Travels with my Pomlazka

The Monday after Easter men and boys get up really early and grab their pomlazka and a basket. A pomlazka, as I wrote in a previous post, is a switch made from braided willow branches, which is used to whack the legs of girls. It is said that the pomlazka, and the rhyme that is uttered while whacking the girls, ensure the women fertility and health for the rest of the year. In reality, the tradition is kind of like Halloween, as the men and boys go from door to door and receive colored eggs, candy and sometimes alcohol. I had some reservations about going, because really didn't know what to expect. I knew that I wasn't very comfortable with the idea of getting drunk and hitting young girls with switches, but I also thought that the tradition would be a great opportunity to visit with some friends and do some chatting.

About seven men and boys, from the church, came to our apartment at 7:45 am to whack Jamie. I was happy that they came this early, as it would afford me an opportunity to see the how the 'whacking' is appropriately applied. Also, I wanted to laugh and take pictures of Jamie. As they entered in through they door, they all instantly started hitting Jamie and saying the little chant. Some of the guys were hitting harder and one of them even hit her butt, which I got a good chuckle out of. In about 30 seconds they had finished with the "beating" and Jamie handed out the painted eggs that she prepared the night before. It wasn't very long before they were gone and off to another house. As they were leaving, one of them asked me if I was planning on going. And after seeing the tradition, I thought to myself, "I can do that."

(friends coming to whack Jamie)

(eggs Jamie painted to give to boys who whacked her)

Opting to take the much smaller pomlazka that Jamie made was a good choice, as I began to ride my bike around Policka. I had an idea of which girls I wanted to go and "pomlazk", but I wasn't sure how long I would be out.

My first stop was to a family in the church, the Svecs. Both Jirka (dad) and Jiri (son) were at our apartment to hit Jamie, so I thought I would return the favor. Upon riding up to their street, I saw Jirka and Jiri walking down the road; they were very excited to see me coming up the hill with my pomlazka in hand. They told me to just enter the house without a proper knock and surprise Lenka (wife) and Martina (daughter). I left my bike on the sidewalk and quietly crept through the doorway and into the kitchen. There, in the kitchen, I began to say the rhyme and lightly tapped Lenka on the legs__ I am a gentlemen, you know? She was so surprised to see me and took me upstairs to whack Martina, which I also did. Then, I went downstairs, got some candy, received a colored egg and whacked their Grandma. Needless to say, it was pretty fun.

After the first visit at the Svecs, I went on a "whacking" rampage. Here is the list:

Jamie Ault (whacked)- received a special egg and a kiss
Lenka Svecova (whacked)-received dyed egg, candy
Martina Svecova (whacked)- received ribbon
Grandma Svecova (whacked)- received chocolate chicken
Anna Dusova (whacked)- received colored Egg
Marta Dusova (whacked)- received colored ribbon for pomlazka
Magda Dusova (whacked)- received chocolate candy
Dasa Klusonva (whacked) - received tea, food, lots of candy and a nice conversation and ribbon.
Magda Jakubsova (whacked)- received eggs
Klara Jakubsova (whacked)- received candy
Bara Jakubsova (whacked)
Girl I just met in the house (whacked)- received awkward stare
Madla Dolejsova (whacked)- received candy, eggs and Easter bread
Mrs. Dolejsova (whacked)
Madla's Grandma (whacked)
Renata Blandova (whacked)- received candy, eggs and chlebicky (offered soup, but I declined)
Vera Zahourova (whacked)- received chocolate and fizzy, sweet water.
Jitulka Vosmekova (whacked)- received candy and egg and a ribbon
Maria Vosmekova (whacked)- received lunch and another ribbon
Jitulka's sister (whacked)- received a smile

total: 4 hours and 21 kilometers on my bike.
20 women/girls/grandmas whacked
11 eggs, 4 ribbons, and countless amounts of candy received
18 times saying the Czech rhyme :

hody hody doprovody

Dejte vejce malovany (Give me a painted egg)

Nedate-li malovany (If you don't give me a painted egg)

Dejte aspon bily (At least give me a white one)

Slepicka vam snese jiny (The hen will lay another)

(Me whacking Jitulka)
(My loot!)

Before I went on my journey through the Czech countryside, I didn't know if I would enjoy this celebration; however, after I was done, I felt a new sense of joy at knowing that I spent some time with many of the women who have helped me in countless ways since arriving in the Czech Republic. For many of the women they were happy that I went out of my way and chose to say hi to them. It really was just such a small way for me to show that I appreciate them in more ways than I can count, even if it was manifested through a little tap with a pomlazka.

As I was riding back to Policka from Teleci, I passed a meandering creek that was sparkling in the sun. I looked over to the left and saw the lake that fed the creek and saw two swans prancing through the water. I saw fishermen relaxing in the shade. I saw birds flying over fields and flowers blooming on the hillsides. I saw little boys and dads walking to their Grandma's house with pomlazkas in hand. And, I realized that it was a beautiful day in more ways than just one.