Easter Monday always makes me smile. Though it's not a big deal here, it's a big festive occasion -- particularly for the teenagers and young adults -- in Slovakia, which is home to two of our former exchange students, Michal and Zuzi.
Here's what they do in Slovakia on Easter Monday: The men and boys go to their favorite women, drench them with cold water and then hit them with little willow switches. It's a tradition that goes back eons. According to the Heart of Europe Web site: The tradition was that if the girls wanted to be beautiful, healthy and full of life, they must not try and avoid the water soaking or the whippings.It was believed that by whipping the girls with the freshly made whip, all the fertility and life powers from the willow tree would be transferred into the girl. The women respond by giving the guys chocolates and other treats. In America, the guys would probably be tossed right into the nearest swimming pool for antics like that but in Slovakia the women take it as a compliment.
I try to be really culturally sensitive, but this I did not get at all. . Well, when I first heard about this custom, I was horrified. What a mean thing to do! Michal thought it was great and he defended it in our long discussions about it. Zuzi said the girls in her house just hid out for the day. (My father wouldn't dare do that to my mother, she told me...!) Well, of course, Michal thought it was just the greatest fun and bragged that his beautiful girlfriend had the most guys coming to her house to pour water on her. The more times you change clothes, the more popular you are.
OK, that's it, I told him. Next year, I am arming my Slovakian sisters. So I sent him an Easter box with candy and toys for him, but in boxes marked like Easter candy, I hid some pretty powerful squirt guns for his girfriend and his mother. I felt a little bit guilty about it for just a moment because I really try to be respectful of everyone's traditions. But then I recovered, thinking of the many times Michal threw me into the family swimming pool.
If you're interested in how all this Slovak tradition got started and why it endures, here's an explanation: Easter Monday blues"
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