Velikonoce a pomlázka
Easter and the Pomlázka
A famous and surprising Czech Easter custom: on Easter Monday, men and boys go house to house with a willow pomlázka, gently whipping the women for youth and health — and are rewarded with painted eggs, sweets, and a shot of slivovitz.
You will practice: Reflexive and impersonal se (říká se, drží se, nezlobí se), the future budou + adjective (budou mladé), and the instrumental of instrument (s ní, z proutků).
Words to know
Skim these before you read — they carry the story. Tap the star to add one to your saved words.
- VelikonoceEaster
- svátekholiday, feast
- jarospring
- tradicetradition
- pondělíMonday
- koledovatto go carolling
- pomlázkapomlázka (braided willow whip)
- hůlkastick, wand
- vrbovýwillow (adjective)
- proutektwig, switch
- stuharibbon
- šlehatto whip, to lash
- odměnareward
- vajíčko(little) egg
- kraslicepainted Easter egg
- slivoviceslivovitz (plum brandy)
- vesnicevillage
- náladamood, spirits
Did you get it?
5 quick questions — no grades, just a comprehension check.
1. When does the pomlázka tradition take place?
2. What is a pomlázka made of?
3. Why do men whip the women, according to the tradition?
4. How do the women react?
5. Where is the tradition mainly kept today?
Too hard? Pick an easier text in the Czech reading library. Understanding most of a text without translations is the goal — struggling through is not.