Thursday, April 12, 2007
Easter in CZ
So this blog is to show you how I spent my Easter holiday. In the Czech Republic, schools get off the Thursday and Friday before Easter weekend as well as the Monday following. Unlike last year's holiday which was a crazy trip to a foreign country, this Easter holiday was spent in the Czech Republic. In fact the farthest from Pribram I went was north of Prague, so maybe max 2 hours away.
It was quite laid back and a time that I really just got to enjoy not teaching for a few days. I got to spend some time with friends. Wednesday night Kass came down and we hung out in Pribram until Thursday evening when we headed up to Prague. Friday I went with some other ESIers Joel and Andrew up to Kralupy to visit Zach and to do some castleing (or castle hunting). You will see below some shots of our trek to find these castles.
Saturday I went to the most famous Czech castle- Karlstejn, just outside of Prague- with Kass and Courtney. Courtney had been an ESI teacher last year in Prague and had come back for a visit. And then Sunday Kass and I celebrated Easter by going to see the butterfly exhibit at the botanical gardens in Prague, among other things.
Early Monday morning I came back to Pribram to take part in a Czech Easter tradition, taught to me by the ever-helpful Ondra. The tradition boils down to boys running around with sticks and hitting girls, and the girls are obliged to give them candy, ribbons, and/or shots of liquor. The young branches used to hit the girls are supposed to transfer youth and beauty to the girls. But none of the girls I talked to felt much younger or more beautiful after being hit, most just felt sore across the bottom. So upon arriving at Ondra's apartment, I was given a stick (actually it is 3 young branches woven and tied together with ribbons at the top) made specially for me by Ondra's father, and taught the carol all boys must say as they hit the girls: Hody Hody Doprovody, Dejte Vejce Malovany...
So for the next few hours we wandered around town visiting Ondra's female friends and relatives. Upon arriving we would ring the doorbell. When let in we would hit each female in turn on the backside chanting this carol. Then then gave us eggs, tied ribbons onto our sticks, and then we sat around and chatted for a few minutes before moving on to the next vicitim's apartment.
I wonder how this tradition would fly in America...
Above and below, the two castles we searched for on Friday.
Meeting Svejk, a famous character from Czech literature.
With Joel crossing a bridge in search of our next castle.
With Courtney and Kass at Karlstejn that Saturday. Quite a weekend of castles!
Karlstejn, the most famous Czech castle and inhabited by Charles the Fourth.
With pretty Kass and pretty tree.
With Kass in the botanical gardens checking out the butterfly exhibit.
Whipping Pavla on Easter Monday. Notice I needed the words to the carol written out, I didn't have time enough to memorize it.
Ondra and I with our sticks. Tradition states that the girls we whip will tie ribbons to our sticks, hence all of the ribbons.
Tradition also states that the girls we whip give us eggs, chocolate or real, which explains the pile of eggs in our laps.
It was quite laid back and a time that I really just got to enjoy not teaching for a few days. I got to spend some time with friends. Wednesday night Kass came down and we hung out in Pribram until Thursday evening when we headed up to Prague. Friday I went with some other ESIers Joel and Andrew up to Kralupy to visit Zach and to do some castleing (or castle hunting). You will see below some shots of our trek to find these castles.
Saturday I went to the most famous Czech castle- Karlstejn, just outside of Prague- with Kass and Courtney. Courtney had been an ESI teacher last year in Prague and had come back for a visit. And then Sunday Kass and I celebrated Easter by going to see the butterfly exhibit at the botanical gardens in Prague, among other things.
Early Monday morning I came back to Pribram to take part in a Czech Easter tradition, taught to me by the ever-helpful Ondra. The tradition boils down to boys running around with sticks and hitting girls, and the girls are obliged to give them candy, ribbons, and/or shots of liquor. The young branches used to hit the girls are supposed to transfer youth and beauty to the girls. But none of the girls I talked to felt much younger or more beautiful after being hit, most just felt sore across the bottom. So upon arriving at Ondra's apartment, I was given a stick (actually it is 3 young branches woven and tied together with ribbons at the top) made specially for me by Ondra's father, and taught the carol all boys must say as they hit the girls: Hody Hody Doprovody, Dejte Vejce Malovany...
So for the next few hours we wandered around town visiting Ondra's female friends and relatives. Upon arriving we would ring the doorbell. When let in we would hit each female in turn on the backside chanting this carol. Then then gave us eggs, tied ribbons onto our sticks, and then we sat around and chatted for a few minutes before moving on to the next vicitim's apartment.
I wonder how this tradition would fly in America...
Above and below, the two castles we searched for on Friday.
Meeting Svejk, a famous character from Czech literature.
With Joel crossing a bridge in search of our next castle.
With Courtney and Kass at Karlstejn that Saturday. Quite a weekend of castles! Karlstejn, the most famous Czech castle and inhabited by Charles the Fourth.
With pretty Kass and pretty tree.
With Kass in the botanical gardens checking out the butterfly exhibit.
Whipping Pavla on Easter Monday. Notice I needed the words to the carol written out, I didn't have time enough to memorize it.
Ondra and I with our sticks. Tradition states that the girls we whip will tie ribbons to our sticks, hence all of the ribbons. Tradition also states that the girls we whip give us eggs, chocolate or real, which explains the pile of eggs in our laps.
