty-four withies (willow rods), is usually from half a meter to two meters long and decorated with coloured ribbons at the end. The spanking is not painful or intended to cause suffering. A legend says that women should be spanked with a whip in order to keep their health and beauty during the whole next year.
An additional purpose can be for men to exhibit their attraction to women; unvisited women can even feel offended. Traditionally, the spanked woman gives a coloured egg and sometimes a small amount of money to the man as a sign of her thanks.



In some regions, the women can get revenge in the afternoon or the following day when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any man. The habit slightly varies across Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

WHAT IS THE EASTER TRADITION IN YOUR COUNTRY?