Feasts, feasts until Provodní: The Sunday after Easter is known as White or Provodni and leftovers from the holidays are eaten.
Have you ever wondered why it is said: Feast, feast to Provodní (Hody, Hody do provody)? The Easter holidays used to last until the first Sunday after Easter. It was called White or also Provodní – after the old pagan holiday of Provodní, which was something like today's All Souls' Day.
In the past, believers celebrated Easter for a longer period. From Easter Sunday to the following Sunday, the so-called Easter Octave was counted . During this week, catechesism (education) of the newly baptized, that is, those who were baptized on the evening of Holy Saturday, took place. On the last day of the Octave, they could take off their white robes, which is probably where the name White came from. At the same time, this day has also been celebrated in the church calendar since 2000 (at the request of Pope John Paul II ) as the Feast of Divine Mercy.
Spring celebrations of the dead and the living
Like many other Christian holidays, this time was originally marked by pagan traditions. The ancient Slavs celebrated a kind of spring All Souls' Day. They remembered their dead, feasted and danced. At the same time, they praised spring and new life - budding nature and harvest . In the Christian tradition, this turned into ceremonial processions in the fields and meadows with a request for God's blessing, which were customary on White Sunday. Provoda is the Old Czech word for a procession, and there were several of them on this day . Even to the church, where the newly baptized put away their white clothes, people went in a procession. The first spring pilgrimages, weddings, fairs were also organized ... The name provodní is also explained as the "seeing off" of Easter, i.e. its end.
In villages, there are also a number of local customs associated with Whit Sunday . In some places, latecomers would go for pomlázka (a gift from a loved one tied in a scarf). And, as on the last day of Easter, it was necessary to finish everything that was left over from the previous feast. It was tradition that not even a crumb of the spread or a piece of stuffing should go to waste. The last crumbs were scattered in the fields or in wells to ensure a good harvest and clean water. Another superstition says that whoever dresses in white on Whit Sunday will look good all year long. So we recommend not only eating up the Easter leftovers, but also wearing something white on Whit Sunday . Just to be on the safe side...
Translated from this article:
Napadlo vás někdy, proč se říká: Hody, hody do Provody? Velikonoční svátky kdysi trvaly až do první neděle po Velikonocích. Říkalo se jí Bíl
