Spring Break
Easter Traditons Vary Throughout The World
John Bailey
Issue date: 3/21/08 Section: Focus
Czech Republic and Slovakia:
Spank You Very Much
We have a problem, these days. We don't respect tradition enough. Specifically, we don't respect the American staples of individual craftsmanship and beating people. The Czech and the Slovakians, see, they know what they're talking about. On the morning of Easter Monday (true fact: they call it "Dyngus Day"), young men take it upon themselves to construct handmade, ribboned whips called pomlázka, which they then use to spank women (not very hard, of course), and the women get to whip them back on Tuesday They also splash them with water, and sing carols while doing both of these things.
Norway: The Most
Thrilling Country ... Ever
Hold your breath: in Norway, they read books for Easter. And not just any books-mystery books. Apparently, mystery books are stories where something bad has happened, but nobody knows who did it! Then, people start dying, and everyone has to figure out the problem before it's too late. Sort of like Harry Potter, but without wands. They also play a lot of Yahtzee.
So this year, while you're sitting around with Aunt Edna and Uncle Carl, eating celery and watching the bunnies desecrate your village, don't despair: you know that someone, somewhere else in the world, is having more fun then you. They are spanking people and playing games with dice. They are reading mystery novels.
And if you still feel bad, think about the look on your cousin Willy's face when he opens up his Easter egg and reads: "It's too late."
Contact John Bailey at John.C.Bailey@UConn.edu
Spank You Very Much
We have a problem, these days. We don't respect tradition enough. Specifically, we don't respect the American staples of individual craftsmanship and beating people. The Czech and the Slovakians, see, they know what they're talking about. On the morning of Easter Monday (true fact: they call it "Dyngus Day"), young men take it upon themselves to construct handmade, ribboned whips called pomlázka, which they then use to spank women (not very hard, of course), and the women get to whip them back on Tuesday They also splash them with water, and sing carols while doing both of these things.
Norway: The Most
Thrilling Country ... Ever
Hold your breath: in Norway, they read books for Easter. And not just any books-mystery books. Apparently, mystery books are stories where something bad has happened, but nobody knows who did it! Then, people start dying, and everyone has to figure out the problem before it's too late. Sort of like Harry Potter, but without wands. They also play a lot of Yahtzee.
So this year, while you're sitting around with Aunt Edna and Uncle Carl, eating celery and watching the bunnies desecrate your village, don't despair: you know that someone, somewhere else in the world, is having more fun then you. They are spanking people and playing games with dice. They are reading mystery novels.
And if you still feel bad, think about the look on your cousin Willy's face when he opens up his Easter egg and reads: "It's too late."
Contact John Bailey at John.C.Bailey@UConn.edu
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