1. Happy Easter
Our children made Easter postcards for their
friends in Litvia last week. They also made
some projects about Easter that we will
use for our exhibition.
2. There are lots of
traditions
connected with
Easter . In the
Slovak Republic
some of the oldest
traditions are
connected with
Easter eggs and
Easter „birches“.
3. For a long time,
Slovak men and
boys have given girls
and women an
Easter birching, a
gentle slapping on
the arms and
shoulders and backs
with a decorated
bunch of birch sticks.
4. The right to give a
birching begins at
midnight on Sunday
and continues on
Monday .
5. Young men, later
joined by
children, go
around in groups
and visiting the
houses of
neighbours and
relatives.
6. The strength of waking
nature is given to Man
by these customs. It is
also believed that the
first „bircher“ brings the
home good luck, and so
the housewife rewards
him very well.
7. Birchers get lots of food
– sweets,meat, fruit,
sweet holiday bread
„mazanec“ etc. – sticks
of rosemary or
sometimes money.
However, the most usual
gift is one of decorated
Easter eggs.
8. In folk culture, the
Easter egg was a
magical symbol of
life and spring.
