Having heard about the traditions from my wife and now reading the info on Easter Traditions here.....Girls seem to get a bad deal at Easter!!! Mal
I do not think it is that bad :wink: ; anyway, the girls can pay it back on the following day... And it brings good health for the whole year, too, so we take it easy.
It really is not that bad And it can even turn out the other way - I am sorry, this won't be of much use for most people here, but those who understand Czech (or better, Moravian) - read this Easter story
"Whip out a Pomlázka on an American woman and I am sure they will call their lawyer...!" Something similar has actually happened - A czech couple settled in the US and when the Easter came they followed the tradition as normally but their neighbour saw it all over the fence, called the police and then the husband was arrested for domestic violence. His wife even specifically confirmed to the police that she hadn't been feeling offended or harmed and that it was a tradition and all but it was no use. Her husband was kept in a cell for 2 days.
WE ARE LAUGHING SO HARD IN THE OFFICE! I told my colleauges how I thought in America some money grabbing woman would love the opp. to turn it into a case of libel....except she would call it defamation of character :} Funny stuff Fabik, but then again....NOT!
I don't know what those American women are fussing about- sounds slightly naughty in a FUN way to me. wink-
My wife thought she would be done with it once she married myself, an american. Little did she know I got one of the wacking sticks and use it faithfully every year. After all what are we if we forget tradition.
We maintain those traditions in our house...Hody hody etc is well known here even by our 6 yr old aussie boy who is currently in CZ with his grandmother utilising his skills as i write!
Happy Easter Monday!!! I was awaken this morning at 7 a.m. by what I THOUGHT was maintenance. At first I ignored it- but it was apparant the knocker was not going away easily. I looked through the peephole, and it one of my husband's friends. I opened the door and told him to hold on I would wake Jarda. I went and woke Jarda and crawled back in bed. Jarda pulled me out of bed and said come in the living room. At this point there were three of his Czech friends with Pomlazkas and they beat me. Jarda said they were easy on me- and I was lucky I didn't have water thrown on me. He poured them a whiskey and they were off their merry way to the next victim. Now I was familiar with this tradition- however I thought Easter was over YESTERDAY- and was not expecting it this morning. I must say this is the oddest way I have been waken EVER. Its nice the Czechs keep thier traditions here in the US as well.
And to make the tradition complete, YOU (not your husband) had to reward your husband´s friends´ effort to keep you fresh, healthy and full of energy for the next 365 days (till the next Easter) by dyed and decorated eggs - besides some spirit. It depends on the region, but in central Moravia, where I come from, it is home-made slivovice and eggs with ornaments set with tiny pieces of straw on solid red, blue or black. Most girls - or their moms - bake some Easter cookies, too, namely for kids who are supposed to say some Easter rhymes while "beating" the females of the house. My 90-year old mom even asks for some symbolic whipping and never forgets to have some chocolate eggs ready.
Do the boys "beat" the girls hard? Also, do we girls get our revenge on the boys at anytime? :wink: ~Kaitlyn
Its all in good fun. Not painful- however I'm sure the younger boys can go a bit overboard at times. My husband said his friends tapped me lighter than usual in order to not frighten me. Since I am American, they weren't sure how I'd react. I rewarded them with Easter candy.
Well, it depends. In eastern Moravia, the region called Valašsko or Valachy (around Zlín, Vizovice, Rožnov, Vsetín), juniper twigs are used instead of willow, and due to the thorns it can be pretty painful. But, as iluvuma says, it is mostly about girls hiding and giggling, boys searching for them, joking and laughing. Sometimes, boys do not want eggs or treats, but colorful ribbons to put on their twigs, and they compete who will get the most. And yes, there is a revenge. The following day, i.e. Tuesday, girls are allowed to do the same to the boys, but this tradition is not that common; and, contrarily to Easter Monday, it is not a holiday.
Watch out boys! I'm going to get my revenge next year, haha :twisted: , The Easter Monday tradition does sound like fun (an exception of the thorns. OUTCH!) Thanks for you replies. ~Kaitlyn
