Old Town Bratislava has an Easter market. Much smaller than the Christmas market, it has handcrafts native to Slovakia for sale. By far the most popular are the hand-decorated eggs. They are real eggs - emptied - and decorated using various techniques. Have a look at the slide show and variety and you can see how I've had a tough time deciding how to fill my Easter basket! If you prefer to see the photos larger, you can click on the photos link just below and it will take you to our Picasa stored photos.
On Easter Monday there is a strange tradition that most Slovak women I've talked with say is totally barbaric. They hate it, but say it remains a tradition in the country. The boys in the village go from door to door with a whip (made of twigs) and whip the girls and pour cold water on them. The girls, in turn, give the boys eggs, candy, or, as is becoming the new tradition, cash! This is a tradition we will not try out in our house, needless to say. I did buy a whip at the market. It looks like woven grapevine or branches and has a few colorful ribbons tied to the end - I think that's the whipping part.
1 comment:
oh my goodness! That is a horrible tradition! I'm glad that you aren't taking it up! Poor girls!
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