Indulge in the spring medley of sweet smells and colours in the Czech Republic
Prague, February 2009: Forget the fur coats, short days and chilly winter. Though it may not yet seem so, preparations for this year's explosion of colours and scents have already begun. Do you want to be there when the trees, enshrouded in a cloak of flowers, begun to send forth their scent and the promise of warm days can finally be felt in the air? Indulge yourself in this refreshing spring elixir in the Czech Republic, perhaps during Easter (12–13 April). In addition to flowering nature, special goodies and mischievous Easter traditions also await you.
Easter markets
The largest Easter markets are found in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square in Prague. From 28 March to 19 April 2009, an Easter market-town springs up here with dozens of vendor stalls. Both the offered assortment and the decorations here are tokens of springtime, as represented by the twelve-meter birch tree in Old Town Square decorated with hundreds of coloured eggs and ribbons. Children will be able to try their hands at braiding birch rods ("pomlázka") and preparing ornaments in the children's workshop, where there will also be a puppet theatre. During Easter week, visitors can taste traditional Easter treats, including various traditional Easter baked goods as well as spring vegetable soup.
You can also join in the festivities at the Easter markets in:
KroměřÞ (www.mesto-kromeriz.cz), 3 April 2009
Uherské Hradiště (www.uherske-hradiste.cz), 11 April 2009
TelÄ (www.telc.eu), 4 April 2009
Spring holidays at castles and chateaux
In the spring, castles and chateaux also awaken from their winter dormancy. The first of April marks the beginning of the tourist season, and these precious interiors once again come alive with the bustle of visitors. At many places, Easter fairs and exhibitions are also prepared. Castle Křivoklát, for example, will invite to its premises theatre performers and musicians to entertain guests at its Easter fair from 11 to 13 April 2009.
You can also see the following at Czech castles and chateaux:
Easter exhibition at Helfštýn castle (www.helfstyn.cz) from 4 to 26 April 2009
Easter markets at Sychrov chateau (www.zamek-sychrov.cz), 4–5 April 2009
Easter fair with craft exhibits at the Silesian-Ostrava Castle in Ostrava (www.slezskoostravskyhrad.cz), 4 and 5 April 2009
Easter the way it used to be
Are you interested not only in the current semblance of Easter but also in how it was celebrated long ago? Outdoor and other museums in the Czech Republic are preparing for you thematic programmes in which you will be able to try out certain old customs for yourself. At the Wallachian Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, for example, from 11 to 13 April 2009 various technicians will give demonstrations in Easter egg ornamentation, birch rod braiding and Easter gingerbread ornamentation.
Easter concerts
At spiritual music concerts, you will be reminded of the sacred aspect of Easter. The 18th annual Easter Festival of Sacred Music in Brno from 5 to 19 April 2009 offers its listeners concerts in the Gothic Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul. Prague, too, will have its own Easter music festival this year. A series of concerts featuring compositions from the Middle Ages through the present will take place from 5 to 14 April 2009 at the Rudolfinum and Municipal House.
Don't miss these Easter concerts:
at the basilica Svatá Hora u PÅ™Ãbrami, 13 April 2009
at the St. James' Basilica in Prague (www.auditeorganum.cz) (12 April–3 May 2009, daily from 17:00)
Easter traditions
Easter is the most important Christian holiday, and its celebration in the Czech Republic is commemorated especially in that spirit. At the same time, however, a number of popular customs and traditions pervade. Among the most characteristic is the "pomlázka" on Easter Monday. In this tradition, boys and men visit their classmates, girl friends and neighbours to symbolically lash them with switches braided into a so-called "pomlázka" (birch rod). In certain regions, local girls are splashed with cold water rather than whipped. Though this tradition is typically enjoyed more by men, women do not entirely resist: after all, it is supposed to bring them beauty and vivacity for the entire next year. This is also why they even reward their assailants with coloured eggs, sweets and refreshments. In villages, the custom of walking around the neighbourhood with rattles and clappers has remained to this day. These noisemakers, rather than bells, are used to call worshippers to church, as from Holy Thursday to Holy Saturday the bells fall silent in token of the mourning for Christ's martyrdom.
Easter relaxation at Czech spas
It is as if spring was created for regeneration of the body and soul. This fact is well known in Czech spas, and thus they have prepared special spring and Easter packages for you. In addition to revitalisation procedures, you can look forward to Easter treats and exhibitions of crafts and old customs.
Easter with irresistible goodies
You cannot taste these Easter treats at any other time of the year, so be sure not to miss out! Try the "lamb" sponge-cake with sugar or chocolate frosting, sweet buns from yeast dough, Easter gingerbread cookies, Easter dressing with young nettles, spring vegetable soup, sweet rolls ("jidáše", or Judas rolls) glazed with honey, or crunchy fried "God's graces" coated in powdered sugar.
Recipe for Easter sweet rolls ("jidáše"):
500 g of regular flour
2 egg yolks
250 ml of milk
1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
120 g of butter
80 g of honey
30 g of yeast
Prepare the leavening mixture using the milk, yeast and sugar. Blend the butter, yolks and honey and mix in the flower with the leavening mixture. Add some grated lemon zest and salt. Leave the dough to rise for one hour. Then, cut strips and shape them into spirals (this shape is to remind us of the rope with which Judas hung himself). Arrange the rolls on a baking sheet and let rise. Bake for about 20 minutes at 200°C. While still hot, glaze with honey.
February 19, 2009
Posted in: Czech Republic