Throughout the markets that spring up in nearly every Moravian village around Easter time, there's a curious site. Leaning against the sides of the wooden market stalls are sticks festooned with coloured ribbons on the top. Made of braided willow branches, these sticks serve a very important role in an unusual Czech tradition.
These holiday branches are known locally as pomlázka, and have played a role in traditional spring rituals for centuries. Because religion was generally prohibited under communism, Easter in the Czech Republic tends to be a time to welcome spring, rather than act as a typically religious holiday. So what are these pomlázka for? You may be more than a little surprised at the answer.
Photo courtesy of Polki.pl
On Easter Monday in towns and villages all across the country, boys and men arm themselves with a pomlázka and join up with friends and relatives to pay visits to as many houses in their area as possible. Girls stay at home, and when visitors arrive, they are happy to bend over and be whipped with this Easter stick. So happy, in fact, that they will reward their male visitors with a stiff drink before the group moves on to the next house.
As the legend goes, if a woman is beaten by a pomlázka, she will remain both beautiful and fertile in the coming year, which explains why women are eager to be hit. Some, of course, make a game of it and allow themselves to be chased around the garden a few times before submitting. Though this tradition can be a little shocking to foreign visitors, Czech women would be mortified if they weren't beaten in this way, and it is all done in a spirit of fun.
Photo courtesy of Topky.sk
The fun and games ends at noon, which for some isn't soon enough. The girls spend the afternoon nursing sore bottoms, whilst the boys spend the afternoon nursing sore heads after one too many shots of the strong Czech herbal liquor known as Becherovka.
Easter eggs also bedeck the shelves of Easter markets, though these might not be the eggs that you're used to. Czech Easter eggs, known as Kraslice, tend to be decorative rather than edible. Eggs shells are painted, dyed, waxed, and even carved into beautiful and delicate objects that make fantastic souvenirs. The word Kraslice comes from the old Czech word krásný, which in the modern language means beautiful, but in ancient times meant red, the colour of dye most often used for eggs.
Photo courtesy of IvanyaZdenka.blog.cz
Egg decorating competitions are held all over the country during Easter, and if you're lucky you'll see a display of the local winners. The craftsmanship of these eggs is absolutely exquisite, and decorating eggs in this fashion is incredibly difficult, as you'll find out if you choose to join a group at a market stall that allows you to decorate your own eggs. Be prepared to pay for more than one shell, since you're likely to break two or three before you get the hang of it!
The traditional food eaten at Easter time in the region is lamb. However, since lamb is a somewhat unusual meat for Czechs -- and not one that most people are very fond of -- over time, the tradition of eating real lamb has been replaced by a symbolic lamb.
Photo courtesy of Radio Praha
You'll see many stalls selling lambs made out of gingerbread or more plain bread, and for most Czechs this serves as tradition enough, leaving the real Easter meal to be a more common Czech delicacy like goulash and dumplings, or pork and cabbage, which many people prefer eating anyway.
Photo courtesy of Jialiang Gao
Easter in Moravia is likely to be very different from anything that you've experienced at home, and is a unique experience. And if you're still worried about girls getting beaten, well, in many villages women get their revenge on the Tuesday after Easter when they douse boys with buckets of cold water. As a visitor you'll probably avoid getting hit or getting wet, but don't forget to wish people Veselé Velikonoce, or Happy Easter!
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.