Traditions, beliefs and customs
Czech Easter customs combine Christian and pagan traditions. Most of its elements are very similar to those common in Hungary: decorated eggs, lambs, bunnies, birch branches, except the pomlázka. The pomlázka is a whip made of thin willow twigs with colorful ribbons at the end. Using pomlázka is part of the Easter Monday tradition. The tradition of setting up a Maypole may have survived from ancient spring celebrations. It is richly decorated with ribbons from May 1st and is usually set up in the main square of the city. The Maypole is a symbol of the rebirth of nature.
Easter Festival
The traditional Easter dish is boiled ham with horseradish cream, eggs, lamb and Easter filling (nádivka). Easter filling is traditionally made from six types of steak, mutton, rabbit, lamb, goat and veal. Among the pastries, Easter bread (mazanec) and the traditional Lamb-shaped cake (beránek) are typical. In Brno, an Easter Festival is held at Náměstí Svobody (Freedom Square). Handicrafts, Easter goods and delicious refreshments are sold. In the afternoons, cultural programs are performed on stage, with folklore ensembles and various orchestras performing, and Easter craft workshops are held.
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday
One of the most important days of the Holy Week before Easter is Maundy Thursday. On this day, people eat green food, which is believed to ensure their health for the year. Therefore, this day is also called Green Thursday. Czech breweries, which have a long history, celebrate Easter and the arrival of spring in creative ways. Green beer is brewed exclusively for this day in the Czech Republic. It was first brewed in 1998-99 at the Pivovarsky Dům in Prague. Many kinds of herbs are added to give the beer a green color. Nettle is a fairly popular choice. Of course, in addition to green beer, occasional beers are also brewed. These festive beers are usually stronger, tastier and fuller-bodied than regular beers. The festive customs of Green Thursday are often confused with the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day due to the green food and drinks, but there is no connection between the two holidays. For believers, this is a day of mourning for the crucifixion of Jesus. Good Friday is a day of fasting. According to tradition, on this day you cannot give or ask for a loan, you cannot wash or work on the ground. This custom is often not observed in non-religious families. On Good Saturday, a lamb is roasted and the boys and men tie pomlázkas. The girls paint and decorate eggs.
Easter Sunday and Monday
On Easter Monday, boys/men visit the ladies they love and then gently spank them with a whip, accompanied by festive verses and songs. This custom symbolizes the banishment of illness and laziness, the transfer of vitality, so that the ladies will be healthy all year round. In Hungary, instead, girls are doused with cold water in the villages or sprinkled with cologne in the cities. In both cases, the ladies give painted or decorated eggs in return. On this day, traditional Easter dishes are served. Lamb, eggs, cakes, wine and bread. This is when the family gathers.
“Nothing is so beautiful as spring – when weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush; Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring the ear, it strikes like lightning to hear him sing.”
– Gerard Manley Hopkins