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what you need for a merry little czech easter
the country in which i currently live, the czech republic (or as some are trying to make happen, “czechia”), is currently not known for being a very religious country. they certainly have had their share of religious leaders and famous reformers (such as jan hus and jan of nepomuk), but communism pretty effectively killed off what dedication to religion remained, and the country currently stands as one of the most areligious in europe. which is then interesting why last year, in 2016, the parliament successfully voted to make good friday (or rather as czechs call it, big friday – velký pátek) a public holiday, which will officially go into effect…
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bohemian forest
hello friends! just spent a lovely few easter days staying at a pension by lake lipno and hiking through the bohemian national forest, known here as šumava. this was my big chance to actually get out and explore the country that i find myself living in instead of being swayed by more famous or sexier destinations. in the year and a half i’ve lived in czech republic, i’ve only planned one holiday here… something which needed to be remedied! the šumava forest area is in the south-west corner of the czech republic, hugging the borders of both germany and austria. it’s not only full of beautiful forests but many hills…
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lambcake
on wednesday afternoon after i returned home for the day, i noticed a large white box (with breathing holes… ???) sitting on the kitchen counter. having no idea what to expect, i opened it to reveal this… the most elaborate and precious holiday food creation that has ever been gifted upon us. THE LAMB CAKE. i squealed with equal parts joy and confusion. for a couple days this massive cake (called beránek) has been shrouded in confusion and mystery, until i was discussing czech easter traditions with a student yesterday and i found out that lamb cake is a thing. every mamka and babička makes one… and they simply won’t be stopped. you…
