Like all other festivals and holidays, Easter is celebrated in different ways in different parts of Europe. 

 

 

Slovakia

THE TRADITION

When it comes to Easter in Slovakia, it’s the ladies that need to watch their backs. Why? Because the tradition goes that young guys shall visit every house in the village where they have single girls, they sprinkle them with water and spank them with whips made of willow branches. Please note that „sprinkle“ is a mild word here. Sometimes the guys come with water buckets :)

This treatment is always held on Easter Monday and is believed to bring health and beauty to the females. The more guys visit the girls’ homes, the prouder the girls should be – well, women and girls may think differently :) In many regions and bigger cities, water buckets have been replaced with perfumes, a cup of water or a water pistol. However, in some villages you may still see young men, sometimes dressed in traditional folk costumes, who come with rattles and braided whips decorated with colorful ribbons. They take females out of the houses and douse them with buckets filled with cold water. The girls can even end up in a stream, if they live close to one. During this tradition men may sing songs and play the accordion: