Sharing Easter traditions from all around Europe ****************************************************************************************** * About Czech Easter Afternoon, the egg to the 25th anniversary of the Erasmus programme a traditions from all around Europe ****************************************************************************************** 10. 4. 2012; by: Erasmus students; Photo: Loreta Abidini; Proofreading: A.J. Campbell; Sec Digest It’s a tradition of the Erasmus Club at Faculty of Arts to invite the Erasmus students for Afternoon on one of the Fridays before Easter holidays. This year, the Czech tutors (Jana, met with about 30 Erasmus students on Friday 30th March to share with them how Czech Easte The Erasmus students were shown a recording showing the happening on Easter Monday morning a pomlázka is, were introduced to Czech Easter traditions in a PowerPoint presentation, an able to paint their own Easter eggs. Since the Erasmus programme celebrates its 25th anniv year, several of the students decorated their eggs for this occasion. During the whole aft decorating the eggs (with colours, blue ink or wax) and eating the Czech typical Easter ca participants spontaneously shared their own Easter traditions.    Vincent McGowne from St. Patrick's College in Dublin, currently studying at Protestant The in Prague said: “I really enjoyed the Czech cultural Easter class, it was very informative and cultural significance of the pomlázka was of great interests as many of these old trad replaced by the religious events associated with the Easter period. In Scotland, as a chil paint our (hard-boiled) eggs and then on Easter Sunday we would hike up the big hill in ou roll our eggs (to symbolize the rolling of the stone at Jesus' tomb). As we lived in a Chr this was done by the majority of the children in the village. Sadly, in the modern age and Easter chocolate eggs bought for children, this kind of cultural activity is also dying ou pity because I have fond memories of rolling my eggs and eating them after!” The Erasmus Club tutor Tanja Amtmann,  a former Erasmus student at the Faculty of Arts her from University of Passau), who now lives and works in Prague, commented: “In the presenta Easter traditions the Czech tutor said that Easter is a celebration of spring. For me, thi insult – for us, it’s the biggest church holiday. In the Catholic Church, we commemorate t resurrection of Jesus Christ during the Easter holiday. The most important service takes p from Easter Saturday to Easter Sunday, in German we call it Osternacht (Easter Night). Thi in the very early morning hours on Sunday, at 4 or 5 a.m. The priest sanctifies the tradit (bread, ham, eggs and horse-radish). In Germany we have various Easter traditions. In my home region, Bavaria, Ostereierschiebe Oascheibn) is one of the most common customs. It is done this way: the whole family meets were a bevel plate is ‘instalated’ for this occasion, made by putting more rakes next to e Everyone prepares a painted egg and lets it roll down this plate. The person whose egg rem Sweets and colourful eggs are brought to the children by Osterhase, the Easter hare. Der O eggs and chocolate in the garden and the children must seek for them afterwards. That’s al Erik Parmlind from Sweden, Erasmus student at Czech Technical University who regularly joi offered to the Erasmus students at Charles University said about Easter in Sweden: “Easter in Sweden center on eggs and Easter women. The boiled eggs are decorated and consumed toge pickled herring, potatoes and Easter soda. Children are clothed as witches (with long skir headscarves and painted red cheeks) and visit houses ringing the door and giving Easter ca they receive candy or money. According to Swedish folklore, during Easter the witches fly (the Blue Mountain, a legendary hill somewhere in Germany) to meet the devil. For the majo people, Easter is a time to travel and visit family.”  Stefana Mincheva from University of Plovdiv in Bulgaria (currently studying at the Faculty commented: “Eastern Orthodox Church regards Easter as the most important holiday. In Bulga traditionally celebrated as the rebirth of nature and coming of spring. It is a tradition sway their beloved girls on Easter swings. Before Easter we dance an open horo and during a circle horo. Horo is a traditional Bulgarian dance which is performed by boys and girls in hand. The moves of the horo imitate the moves of a snake. It is believed that during Ea a high probability of zmei (dragon) coming to steal a bride out of the local girls. That i are many protective actions taken by the girls. They get up very early in the morning of T Easter, just before the sunrise. The girls collect herbs which are believed to have a spec protective power if collected on this day. Another very important ritual is the painting of Easter eggs. It can take place either on Saturday (never on Friday, however). The first boiled egg should be painted red by the old the house as the sun rises. She makes crosses with the fresh painted egg on the forehead o the house beginning with the youngest child. After that this egg is placed in front of the Mary with Jesus Child. Another red painted egg is left for the cattle in the barn and one fields. After that more eggs are boiled and painted by the children. A traditional way of using onion peels – we put leaves or flowers on the eggs, hold e.g. by gauze and then put with vinegar and onion peels. The Bulgarian people traditionally use many different kinds the eggs will be colorful. A often used saying is that the eggs are so decorated that ‘the recognize them.’  Another traditional way of painting Easter eggs in Bulgaria is egg drawi special instrument called perashka is needed. It is a wooden stick that has a hole in it. nib fixed to it (made from a thin metal plate). You put wax in it and hold the nib over th candle. Then you can draw on the egg as long as the wax remains hot. Once the ornaments ar is put in colored ink or paint. Only the places covered by the wax will remain white or bl wax was smoked). The Bulgarian traditional colour of Easter eggs is red. We have a tradition to fight with eggs on Easter Monday. Egg fights or egg tapping is a sy fertility, something like Czech pomlázka. Everyone chooses an egg and then we crash them ( boiled) at the pointed sides so that every time one egg is broken and the other is not. Af with the round side of the eggs. If both eggs have one broken and one intact side, we woul intact sides to see which egg wins. The egg that remained unbroken is called borets or bor fighter. It is believed that the person who owns this egg will be healthy and happy all th For Easter we prepare sweet bread which is called kozunak. It can be made with raisins, ja sesame, walnuts or other nuts inside or on the top. For Easter Monday we make traditional boiled eggs inside it. The bread has a specific decoration or can be shaped as a braid. It is very nice that this tradition is preserved and practiced by young people until today happy that Czech and Bulgarian people have similar traditions. Perhaps they might be our c heritage.”