Easter Greetings from Prague

Hello from a very un-spring like Prague! Apparently this time last year it was 20 degrees here; now we’re lucky if it gets above zero! But we don’t have snow, so I can’t complain too much!  And at least I can keep my running training up, as I’m running a half marathon in April.

It turns out that Easter in the Czech Republic is not quite the same as in the UK; whipping sticks, Becherovka (a Czech herbal liqueur – have a look at their cool website if you want to find out more) and buckets of water are all involved. 

This blog, Beyond Prague, has a good description of the Easter traditions of the Czech Republic.

Egg decorating is also a big tradition, and over the past week my students have been telling me how they decorate their copious amounts of hard boiled eggs.

Colouring the eggs is the first step, and onion skins seem to be a popular and cheap method! You need to put your egg in a sock with lots of onion skins and then place it in boiling water, or if you’re after a yellowy coloured egg, try the same with green tea. Another tip I received; if you want to make a pattern on your egg, try putting it in a pair of tights rather than a sock!

The eggs are decorated in a variety of ways often using batik or other skilled techniques. The results are amazing – you can find decorated eggs as souvenirs in Prague. Here’s a selection I particularly like which I found on the Beyond Prague blog. 

The eggs are then given as gifts or made into Easter tree decorations – fun!

But if colouring eggs isn’t your thing, we have an ever expanding collection of hen and chicken cards, these Silkies are the latest addition. 

Let us know what you think!

Wishing you all a very happy Easter, 
from Emma