Easter, the most important holiday of the Christian Church, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. The holiday was established in the second century. In 325, the council of Nicea decided that Easter would be celebrated on the Sunday which follows the first full moon after the spring equinox (between March 21 and April 25). We celebrate Easter on Sunday because it is the day of the week when Jesus rose from the dead. It’s likely that the religious celebration replaced a pagan festival.

The origin of the word, “EASTER”, is not clear. Bede, an early English historian (672-735), connected Easter to Eostre, an Anglo-Saxson spring goddess and whose symbols were the hare and the egg.

People who are not Christians usually send cards and flowers, fill Easter baskets with chocolate and candy, decorate eggs, buy toy chicks and rabbits. But for Czech people, a whip, usually made from young willow branches, is the third symbol of Easter.

Christians also send cards and flowers, eat chocolate and feast to celebrate Easter, but they especially rejoice in Christ’s resurrection. Christ’s resurrection is the basis of the Christians experience. Most churches have a service at sunrise to remember the women’s early visit to Jesus tomb. Then there is another service later in the morning, which contains lots of singing. The mood is joyful as the priest says: “Christ is risen.“

Easter in the Czech Republic

There are a lot of traditions connected with Easter of the coming of spring. In the Czech Republic some of the oldest traditions are those connected with Easter eggs and Easter “birches”.
For a long time, Czech men and boy have given girls and women an -Easter birching-: a gentle slapping on the arms and shoulders and backs with a decorated bunch of birch sticks.
The right to give a birching begins at midnight on Sunday and continues Monday morning. Young men, later joined by children, go around in groups visiting the houses of neighbours and relatives. The strength of waking nature is given to Man by these customs. It is also believed that the first “bircher” brings the home good luck, and so the housewife rewards him very well. Birchers get lots of food – meat, fruit, sweet holiday bread “mazanec” etc. – sticks of rosemary or sometimes money. However the most usual gift is one of decorated Easter eggs.

In folk culture, the Easter egg was a magical symbol of life and spring. The favourite colourt for eggs was red – the colour of blood and life.