According to pagan tradition, the willow whip was used to symbolically give women the fertility and health they’d need in the coming year... #praguemorning Easter Monday: To Whip or Not to Whip? For Czechs, as in many nations around the world, Easter brings with it a wealth of traditions and customs which have little to do with the religious aspects of the Christian holiday but are rooted in pagan rituals welcoming spring’s arrival. Until last year when Good Friday became an official Czech holiday, Velikonoční pondělí (Easter Monday) was the only state holiday associated with Easter in the country. Even if it’s not the way that many Czechs celebrate today, the pomlázka, a homemade whip braided from willow branches and decorated with colorful ribbons, has been for centuries one of the most recognizable symbols of the Czech Easter celebration. Along with kraslice, hand-painted eggs decorated with intricate designs, both symbols belong to the tradition of koledovani (caroling) which occurs during the secular celebration of Easter Monday in the Czech Republic, particularly in villages and small towns across the country. The pomlázka According to pagan tradition, the willow whip was used to symbolically give women the fertility and health they’d need in the coming year. Men and boys braided willow branches to make the whip because the blooming willows were the first sign of spring’s arrival. As one male Czech friend eloquently explained, “We whip you, so you don’t dry out.” In return for the blessings of vitality and fertility, Czech women give kraslice (derived from the word, krásný, or beautiful) to their visitors. In the past, giving a specially decorated egg to a certain boy could be the beginning of a romance. The traditional kraslice were real eggs with their insides blown out, so that they could be kept as keepsakes and displayed as decorations for years to come. Popular dying methods including using vegetables such as onions skins, beet root or sauerkraut. The designs were etched on with wax or reed or punched out with special tools before the eggs were dyed... (at Karlovy Vary) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcSpa7Jow3F/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
