Easter in the Czech Republic

Source: thematic websites 

Most likely, having noticed colored eggs, chocolate rabbits and lamb-shaped cakes in stores, you have figured out that the Czech Republic is celebrating Easter. Non-religious Czech Republic celebrates Easter much more modestly than Christmas. 

However, you have to know something about Easter, because it is not only about customs and traditional food. It is also an official holiday when all institutions and shops are closed. 

When the shops will be closed 

Large stores are to have a day off on Easter Monday. So they will be closed on April 10. Only pharmacies, shops at gas stations, train stations and airports will be open.

Ussually Good Friday remained a normal working day. However, this year the government has declared Friday (April 7) to be a public holiday as well. But no worries, shops will be open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Colorful days and related traditions 

It is known that some days of the Holy Week (Svatý týden) are named after colors – blue, gray, green, white. There is no certain explanation of these names’ origins, but in one case it is about a confusion of words. 

Blue Monday. Earlier, this day used to be the start of students’ spring break. Churches were decorated with blue fabric. The tradition was that no one was supposed to go to work on this day, but it is no longer respected nowadays. 

Tuesday is called gray. The gray color, apparently, reminds of the custom to sweep cobwebs and dust from all corners of the house on this day. 

Holy Wednesday (in Czech it is called Nasty or Vile – Škaredá) recalls the betrayal of Judas, a vile act. On this day, they used to clean soot from chimneys. According to a belief, nobody was supposed to frown, because if anyone did, they would be angry on Wednesdays for the whole year. 

Green Thursday. On this day, the bells in churches stopped ringing – their souls flew to Rome, and boys with rattles walked around villages.

In fact, Thursday is supposed not to be green, but whiny. However, over time a confusion of the German words grein (weeping) and grün (green) has taken place. Everything has to be green on Green Thursday. Green dishes are prepared, mostly using spring herbs (nettle, spinach, green onions). Surely, many of you have brought back the green beer at this point, but this is a new tradition, which started in 2006 in Brno. 

According to beliefs, on Green Thursday one should avoid lending anything to anyone or getting into quarrels. As a reward, quarrels will avoid you, also money might find a way to you.

Good Friday is called Great Friday in Czech. This is a day of deep sadness, the day of the Christ’s crucifixion. It was believed that on this day the earth gives its hidden treasures back. People were not to work in the field, dig and wash clothes. 

White Saturday. Christ was laid in his grave on this day. On farms, people whitewashed, cleaned, prepared Easter food, baked curd pies (koláče), dyed eggs. Boys and men wove willow twigs (pomlázky). 

Resurrection. On the night from Saturday to Sunday, Christ rose from the dead. This night is called “the great night”, and this is the reason why Easter was named Velikonoce in Czech. On Sunday fasting ends and everyone eats traditional Easter dishes – pastries and eggs. 

Great Monday 

In the Catholic tradition, this is also a holiday (in the Czech Republic it has always been a public holiday). On Great Monday, men and boys had to whip all the women and girls they met with willow twigs so that they would be healthy all year long. On the Internet, you can find many stories of Czech women about how much pain and humiliation they have gone through due to this “game”. It is to be hoped that over time this whipping will become purely symbolic. 

We wish you all enjoy the holidays. 

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