Easter out here is way too religious for my liking – too much fasting and praying and not enough chocolate eggs. Easter Monday is quite mad though, especially now my daughter is getting older. Gangs of young boys go from door to door with buckets of river water and brandishing woven hazel whips. Their aim is to drench and whip young girls and, in return, be given money and chocolate (or even alcohol of they’re old enough). It’s good to see some old fashioned pagan fertility rituals still in practice. Out here they call it pol’ovacka (in Poland Smigus Dyngus).
We stayed at the house for the first time since New Year. It was still bloody cold as we didn’t have long enough to heat and thaw out the thick stone walls and night time temperatures are still below zero. It was nice to go to the forest for an Easter picnic. The expedition was a tad worrying as the pastures we passed through were riddled with wild boar signs – the earth had been dug up and their scat was everywhere. At this time of year the boar have young and they can be very protective.
I heard the first Golden Oriole of the year and flowers are beginning to appear. I really hope Spring is finally on its way.
