It’s well-known fact that almost all citizens of Czech Republic are atheists, however, you would be surprised to know that almost every family celebrate Easter as a not religious holiday, but the holiday of spring and fertility. The Czech meaning of this holiday explains why they have different rituals and traditions.
One of the traditions that surprised me a lot was the tradition of hitting women. Traditionally, In the eastern morning, men spank women with a special handmade whip called a pomlázka. The spanking may be painful, but it's not intended to cause suffering. A legend says that women should be spanked with a whip in order to keep their health, beauty, and fertility during the whole next year.
All other traditions are more or less the same as in all Eastern Europe – egg decorating, going to the church in the evening, special bread etc.
Being so far from my home, I decided to do not celebrate Easter this year, so did other volunteers. These days we spent resting and traveling. Photo: Santi enjoys movie Easter Monday afternoon:)
