Ostern in der Wildschönau

Hello my dears,

We wanted to get in touch again for the Easter holidays. First of all, of course, Happy Easter to everyone!

We all celebrate Easter a little differently, so we wanted to tell you how traditional Easter is celebrated here in the Wildschönau valley.

Easter doesn't just consist of one day. For us it really starts on Palm Sunday. We are still very tradition-conscious - and most of the traditions are related to the church. The boys' competition starts at the palm procession: Who can make the longest palm pole? The girls have "palm bushes" which are often decorated with palm pretzels. Alma and I didn't have palm pretzels or a stick - but we're not that big and strong. The boys sometimes have meter-long poles that need to be tamed. But after all, it's about honor. The poles and bushes are blessed and after the procession people sit down and celebrate.

During the Easter week there are other customs and superstitions:

The herbs and plants sown on Maundy Thursday are considered to be more resistant and medicinal herbs have particularly strong healing powers. Eggs that are laid on Maundy Thursday bring luck and should stay fresh longer. They also protect the house and yard from lightning strikes. Under no circumstances should laundry be hung up, as this could lead to death in the family. We traditionally cook spinach with potatoes and fried eggs on Maundy Thursday.

On Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion, care should be taken with business and errands. At the same time, it is a day of the beginning of spring when everything that is sown will flourish splendidly. Cleaning the house on this day is also particularly effective. There is also the belief that whoever dies on Good Friday will be saved. With us, Good Friday is really a fast day, so stay away from meat or alcohol.

On Holy Saturday, the day of preparation for the Easter holidays, sowing peas and lifting heavy objects give you extra strength.

And then we're already on Easter Sunday. Obviously, the Easter egg is one of them. The hard-boiled eggs are painted or dyed and find their way into our "Easter consecration" - more on that later. We also blow out eggs - they are nicely decorated and hung on Easter bushes. But who of you knows why it's eggs? We have the answer: the beginning of spring was already celebrated with colored eggs in ancient Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome. The egg has been a symbol of life and resurrection since early Christian times - something apparently dead harbors new life. So the egg is a symbol of immortality.

A fun tradition with us is the "egg pecking". Of course you have to find the Easter eggs on Easter Sunday first. Then everyone chooses an egg and tries to dent the other's egg in one fell swoop. The winner is whoever still has an intact egg at the end.

At Easter we also enjoy culinary delights. At the end of Lent there is a feast: an Easter lamb, Easter ham, and a “Zopfbrot” (yeast dough pastry). All delicacies are carried in the Easter consecration, in a basket, on Easter Vigil or on Easter Sunday for the consecration of food to be blessed. Because with God's blessing it tastes even better.

With us, the godfather usually gives his godchild a “Gotlpack” (small gift) at Easter. This always included a bread in the shape of an animal, usually a hare or a hen.

Alma and I hope we could give you a little insight into traditional Wildschönau Easter.
Enjoy the holidays and again Happy Easter to everyone.

Yours,
Alma & Sturmi