Easter Bathing: Slavic Easter Traditions To Help You Stay Healthy All Year Long
What would you say if I told you Slavic people celebrate Easter with whips and water fights? I know what you are thinking. Whipping? Bathing? Allow me to explain. As is the case with a lot of Catholic holidays, Easter is a mix of christian and pagan traditions. Pagans celebrated the festival of spring, and what a celebration it was! They jumped over fires, danced, hung eggs from tress, and made time for love. The resurrection of Chris was far from their minds. While Good Friday and Easter Sunday say Easter to most of the world, in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and other countries, the celebration continues on Monday. Monday after Easter Sunday is a national holiday in these countries, and it is purely reserved for eating and socializing. Here is where things get a little weird. It is on this day that women and girls prepare for company that comes over to whip them, and either gently sprinkle water on them, or outright drenches them in buckets of it. If you live near …