Easter is a very important time of the year in Slovakia. Traditions at this time of year have been carried on for many, many generations, especially in the villages, and some are still practiced today. Holy Week is celebrated over 5 special days: Green Thursday, Great Friday, White Saturday, Great Night and Great Monday Night.
Green Thursday (Holy Thursday)
Traditionally, this was the day the villagers cleaned up. They would always wash themselves with running water, as they believed that water was alive. It was thought that if a girl wanted to have beautiful skin, free from freckles or blemishes, and if she wanted her hair to grow quickly and remain beautiful throughout the year, she should bathe in a spring before sunrise on Thursday. Green. The villagers also believed that if they wanted to avoid toothache, they should rinse their mouths with water on that day.
great friday
People believed that this was the day when witches would come to town and ruin gardens, break trees and steal milk from cows. Meanwhile, the warlocks walked through the town, causing harm to the people they encountered. Warlocks were thought to be able to paralyze or even kill a man if they came into contact with them. To ward off witches and wizards, people ate a lot of garlic on this day. In addition to eating the garlic, the villagers added garlic to the feed of farm animals and spread it at the entrance of the stables.
White Saturday (Easter Saturday)
On White Saturday, the villagers lit bonfires and burned anything they considered old or harmful. Known as the “Judas burning”, the embers of the fire were believed to have magical protective powers. In addition, a celebratory meal was always prepared on the newly lit fires. This food was normally prepared with pork, which symbolized power and wealth. The villagers separated the fat from the cooked pork and used it throughout the year to heal wounds.
Big Night (Easter Sunday)
On Easter Sunday, the food that had been prepared the day before was brought to the church to be eaten. This food was then eaten at lunchtime. The crumbs from the dinner table were always mixed with the seeds to be planted, to help the crops grow the following year. The crumbs were also given to the hens, because it was believed that later they would lay more eggs.
Big Night Monday (Easter Monday)
Easter Monday is well known in Slovakia as the day when boys pour water on girls and in western Slovakia boys also whip girls with thin willow branches. The tradition was that if the girls wanted to stay beautiful, healthy and full of life throughout the year, they had to endure water soaking or whipping. This is a tradition that is still very much alive in Slovakia!
