Easter Monday

Today is Easter Monday (Pondělí velikonoční) here in the Czech Republic. A National Holiday and a day off, and the day of the pomlázka. Today, Easter Monday, is also of greater importance or significance here than the actual day of Easter.

A Pomlázka (several pictured above in the basket) is a braided whip made up of 8 twigs from a Pussy willow bush or other young bush. It is used to show "affection" to the girl of your interest.

The Pomlázka tradition (pomlázka meaning both the whip and the tradition itself) dates back to pagan times. Its original purpose and symbolic meaning is to chase away illness and bad spirits and to bring health and youth for the rest of the year to everyone who is whipped with the young pussy willow twigs.

Boys will whip girls "lightly" on the legs, an Easter poem, usually asking for an egg or two, would be recited by the boy while whipping. Here is the poem:

"Hody hody doprovody
dejte vejce malovany
Nedate-li malovany
dejte aspon bily
však Vam slepička snese jiny"

Loosely translated it goes something like this:
“Give me a colored egg, if you won’t give me a colored egg, give me a white one and get your hen to lay another.”

The girl would then reward the boy with a painted egg or candy and tie a ribbon around his pomlázka. As the boys progressed through the village, their bags filled up with eggs and their pomlázkas were adorned with more and more colorful ribbons.

This tradition is still largely upheld, especially in villages and small towns, although it may have lost its symbolism and romance and is now performed mainly for fun. Some boys and men seem to have forgotten that the whipping is supposed to be only symbolic and girls don't always like that to be whipped, especially if not lightly. The reward has also changed - shots of plum brandy (slivovice) are often given instead of or in addition to painted eggs and candy. So by early afternoon, groups of "happy" men can be seen staggering along the roads in the villages.

The tradition is suppose to end at Noon on this day, and to enforce this, so the tradition goes, if a boy or man rings your bell or knocks on your door after Noon, then they are doused with a bucket of water. That would certainly end the revelry and quickly I would expect.