Easter 2007

The Easter traditions here are far more elaborate than any I have come across before. Firstly, from about 2 weeks ago, the Easter decorations appeared in all the stores. It is something like the elaborateness of christmas decorations, but replaced with easter eggs of all colours, shapes and sizes; Easter bunnies; and elaborate hunting baskets. At school for the last month, they have been coming home with all nature of arts and crafts related to easter.

The first bizzare tradition that I learned about is that *don't immediately phone women's lib* on Easter morning, the boys run around trying to beat the girls with sticks!!!!

In the picture above, you will see the willow branch whip. They select the new willow branches and plait them into a whip, generally with a very intricately plaited handle (unlike the one above). Then, the boys get to chase the girls and for every girl they touch they get ribbons and then that is translated into eggs when they get home. The theory behind this is that the willow branches signify fertility and new growth, and being hit by one will give you fertility and good fortune.

With the girls being with their Teacher Hanka during the afternoons, she has initiated them into some of their cultural crafts. They planted "easter grass" together for the easter eggs to hide in. They dyed blown eggs and coloured them beautifully and then they get put on a stick with ribbons. They even came home with dyed and painted hard boiled egg remains in their lunch box.

On the Saturday before easter sunday, we took a day trip to Prague and Easter celebrations were in full swing. In the squares the market are kitted out with all the easter goodies and the town was busling. Below are some of the photos of the Easter Market, including the trees adorned with easter egg decorations.

When we got home on Saturday evening, I had got the girls a few Easter decorations and gave the story that we had to create an Easter path from the front door to the girls' bedroom so that when the Easter Bunny came, he would know where to go to give them Easter Eggs. In the morning, they were awake way earlier than any sane human being should ever be and burst into our bedroom displaying some of the hidden eggs which they had already snuffled out. We then were forced into action with cameras and had to make sure that none of the photos included mom/dad who still looked very just-woken-up-too-early-in-the-morning and the couple of shots where we had snuck into the background have been censored.

Below is about half of the egg loot which the girls had uncovered - they were still finding some of the last remains well into the evening. There is enough to keep them on a chocolate high for the next couple of weeks.