WORST TRADITION EVER

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

Any thoughts who came up with *this* Tradition?

SLOVAKIA:
Red Monday

Easter is a very important celebration both in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, called Velikonoce, or Great Nights. In Slovakia, there is a rather curious tradition on Easter Monday wherein the men go around whipping the ladies and pouring water over them.

Throughout the day, groups of men visit their female relatives and friends demanding “treats” which can range from eggs, liquor, chocolate, or a peck on the cheek and then spank them with special whips. Made from willow rods, these braided branches have ribbons at the end. In the past, it was common for women to add their own ribbons so the whip would say how many women the particular man has already visited.

If the women decide to make it interesting or play along, they will allow the men to chase them around. Otherwise, they just stand motionless and the male visitors spank their bottoms. Willow branches are used because they are a symbol of Spring. According to folk tradition, the fertility and vitality from the branches are thought to have transferred to the women during this act.

In addition to whipping, Easter Monday also involves dousing. Water is the symbol of life and the pouring of water is a gesture meant to encourage vigour and health in the year ahead. Being watered can range from having a teaspoon of warm tap water dribbled over the head to a bucket of frigid well water thrown at the body.

Isn’t that nice? The women get watered and whipped while the men get fed and given drinks, and the little boys are given money or chocolate.

Understandably, this tradition is enjoyed considerably more by the men than the women. But this wasn’t always the case. Traditionally, in each village, the watering and whipping would be done by a group of single young men, who would decide amongst themselves which single young women they would visit. If the group left out a particular girl, it was a sign that none of the boys in the group had an interest in her. Therefore, some people say that girls actually wanted to get watered and whipped.

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Boy, this tradition just keeps getting better and better. And uh, how did the traditional celebration of Easter change to “Hey, Jesus has risen, let’s whip some butt”??

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