If you are curious what Easter used to look like in the Czech lands a century or more ago, come and visit one of the many Czech open-air museums (often known as skansens). Here you will see Easter customs, performances by folk ensembles at traditional markets, egg decoration and Easter whip weaving.
The Wallachian Open-air Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm
The Walachian Museum is the oldest and largest museum of its kind in Central Europe. At Easter time visitors can look forward to a traditional fair, traditional food and Easter and springtime customs and songs performed by folk ensembles.
Příbram Mining Museum
Every year the mining museum (www.museum-pribram.cz) puts on a programme of events called ‘Easter at a miner’s cottage’. Here you will see how eggs are decorated, Easter gingerbread is baked and decorated, and how Easter whips are made – all this in an old miner’s cottage.
Other skansens that put on Easter events
Easter traditions and customs
Easter is preceded by Holy Week, during which households would tidy up in preparation for the holiday. There are many folk traditions associated with Easter, one of the most important Christian festivals in the calendar. Some of them are still alive today; most, however, can now only be seen at the aforementioned skansens.
Maundy Thursday
This the day when, according to old tradition, all the bells fly to Rome to be blessed and remain silent until they return on Holy Saturday. In place of the bells, the young men of the village would go around with clappers and rattles, which make an awful racket, and announce the time in the absence of the bells. This tradition has been kept alive in some communities in Moravia.
Good Friday
On the day when Jesus Christ was crucified, according to folk legend, underground spaces full of treasure open up.
Holy Saturday
A day for cleansing the soul, the body and your dwelling. If you sweep the floor of your room before dawn breaks on Holy Saturday it will remain clean for the year to come.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday marks the beginning of Easter time proper.
Easter Monday – a time to revitalise the womenfolk
Easter Monday sees the men and boys going from house to house giving the women and girls a symbolic whipping with a so-called ‘pomlázka’ (green willow branches woven into a birch) while chanting a special poem, in order to keep them looking young. For this they get a ribbon to tie on the ‘pomlázka’ and an Easter egg.
Another custom, especially common in Moravia, is to pour water on the females to stop them ‘drying out’, so they stay young, beautiful and desirable in the coming year until next Easter.
The end of winter
On a Sunday at the end of winter people can be seen carrying a straw figure (dressed in woman’s clothing) out of the village. This represents winter and carrying the figure out calls back the spring. Beyond the village the figure is thrown into water, and people sing and dance in celebration of the fact that winter is on its way out.
The opening of the wells
At the beginning of April the village wells are officially opened. This is an ancient custom when mostly children would sing songs and clean the natural source of water for the village of leaves which had settled in the well over the winter. Today there is less singing, but the wells are still opened in this way.
Did you know...?
The opening of the wells
If you are lucky, during your visit to a music event you may catch the suite by Bohuslav Martinů called ‘The Opening of the Wells’. This is a modern interpretation of the folk songs associated with this ancient tradition.
