Pomlázka

Easter Monday is called Pomlázka in the Czech Rep., and there's an interesting pagan ritual that's survived to mark it...says pragueexperience.com:

"On Easter Monday people get up early. The boys and men set off on a whipping trip through the village. Boys stop at people’s homes and whip the legs of every girl and woman who live in the house. Small boys are required to recite an Easter carol as they go about their whipping.

As if the whipping is not enough, a popular custom is also to grab the girl and throw her in a bath of cold water, known as an "Easter dousing". The whipping and dousing is performed to chase away illness and bad spirits. They may not appreciate it at the time, but it is actually good for the girl!

Once all the whipping and dousing is over, the girl, strangely enough, rewards the boy with one of her painted eggs. She then ties a ribbon around his whip and he moves on to the next house.

As the boys progress through the village, their bags fill with eggs and the whips become more and more colourful, with many bright ribbons. For older boys, the gifts of eggs and ribbons have latterly given way to the man being offered shots of alcohol. By the time the men arrive home, they can be fairly happy!"

Of course, it's not like this in the city. It's manifested for me as getting smacked on the ass downtown last night by a devious teenager, and once this morning on the Charles Bridge by a smiling older man. Steffen says the smacking is to keep the women fertile and beautiful, which is why they'd traditionally reward the men for doing it. I've seen people get smacked for less. I think it's charming.

Time for me to start my job training! I'm at the office now, with nice window and scary elevator. "It's padded so if you get stuck, nobody can hear you scream." Ha, ha.

One more thing, that I wrote in my journal last night after a fruitless late-night search for food:

Local man noticed my sniffling in the Mustek metro station and gave me a scratchy tissue. This is noteworthy because: 1. The man was handsome, and this allays my fears of only encountering males of the "rowdy British stag party" variety. 2. all paper goods in Prague so far are 1-ply and scratchy. And I do mean all. Ouch!